Best Legislative Branch Podcasts (2025)

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Introducing Child Care Matters: Built to Break 1:31

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4d ago1:31

1:31

Why is it so hard to find high-quality, affordable child care in the United States? And what would it take to fix it? Child Care Matters: Built to Break is a new narrative podcast from BridgeCare that shines a light on America’s early education system and what it will take to rebuild it. Across eight episodes, host and CEO of BridgeCare, Jamee Herb…

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What Are Budget Rescissions and Pocket Rescissions? (with Philip Wallach) 29:34

25d ago29:34

29:34

The topic of this episode is, what are budget rescissions and pocket rescissions? Rescissions have been in the news recently. This past July President Donald J. Trump sent the House and Senate a rescissions message. This memorandum requested that Congress rescind, or take back, spending authority it had previously granted. Congress passed the legis…

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Smoot, Hawley, and Trump 32:43

1M ago32:43

32:43

A Senate fight over Lady Chatterley’s Lover paved the way for Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Now the Supreme Court will decide if presidents can use emergency powers to sidestep Congress on trade. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.…

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Was James Madison the First Majority Leader? (with Jay Cost) 27:34

2M ago27:34

27:34

The topic of this episode is, “Was James Madison the first majority leader?” Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have a majority leader. At the time of the recording this podcast, Republican John Thune of South Dakota is the Senate majority leader, and Republican Steve Scalise of Louisiana is the House majority leader. Now, congression…

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Necessary & Proper Episode 99: Defining Antisemitism: A Debate on Free Speech and Civil Rights 1:00:58

2M ago1:00:58

1:00:58

Congress is currently debating the Antisemitism Awareness Act. This proposed legislation aims to provide a clear definition of antisemitism for use in enforcing existing civil rights laws. Supporters argue that the bill is a crucial tool for combating rising antisemitism by filling a gap in current legal definitions. Opponents, however, contend tha…

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Necessary & Proper Episode 100: Legislative or Executive? The Curious Case of the Library of Congress 1:01:25

2M ago1:01:25

1:01:25

The recent dismissal of the Librarian of Congress and the Register of Copyrights by President Trump raises fundamental questions about the scope of the President’s removal authority and the constitutional status of these offices. Do these officials exercise executive power such that they must be removable at will? Or has Congress validly rest…

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Necessary & Proper Episode 98: Courthouse Steps Decision: Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers’ Research 44:57

3M ago44:57

44:57

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has traditionally regulated interstate and international communications and, as part of that, maintained a universal service fund that requires telecommunications carriers to contribute quarterly based on their revenues. In order to calculate these contribution amounts, the FCC contracts the help of the U…

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Necessary & Proper Episode 95: DOGE and the Future of the Federal Workforce 1:14:50

3M ago1:14:50

1:14:50

On January 20th, 2025, President Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by executive order. DOGE and its head, Elon Musk, hope to reduce the size and inefficiencies of the administrative state and return the federal bureaucracy to being accountable to the President and, ultimately, the people. While the scope and extent of…

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Necessary & Proper Episode 97: Checks and Balances: Deregulation Based on Supreme Court Rulings 1:06:05

3M ago1:06:05

1:06:05

Among the points emphasized by the second Trump administration has been a major push for deregulation. President Trump has directed that there must be ten deregulatory actions for every one regulatory one, and put forward Presidential Memoranda and Executive Orders to that end. As some have noted, however, such deregulation can take significant tim…

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Necessary & Proper Episode 96: The Art of Deregulation: Executive Orders and Limited Government 1:14:49

3M ago1:14:49

1:14:49

Since taking office on January 20, 2025, President Trump has emphasized deregulation. Deregulatory efforts have focused both on undoing Biden-era policies in areas of interest (environmental regulation, SOGI issues, immigration, etc.) and on a broader effort to limit the scope of administrative power more broadly. In light of these strong changes, …

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Necessary & Proper Episode 94: The End of Humphrey’s Executor? 1:27:55

3M ago1:27:55

1:27:55

Does the President control independent agencies? This panel will examine the Trump administration’s efforts to reassert presidential control over independent federal agencies, considering the constitutional, legal, and practical implications of such actions. Central to the discussion will be Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, which upheld the in…

