#legislative-agenda

#legislative-agenda

I think we know what the agenda items are. Accomplishing those is going to be hard with a small majority. The upshot is that Trump's prime-time address is unlikely to make more than a ripple in the congressional agenda over the coming months. It's the reality, Republicans acknowledged Wednesday, of life in Washington right now: Despite its trifecta, the party's legislative ambitions are being hemmed in by its barely-there majorities.

Stocks held by members of Congress have been beating the S&P 500 lately, but there's a subset of lawmakers who crush their peers: leadership. According to a recent working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research, congressional leaders outperform back benchers by up to 47% a year. Shang-Jin Wei from Columbia University and Columbia Business School along with Yifan Zhou from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University looked at lawmakers who ascended to leadership posts, such as Speaker of the House as well as House and Senate floor leaders, whips, and conference/caucus chairs.

The City Council as a body plays a crucial role in shaping policies for all New York City residents with the speaker standing at the helm. They're responsible for guiding the council's agenda, managing legislative proceedings and appointing committee chairs. The speaker controls the legislative calendar and has a significant influence over which bills advance to vote. Most notably, the speaker serves as a key liaison between the council, the mayor and other city agencies.

Trump should be afraid of him.