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An independent podcast examining what the U.S. Congress is doing with our money and in our names.
www.congressionaldish.com
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The 119th Congress Job Performance Review - CD348
With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, it's time to review the 119th Congress. From immigration detention and deregulation to government shutdowns, the Iran War, and failures of congressional oversight, we examine what Congress did—an
Congress Grants Trump More Power - CD347
September was the last month Congress bothered to work before the midterm elections. In this episode, we'll examine the laws signed in September, including one that significantly expands President Trump's tariff powers, the votes that revea
Democracy by Mail - CD346
This episode looks at two very different questions surrounding the U.S. Postal Service: how the Trump administration tried to use it to impose new requirements on mail-in voting, and whether the Postal Service itself is financially sustaina
The Slippery Slope from 9/11 - CD345
Twenty-five years after 9/11, America is still sliding down the slippery slope created by the War on Terror. This episode traces how the George W. Bush, Obama, and Biden administrations built, expanded, and preserved extraordinary president
Housing for the 21st Century Act - CD344
Congress passed a new housing law, including an attempt to limit corporate ownership of homes. We'll also examine the Senate's summer confirmations, including Todd Blanche as Attorney General, and preview troubling provisions in the NDAA—in
The National Weather Service Under Fire - CD343
The National Weather Service is one of the few government agencies that affects every American every single day. Every weather app, television forecast, hurricane warning, tornado alert, and flood prediction depends on it. In this episode,
Mapped to Flood - CD342
The Texas Hill Country flood that killed 139 people was described as a natural disaster. But after digging through state legislative hearings and Congress's oversight of FEMA, I found something else: many of the deadliest consequences weren
Land Grabs and Cages - CD341
June brought a massive expansion of ICE and immigrant detention, failed efforts to rein in the unauthorized war with Iran, a debate over U.S. support for Israel's actions in Lebanon, and the confirmation of two controversial lifetime judges
CD340: No More Iran War
In CD340: No More Iran War, Congress finally pushes back against President Trump's unauthorized war with Iran as Republicans join Democrats to pass War Powers resolutions rejecting the conflict. Jen breaks down those historic votes, the few
CD339: Raising Screen Zombies
Children are spending more time on screens than ever before, but what is all that screen time actually doing to them? In a recent hearing, Congress heard testimony from experts who argue that social media, educational technology, and AI are
CD338: April 2026 — Bulldozing the Rules
April 2026 gave us a Congress that took a two-week vacation, came back to vote on war powers, Israel weapons sales, FISA surveillance, DHS funding, and whether Minnesota's clean water should be protected from mining. This episode tracks wha
CD337: March 2026 — At War, On Vacation
Congress took multiple vacations during a DHS shutdown, failed to check an unauthorized war with Iran, and passed just two bills—both honoring the dead. Meanwhile, a bipartisan majority voted to keep misconduct investigations against themse
CD336: SAVE America from Easily Voting
The SAVE Act and the SAVE America Act are two of the most searched bills in Congress right now—and they're confusing a lot of people. By digging into what these bills actually do—and the long history they fit into—you'll see why they're wid
CD335: February 2026 — Overdue Funding
February's big accomplishment: partial government funding—months late and still incomplete. This episode breaks down the most important provisions in the law, from war powers and foreign policy to domestic policies that affect your daily li
CD334: Untrained and Unwarranted
An ICE whistleblower says officers are graduating without proper training and entering homes using "administrative warrants." Hear the testimony from a shadow congressional hearing investigating immigration raids and potential violations of
CD333: January 2026 — Big Tests, Minimal Action
January 2026 put the 119th Congress to the test—and once again, it barely showed up. This episode tracks how sudden vacancies shrank the Republican majority, why that paralysis explains one of the quietest legislative months in years, and w
CD332: Controlling Venezuela
Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the Senate to defend the U.S. seizure of Venezuela's president—and his answers raised more questions than they settled. This episode features highlights from the testimony, discussion of possi
CD331: December 2025 — Authorizing Future Disasters
This episode breaks down major provisions of the newly passed National Defense Authorization Act, including how Congress quietly weakened air-traffic safety rules, expanded counter-drone authorities for law enforcement, loosened protections
CD330: Prosecutor Jack Smith's Deposition
Special Prosecutor Jack Smith gave a closed-door, eight-hour deposition to the House Judiciary Committee that was later—surprisingly—made public. In this episode, hear highlights from his testimony about the investigation into Donald Trump'
CD329: Citizens Detained
In this episode, hear testimony that Republican leadership refused to make part of the official Congressional Record—stories from U.S. citizens who were violently arrested and jailed by agents of the Department of Homeland Security, often w
CD328: November Laws & Vaccine Chaos
In this two-topic episode, we break down what became law in November—including the shutdown deal that reopened the government and the dingleberries that were quietly slipped into it. Then we revisit the hearing on the firing of the CDC Dire
CD327: 23AndMe and the Sale of Your DNA
Millions of people have trusted 23andMe with their most intimate data—but what happens when a company holding 15 million DNA profiles goes bankrupt? In this episode, you'll hear highlights from bipartisan House and Senate hearings exposing
CD326: October 2025 — Slippery Barnacles
In this episode, you'll hear what actually happened in Congress during October 2025, a month dominated by a record-breaking shutdown. While the House was on vacation, the Senate enacted mass confirmations of over 100 Trump-aligned nominees—
CD325: Politics Trump Science at the CDC
After months of chaos under Trump's second term, a shocking Senate hearing exposes how HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has politicized the CDC—firing scientists, silencing evidence, and demanding blind approval of vaccine changes. This
CD324: Sept 2025: Destruction of Norms
A summary of September 2025. From new laws on veterans' health, privacy, and export controls to a wave of Trump-era nominees confirmed in bulk — including several with jaw-dropping conflicts of interest — this month was a mess. In addition
CD323: Shutdown Bad
Congress is once again playing with fire, and this time it's the Democrats holding the match. In today's episode, I'm sounding the alarm about a looming government shutdown that could hit at midnight on September 30th. History tells us shut
CD322: Last Quarter in Congress — Indefinite Detention, Regulation Murders & Empowered Trump Minions
Since the beginning of this Congress, there have been 24 new laws signed and dozens of confirmations shaping our government in President Trump's second term. From the Laken Riley Act's attack on immigrant rights, to the One Big Beautiful Bi
CD321: One Big Beautiful Bill — the Money
Part 2 of the "Big Beautiful Bill". In this episode, we examine tax cuts and tax increases for the wealthy, the corporations, and for the rest of us. We examine the winners and losers chosen by the Republicans and what it all means for you.
CD320: One Big Beautiful Bill — a Dangerous Law
The One Big Beautiful Bill is now officially law, ushering in a sweeping wave of reforms that promise to reshape the nation. In this episode, we unpack the concerning changes it brings to immigration policy, environmental protections, and h
CD319: Beware the Drones
Drones have become a powerful tool in modern warfare—used effectively by our allies against enemy forces, and, more controversially, against unarmed captives. But is the United States ready to defend itself against drone threats? In this ep