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Necessary & Proper Episode 93: Executive Orders: Faithful Execution or Legislating from the Oval Office? 1:01:04

3M ago1:01:04

1:01:04

Presidents have used executive orders to direct the executive branch since the founding, but over the years the modern Presidency has drastically expanded its use of executive orders. Executive Orders have always been an important means of moving the Executive Branch into alignment with the President’s interpretation of the law consistent with his …

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Necessary & Proper Episode 92: Can the Federal Government Ban At-Home Distilling? 59:25

3M ago59:25

59:25

After the U.S. Supreme Court in Morrison v. Olson (1988) and U.S. v. Lopez (1995) held two federal statutes were unconstitutional as those statutes were beyond the power of Congress to enact, some claimed it was the dawn of a new federalism revolution. However, such challenges to federal power did not seem to continue. Now, a new case McNutt v. DOJ…

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Necessary & Proper Episode 91: Antitrust and FTC Reform in the New Congress 1:03:33

3M ago1:03:33

1:03:33

In 2025, antitrust and consumer protection remain hot topics in the legal world as a new Congress and Administration begin. Join this FedSoc Forum as we discuss possible antitrust and Federal Trade Commission reforms in the 119th Congress. Featuring: Adam Cella, Chief Counsel for the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, House Com…

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Necessary & Proper Episode 90: Nondelegation Doctrine Adds Another Good Year? 1:03:33

3M ago1:03:33

1:03:33

For many years, legal scholars have declared that the nondelegation doctrine is dead. Professor Cass Sunstein once quipped that the nondelegation doctrine had only “one good year” and more than 200 “bad ones.” But that has changed recently. In 2024, the en banc Fifth Circuit held that the Federal Communications Commision&rsq…

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Does Congress’s Power to Declare War Mean Anything? (With Gary Schmitt) 28:11

3M ago28:11

28:11

The topic of this episode is, “Does Congress's power to declare war mean anything?” In June of 2025, President Donald J. Trump directed US aircraft to drop 30,000 pound bombs on nuclear facilities in Iran. Some legislators in Congress and some media complained that this was a violation of the US Constitution. They note that Article I, Section 8 dec…

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Bad Faith President 33:24

3M ago33:24

33:24

The United States generally does not allow a standing army to be used against civilians. But Trump has been exploiting an exception to keep troops in Los Angeles to protect ICE agents, with terrifying implications. Bad Faith President Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of perso…

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Why Are Legislators on Social Media? (with Annelise Russell) 27:17

4M ago27:17

27:17

The topic of this episode is, Why are legislators on social media?” We’ve all seen it, and if you haven’t, well, you will soon enough. Social media posts by members of Congress. They are on Facebook, X.com (what used to be called Twitter), Bluesky, and the like. The average voter may be forgiven for wondering, “Why are these lawmakers hanging out o…

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The Return of Con Law 57:34

5M ago57:34

57:34

We heard you. The chorus of voices asking “where is Con Law? Where is Professor Elizabeth Joh to guide us through this madness? We need it now more than ever!” Well, here it is. We’re back with a special extra-long episode about Trump’s perverted use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport people without due process and how judges are trying to hold the…

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Rethinking Polling: AI, Accuracy, and Election Predictions 24:23

5M ago24:23

24:23

I interviewed Kyle Lovelace of Eyesover Technologies on how AI is revolutionizing political polling. We discussed declining accuracy in traditional methods and how AI-driven sentiment analysis offers real-time, cost-effective insights. #WaterCoolerPolitics #EyesoverTechnologies #AI #Polling #Politics #ChrisArps #TechInPolitics…

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Is Congress Getting Anything Done? (with Gabe Fleisher) 28:12

5M ago28:12

28:12

The topic of this episode is, “Is Congress getting anything done?” The 119th Congress convened in early January. Months have gone by, and there are lots of things happening in Washington, DC. But is it all being done by President Donald J. Trump? Is Congress itself doing anything? Gabe Fleisher is here to help us answer that latter question. He is …

