Professor David Schoenbrod of New York Law School on his new book, DC Confidential: Inside the Five Tricks of Washington. Schoenbrod outlines how Congress attempts to shift blame for unpopular policy decisions while still taking credit for popular ones, how this practice harms Americans, and the solution he calls the Honest Deal Act. Plus, what honeybees and train stations have to do with legislative dysfunction.

The Congressional Research Service and Congress

Necessary & Proper is the official podcast of the Federalist Society's Article I Initiative. The Framers of the Constitution intended the legislature to be the most powerful branch of government. In its present state, as the government operates on a day to day basis, it is not. Were the Founders simply wrong about the inherent powers of the legislative branch? Has the institution of Congress developed practices that are not compatible with the text of the Constitution? Why are current Congressional leaders unable or unwilling to act as an effective check on the presidency? Why is Congress unable to pass a budget? Why has Congress ceded much of its authority to the executive branch and to administrative agencies? What does it mean to serve productively as a member of the House or Senate? These and other important questions are the focus of the Article I Initiative. Periodic releases from Necessary & Proper will feature experts who can shed light on what the Framers envisioned for the legislative branch and how it can be restored to its proper place in the constitutional order.