Jay Cost

1 week ago | understandingcongress.org | Kevin R. Kosar |Jay Cost

Congress continues to debate the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda for his second term. As so much with Congress, the details of this debate can be confusing. The legislative branch is using a procedure called “reconciliation” to enact Trump’s agenda — one that limits what Congress can actually enact but that avoids Senate procedures. What exactly is this?

1 month ago | aei.org | Jay Cost

How Congress Lost, Part VII: The Ambiguous Legacy of Andrew Jackson Key PointsAndrew Jackson’s presidency (1829–37) saw a significant increase in executive power—especially in relation to federal Indian policy, the Nullification Crisis, and the Bank War. Jackson’s disposition oriented him toward a broad understanding of his authority, but he was also strengthened by being the first president who could claim a democratic mandate.

1 month ago | aei.org | Jay Cost

The American Founding with Jay Cost In this episode of the American Founding, Dr. Cost explores the system of checks and balances that runs through the Constitution. It was not enough that the branches of government be separate from one another. Each must have the ability to defend itself from encroachments on its power. To develop this idea the Framers borrowed heavily from the ancient Roman Republic, which carefully balanced power between different factions to sustain itself for centuries.

1 month ago | aei.org | Jay Cost |Jeffrey Rosen

The Brennan Center for Justice and the National Constitution Center present a symposium exploring how the Articles of Confederation shaped the U.S. Constitution. Historians, legal scholars, and journalists—including Aditya Bamzai of the University of Virginia School of Law; Alicia Bannon of the Brennan Center; Wilfred Codrington of the Benjamin N.

1 month ago | aei.org | Jay Cost |Jeffrey Rosen |Joshua Katz |Gary Schmitt

Multimedia Constitutional Meaning in the Shadow of the Articles of Confederation Multimedia The Essential Senate Post American Linguistic Exceptionalism Report American Enterprise Institute How Congress Lost, Part IV: Washington, Foreign Policy, and the Emergence of Presidential Governance Report American Enterprise Institute What the White House Says About the American Constitutional Order Working Paper Wielding the Executive Power, 1775–1789 Multimedia Is President Trump Immune From...