Penn Washington News & Comment
Has Congressional Failure Reached a Tipping Point?
Has Congress now fallen so far into dysfunction that its Members are ready to do something about it? That is the question posed by three excellent columns that have appeared…
The inescapable answer to America’s problems? Fix Congress
The always perspicacious Jonah Goldberg has a new column at The Dispatch, which he edits, that could easily serve as the mission statement for Fixing Congress. “The abdication of…
Penn Washington names Celeste Wallander as inaugural executive director
This story was originally published on April 29, 2025 in Penn Today Wallander will assume leadership and operational management of Penn Washington, and its mission and bridge Penn research with policy discussions…
Opinion: A third way for congressional Democrats
Some Democrats believe the only viable strategy for slowing and eventually halting the Trump steamroller is all-out resistance on every issue in every forum. Others prefer giving Trump plenty of…
Top GOP aide tells Members of Congress: Start doing your jobs!
Brendan Buck, a top aide to former Republican Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, posted an eloquent essay in the New York Times today recounting the many ways in which…
Cabinet confirmations just the latest example of Members surrendering responsibility and power
Many Americans have been shocked recently as Republican senators set serious concerns and supinely vote to confirm patently unqualified and inappropriate nominees for the most powerful positions in government. For…
Can John Thune Fix the Senate?
Five-day work weeks. Bringing more bills to the floor. More debate with plenty of opportunity for members to offer amendments? Is John Thune channeling the “Fixing Congress” agenda? The Senate’s…
Why Trump’s Recess Appointment Gambit Won’t Work
Nothing sustains a political blood feud more than memories of outrageous injustices. Democrats have never gotten over the refusal of Senate Republicans to take up the Merrick Garland’s nomination to…
Misreading the Mandate, Again
From one angle of view, the Republican sweep of the White House and—as now appears likely—both houses of Congress will offer a temporary reprieve from the political dysfunction of recent…
For Members of Congress, No Penalty for Failure
Americans have pretty much had it with politics. According to a recent Pew Research poll, two-thirds of Americans express little or no confidence in the American political system. Less than half…
With an eye on House majority, Democrats mull ways to ‘fix Congress’
Paul Kane of The Washington Post recently featured the work of Fixing Congress at Penn Washington in his article about lawmakers’ desires to change how the legislative body functions. He discussed how a…
The Other Threat to Democracy
About the Author Steven Pearlstein was a Pulitzer-prize winning columnist for the Washington Post. He is now the Robinson Professor of Public Affairs at George Mason University and a senior fellow at…
Penn Washington Names Inaugural Senior Fellows Julian Zelizer and Steven Pearlstein
The Senior Fellows will lead two programs focusing on higher education and Congress and policy. Penn Washington, which serves as the physical and programmatic home for the University of Pennsylvania…
Schumer Says Foreign Aid Victory Shows Congress Isn’t Broken
In a recent article by Carl Hulse of The New York Times, the focus was on the ongoing challenges that Congress faces. The piece sheds light on the structural issues…
Penn Washington to house the University’s engagement in D.C.
On June 18, 2024, Interim President J. Larry Jameson and Provost John L. Jackson Jr. announced the creation of Penn Washington, a physical and programmatic home for the University of Pennsylvania’s engagement in…
Former lawmakers have ideas on fixing Congress. Will anyone listen?
Their ideas ranged from a major rethinking of how the body works to symbolic changes that could be implemented next month if anyone had the willpower. Eliminate partisan gerrymandering for…