Although Representative Justin Amash was endorsed in 2010 by both Tea Party Express and the self-proclaimed “Tea Party HQ” FreedomWorks, he has not joined the Tea Party Caucus headed by Rep. Michele Bachmann. Instead (to no notice beyond the official registry of the Committee on House Administration), Rep. Amash has formed his own House Liberty [...]

In the U.S. House of Representatives, members form voluntary associations that are officially called Congressional Member Organizations and unofficially referred to as caucuses. These caucuses organize around identity or interest in order to pursue policy, signal identification, or boost a member’s public bona fides in some manner. When these caucuses are formed, members of the [...]

Last year, the Department of the Interior published regulations to keep the carcinogenic and otherwise poisonous rubble created by mountaintop removal mining out of the streams that sustain wildlife and (if you want to be anthropocentric) feed into the drinking water supplies for millions of Americans. Last month, Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio introduced H.Amdt [...]

In the first month and a half of the 112th Congress, 187 Congressional Member Organizations — more familiarly known as “caucuses” — have registered with the Committee on House Administration in keeping with the rules of the House of Representatives. Caucuses bring together members of Congress who are focused on a subject, be it broad [...]

In the unexpectedly drawn-out reauthorization of the Patriot Act in February of 2011 there is an unusual opportunity to study the dynamics of legislative decision-making across time, not just one cross-sectional snapshot. On February 8, House Speaker John Boehner wrangled a vote on H.R. 514 to reauthorize the Patriot Act, suspending the normal House rules [...]

Article I, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution says of Congress that “Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings.” But from time to time, leaders of the House of Representatives have expedited proceedings by suspending the Rules of the House and bringing bills up for quick consideration without amendment or debate. When he [...]

We are at CyberWar, our national politicians tell us, and in a CyberWar we must be ever CyberVigilant and on CyberGuard against our CyberEnemies. Usually, showing up is a prerequisite for vigilance. Earlier today, the full House Armed Services Committee was called together for a hearing entitled “U.S. Cyber Command: Organizing for Cyberspace Operations.” There [...]

A number of political advocacy organizations need Americans to think of Congress in dire and extreme terms in order to attract donations and advance their particular causes. As Bill Nissim advises non-profit organizations: “The human mind can only attach one specific meaning or feeling to an item. Although the overall perception of that item represents [...]

As a report issued by the U.S. Census bureau this week shows, only the top income bracket in the United States saw its average income rise last year: everybody else’s income in the United States went down. It’s the poor and the middle class who are struggling; America’s rich are doing just fine and even [...]

On June 24, Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas took to the floor of the House to explain why the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution needs to be canceled so that people born in the USA can be stripped of their citizenship: There are people coming into this country who want to destroy our way [...]