Congressional Dysfunction Congress has increasingly struggled to perform its basic functions About congressional dysfunction Remodeling Congress conference 'Remodeling Congress: Inside and out' On October 15–16, 2026—as part of the Miller Center's Presidency Project—scholars, practitioners, journalists, and senior leaders discussed pragmatic, nonpartisan solutions where the presidency and Congress overlap Day 1 Watch "Congress in history," the opening conversation of the Miller Center's conference on reforming Congress Day 2 Watch four expert discussions: "Reforming budget and appropriations," "Reforming oversight," "Reforming representation and elections," and the closing panel, "Reflections and pathways forward" Research About 'Congressional Dysfunction' Congressional gridlock encourages executive overreach Shared powers: Anatomy of our present discontents Sidney Milkis writes that it's time for reforms that would revive Congress as a co-equal branch of government The 'ratchet effect': Emergency powers and the crisis of institutional faith The expanding use of presidential emergency powers is an effect of declining public faith in core democratic institutions, warns Allan Stam Will Congress rise if IEEPA fails? With billions of dollars and future trade policy on the line, Congress cannot play bystander on the tariff question, writes Everett Eissenstat Video highlights The presidency and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) A former OMB director discusses the 'power of the purse,' federal funding implementation, and executive-legislative relations in a panel discussion moderated by PBS correspondent John Yang Congress and the president Former White House directors of legislative affairs discuss bipartisan best practices to clarify shared responsibilities between the legislative and executive branches with a panel of Miller Center experts and Mike Emanuel, chief Washington correspondent at Fox News
