Matthew Green

Congressional Budget Act at 50: Institutional Ambition to Abdication Congress’s landmark budget process reform, post-reform adjustments, and current challenges mark significant developments in the US separation of powers system. Over the last fifty years, Congress h...

The Congressional Budget Act passed a half-century ago. How has the federal budget process changed since then, and how might it be reformed? Jasmine Farrier discusses the CBA at 50 in our latest issue: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Company Towns Reveals the deep, historical roots of public distrust in former mining areas in the US, shedding new light on the corrosive feedback loops that persist today. In Company Towns, Elizabeth Mitchell Elde...

I just finished this excellent new book by @elizabethelder.bsky.social. She uses both old and new data to show the lasting political and social legacy of coal company domination in Appalachia. Great read!

press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

Congress & the Presidency Volume 52, Issue 3 of Congress & the Presidency

Our latest issue is now available on-line! Featuring new articles by Mitchel Sollenberger and @markjrozell.bsky.social, Melissa Burgess, Jasmine Farrier, and Michael Bednarczuk, plus new book reviews!

www.tandfonline.com/toc/uctp20/c...

Justices Strike Down Trump’s Tariffs

“Presidents employ prerogative power out of weakness rather than strength.” - Richard Pious, The American Presidency (1979)

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/20/u...

ICYMI: I'm honored to be joining Jeff Crouch as co-editor of Congress & the Presidency. If you're doing any research on the American legislative and/or executive branches, please consider submitting it to C&P!

This was Mike Johnson's third failed rule vote of the 119th Congress, bringing him closer to tying the modern era record for rule failure in the House.

Which is currently held by... Mike Johnson, from the 118th Congress

Anatomy of a vote Watching House Republicans seize victory from the jaws of defeat.

ICYMI: @mattngreen.bsky.social writes about how the close House vote on the special rule to consider a government funding bill went down: misofact.substack.com/p/anatomy-of...

Lee Hamilton, Indiana Democrat and vice chair of 9/11 Commission, dies at 94 Former Rep Lee H. Hamilton, an Indiana Democrat who went on to chair the 9/11 Commission, has died at the age of 94.

The rare member who was widely respected as a genuine expert in foreign affairs. When I worked on the Hill, if I ever had a question about a major foreign policy matter, the answer was often "go ask Hamilton's office." rollcall.com/2026/02/04/l...

Anatomy of a vote Watching House Republicans seize victory from the jaws of defeat.

Absolutely gripping play-by-play from @mattngreen.bsky.social on @misofact.bsky.social on the nail-biter House vote yesterday.
open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

Anatomy of a vote Watching House Republicans seize victory from the jaws of defeat.

Offering some play-by-play on yesterday‘s unusually long rule vote in the house. My latest on @misofact.bsky.social. open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

The "five minute vote" on the rule has been open for 30 minutes and counting.

Excellent piece by @joshhuder.bsky.social on the multiple challenges facing Speaker Johnson.

My thoughts on the state of House GOP leadership, with data on discharge petitions and links to good stuff from @mattglassman312.bsky.social @joshhuder.bsky.social @sarahbinder.bsky.social & others.

My take on why Mike Johnson's speakership is one of the most fraught in recent and not so recent memory. open.substack.com/pub/joshhude...

The speakership has been a less secure leadership post since the mid-1980s. Johnson is no less safe than his predecessors. My latest at @misofact.bsky.social.

Lessons from the longest shutdown ever What I got wrong and (arguably) got right

Following up from my September post on shutdown politics - what I got wrong and (I think) right. My latest @misofact.bsky.social. open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

An Entirely too-early Assessment of the Senate Shutdown Deal/Vote Democrats may have over-performed on policy and underperformed on politics.

My entirely too early assessment of the Senate deal. Still a lot of unknowns but like this shutdown, this deal was a little surprising. open.substack.com/pub/joshhude...

It's a great book!

Are Members of Congress Pushing Back against President Trump? Part III Explaining GOP Resistance

I posted this 15 minutes before Pelosi announced her retirement. I’ll probably have something to say about her speakership later…but for now, here’s some new data about congressional Republicans resisting Trump. open.substack.com/pub/misofact...

You love me. You hate me. I'm the Ross & Rachel of Capitol Hill. The Senate filibuster is adored when parties are in the minority and despised when parties are in the majority. If the filibuster could talk, it wants you to think long and hard before reforming it.

When @gregorykoger.bsky.social writes about the filibuster, you should read it. @misofact.bsky.social
misofact.substack.com/p/you-love-m...

Good Q. Shutdowns IMO are very weak tools to change presidential behavior. (For starters, they end funding for *many* gov't activities, not (just) "corrupt or despotic" ones.) If Dems had no other option, then *maybe* it would make sense to use one - but I don't think that's the case (yet).

Interesting debate between @mattglassman312.bsky.social and @tompepinsky.com on a strategic shutdown. I come down on Matt’s side, but Tom’s point is well-taken: many Dem voters will be understandably furious if they think D’s aren’t doing enuf vs. Trump.

Shutdown Politics More on the choices facing Democrats.

...and Jonathan Bernstein's post as well, which argues *for* a strategic shutdown (as Democrats' "least bad option"). 3/3 goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/shutdown-p...

A Strategic Shutdown is a Terrible Idea It's bad policy. It's worse politics. But a lot of liberal Dems are pushing for it.

I also recommend reading Matt Glassman's post from yesterday, which offers strong arguments against a strategic shutdown (and which came out while I was writing mine)...2/x mattglassman.substack.com/p/a-strategi...

My two cents on the "shutdown or not" debate. 1/x

Tariffs and Board Games One example of how Trump’s tariffs affect niche industries that Americans value.

It sounds like the problems have gotten worse since I wrote about this back in May (2/2): misofact.substack.com/p/tariffs-an...

Recent story in USA Today about how tariffs are harming the domestic board game industry (1/2): www.usatoday.com/story/money/...

Two weeks in August Some impressions of domestic politics after taking a hiatus from the news.

In an effort to summarize two weeks of Trump actions in August, which is typically a sleepy time in Washington, @mattngreen.bsky.social creates a helpful typology to identify the political pathologies at work. Now at @misofact.bsky.social
misofact.substack.com/p/two-weeks-...

Two weeks in August Some impressions of domestic politics after taking a hiatus from the news.

Matthew Green took a two-week break from the news. His thoughts on what happened in U.S. politics during that period: misofact.substack.com/p/two-weeks-...

Scandals and Wedge Issues Why the Epstein affair has been an ideal topic for Democrats to exploit.

Wedge issue + scandal = a politically fruitful topic for the minority party. An analysis of the Epstein papers affair by @mattngreen.bsky.social. misofact.substack.com/p/scandals-a...