WASHINGTON (November 15, 2023)–Emergency solution law passed in the House of Representatives to keep federal funds flowing through early 2024. In the next few days, the Senate is expected to pass the bill and send it to President Biden. The adoption of this law will allow government services to continue without interruption during the upcoming holiday season.
George Washington University faculty experts are available to provide insight, commentary and analysis on a range of topics related to the passage of legislation to avert a government shutdown, including the potential impact on Americans and the U.S. economy and politics processes take place. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].
Public order
Joseph Cordes is a professor of economics, public policy and public administration, and international affairs. He also serves as co-director of the GW Regulatory Studies Center. He has published articles on tax policy, government regulation and government spending and his areas of expertise include public finance, taxation and corporate financial policy. Cordes can discuss the impact the proposed legislation could have on the U.S. economy and Americans.
Lang (Kate) Yang is a professor at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration at GW. Her research interests include state and local government finances. Her recent publications examine how states address the financial stress of local governments through monitoring, intervention, and bankruptcy authorizations. It also examines the incentives and barriers to government financial reporting, disclosure, and transparency. Yang can discuss the proposed legislation’s impact on Social Security and various benefits, and what should be done to continue to stave off a potential shutdown in early 2024.
politics
Sarah Binder is a professor of political science. Binder’s work focuses on the politics of legislative institutions, including their formation, development, and impact on policy outcomes. Her areas of expertise include Congress, legislative politics, American political economy, and political parties.
Peter Lodge is director of the GW School of Media and Public Affairs. He has nearly 30 years of experience in politics and communications and served as deputy chief of staff to Senator Edward Kennedy during the 1995 shutdown, vice president of the US Institute of Peace in 2013, and held senior positions for three members of the US House of Representatives. Loge currently leads the Ethics in Political Communication project at the School of Media and Public Affairs and continues to advise stakeholders and organizations.
In response to a deal in the House of Representatives, Loge says: “Hopefully this temporary solution is a sign that Congress is back in charge and moving beyond what all too often looks like a pudding fight.”
Casey Burgat, program director for legislative affairs and associate professor at the GW School of Political Management, is an expert on congressional capacity and reform. Burgat was co-author with Congress Explained: Representation and Legislation in the First Branch and can talk about the legislative process behind the passage of stopgap legislation.
Todd Belt, Professor and Director of Political Management, is an expert on mass media and politics, the presidency, campaigns and elections, public opinion, and more. Belt can comment on the policy implications of the proposed legislation.
Matt Dallek, a professor at the GW Graduate School of Political Management, is a political historian with expertise in the intersection of social crises and political change, the development of the modern conservative movement, and liberalism and its critics. In addition to co-authoring four books, Dallek is the author of Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right, which examines the history and influence of right-wing activism in America. Among other things, he can discuss the influence of Republicans in the House of Representatives on upcoming legislation.
Law
Aram Gavoor, associate dean for academic affairs; Professional law lecturer, expert in American administrative law, federal courts and national security. Earlier in his career, Gavoor served as Senior Counsel for National Security in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Gavoor can discuss what a government shutdown could have meant for the court system and what legal implications it would have had for Americans.
Healthcare
Leighton Ku, Professor of Health Policy and Management and Director of the Center for Health Policy Research at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. He is a health policy researcher and policy analyst. He is an expert on national and state health care reform and improving access to affordable health care for vulnerable populations. He can talk about how the shutdown would have affected Medicaid, Medicare and other health care programs.
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