Skip to content

The times, they are confusing: Why is Congress like this?

Political Theater, Episode 303

From left, Reps. George Santos, R-N.Y., Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., are seen on the House floor before Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, fell short of the votes needed to become House speaker on Tuesday, October 17, 2023.
From left, Reps. George Santos, R-N.Y., Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., are seen on the House floor before Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, fell short of the votes needed to become House speaker on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

The House recently deposed its speaker for the first time ever. Members of Congress face criminal indictments. The House has struggled to elect a new speaker. Things seem unsteady, even dangerous. Has it ever been like this before? And what comes next? Molly Reynolds, senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, joins the podcast to discuss.

Show Notes:

Recent Stories

Lawmakers postpone decision on Virginia-class submarine money

House Foreign Affairs votes to recommend holding Blinken in contempt

Filibuster’s future, emergency abortions fuel Senate debate

‘Take their factories’: Trump vows to snatch jobs from other countries

Senate Democrats bash Supreme Court’s Trump immunity ruling

‘Hello, I’m Johnny Cash’: Statue of the ‘Man in Black’ unveiled at the Capitol