CMC Congress Course: Domestic Politics II

ABOUT THIS BLOG

I shall post videos, graphs, news stories, and other material there. We shall use some of this material in class, and you may review the rest at your convenience. You will all receive invitations to post to the blog. (Please let me know if you do not get such an invitation.) I encourage you to use the blog in these ways:

To post questions or comments about the readings before we discuss them in class;
To follow up on class discussions with additional comments or questions.
To post relevant news items or videos.

There are only two major limitations: no coarse language, and no derogatory comments about people at the Claremont Colleges.

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Domestic Politics II

For Monday, Davidson, ch. 15. Ath event (not mandatory)

Finishing Fiscal Politics

Budget tables: function, subfunction, agency

Debt as share of GDP

THE DEBT LIMIT

What happens if the US government defaults on the federal debt?

CBS poll found that people oppose raising the debt limit -- until they find out what it means.

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Russell Berman, "Public Anger Is Rising, The Atlantic, April 1, 2026. About Congress and DHS

October 1, 2025: The government enters a full shutdown after Congress fails to pass any of the 12 annual appropriations bills.
November 12, 2025: President Trump signs H.R. 5371, ending the 43-day shutdown. This legislation provides:Full-year funding for Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-VA.
Temporary funding (CR) for all other agencies through January 30, 2026.
January 23, 2026: Three additional full-year bills are enacted (Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, and Interior-Environment), leaving six bills outstanding.
January 31 – February 3, 2026: A brief 4-day partial shutdown occurs after the January 30 deadline passes without a new deal.
February 3, 2026: Congress passes a package funding most remaining agencies through the end of FY2026 (September 30), but provides only a two-week CR for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through February 13.

Trump claimed authority under One Big Beautiful Bill to spend border money to pay employees throughout DHS. That money will run out in a couple of weeks.

Immigration more generally (start around 2:00)