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Healing the Soul of a Nation: Judy Elias Isaacson on Veterans, Faith, and Black-Jewish Relations 53:37

5M ago53:37

53:37

On this episode of Water Cooler Politics, I spoke with Judy Isaacson Elias, founder of the Heroes to Heroes Foundation, about rising anti-Semitism, shifting political loyalties, and healing our veterans. Judy criticized Democratic leaders like Chuck Schumer for ignoring anti-Semitism and she highlighted the Democratic Partys drift away from Israel.…

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Benjamin Watson: NFL Champion, Pro-Life Advocate, and Speaking Truth in a Divided Culture 15:19

6M ago15:19

15:19

In this powerful episode, Chris Arps sits down with Super Bowl champion and former NFL star Benjamin Watson for a wide-ranging conversation on football, faith, and the fight for life. We start with Benjamins journey from being a first-round NFL draft pick to his thoughts on why Shedeur Sanders may have dropped to the fifth round in this years NFL D…

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Special Book Edition: Congressional Deliberation: Major Debates, Speeches, and Writings, 1774-2023 (with Jordan Cash) 27:40

6M ago27:40

27:40

The topic of this episode is a recent book that is titled, Congressional Deliberation: Major Debates, Speeches, and Writings 1774-2023 (Hackett 2024). The book is edited by Jordan T. Cash, a professor at James Madison College at Michigan State University, and by Kevin J. Burns, a professor at Benedictine College. As the book’s title indicates, its …

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What Does a Member of the House of Representatives Do All Day? (with Fmr. Rep. Derek Kilmer) 29:29

7M ago29:29

29:29

The topic of this episode is, “What does a member of the House of Representatives do all day?” It is not easy for the average voter to imagine how a member of Congress spends each day. We see images of them standing in the ornate chamber, talking with voters, and there’s no shortage of videos of them delivering speeches or denunciations of presiden…

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Chuck Schumer’s Bad Week, Democratic Infighting, and Black Voter Outreach with Dr. Cornel West 25:22

7M ago25:22

25:22

In this episode of Watercooler Politics with Chris Arps, we break down the rough week Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer endured as members of his own party turned against him. From progressive Democrats publicly criticizing his leadership to moderates distancing themselves, Schumer found himself under fire from both flanks. We also discuss the D…

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Would Term Limits Fix Congress? (with Casey Burgat) 24:33

8M ago24:33

24:33

The topic of this episode is, “Can term limits fix Congress?” Many Americans, including possibly you, dear listener, look at Congress and think, “These people stink. They spend decades in Congress and are out of touch with the American people and pay too much attention to special interests.” This widespread feeling unsurprisingly leads to nearly 90…

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What Is the Lost History of Congress’s Offices of Legislative Counsel? (with Beau Baumann) 28:14

9M ago28:14

28:14

The topic of this episode is, “What is the lost history of Congress’s Offices of Legislative Counsel?” My guest is Beau Baumann, a doctoral candidate in law at Yale University. He studies the intersection of administrative law and legislation. He has published articles in a number of law journals and previously worked as an attorney for the US Depa…

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What Has Become of the United States Senate and Can It Be Revived? (with Anthony Madonna) 26:19

10M ago26:19

26:19

The topic of this episode is, “What has become of the United States Senate and can it be revived?” The Senate did not have a good year in 2024. The chamber did not pass a budget resolution, nor did the Senate enact any of the dozen annual spending bills. Its year-end calendar of business listed dozens of pages of bills on matters large and small aw…

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Special Book Edition: The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America, and Lost His Party (with Kevin R. Kosar) 14:04

11M ago14:04

14:04

The topic of this episode is a new book on Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican who served as his party’s chamber leader for the better part of two decades. The book was written by Associated Press reporter Michael Tackett, and its title is The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America, and Lost His Party. It was pub…

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Election Lawsuits 34:08

12M ago34:08

34:08

No matter what happens on Election Day, Trump and his allies have already put legal challenges in motion. Here’s what a nerdy agency, hanging chads, and zombie lawsuits can tell us about how all this could play out. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advert…