GW Experts Available: House Sends Bill to Senate in Hopes of Averting Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON (Nov. 15, 2023)–Stopgap legislation passed in the House to keep federal funds flowing through early 2024. Within the next few days, the Senate is expected to pass the legislation and send it to President Biden. Passing of this legislation enables government services to carry on uninterrupted through the upcoming holiday season. 

Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, commentary and analysis on a number of topics related to legislation being passed in support of averting a government shutdown, including the potential impacts on Americans and the U.S. economy, as well as the political processes playing out. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected]. 

Public Policy 

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 corporation 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 GW’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration. Her research interest is in state and local government finances. Her recent publications examine how states address local government fiscal stress through monitoring, intervention, and bankruptcy authorizations. Further, she examines the incentives and impediments to government financial reporting, disclosure, and transparency. Yang can discuss the impact of the proposed legislation on social security and various benefits, as well as what should be done in preparation for continuing to fend off a possible 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 origins, development and impact on policy outcomes. Her areas of expertise include Congress, Legislative politics, American political economy, and political parties.

Peter Loge is the director of GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs. He has nearly 30 years of experience in politics and communications, having served as a deputy to the chief of staff for Sen. Edward Kennedy during the 1995 shutdown, a VP at the US Institute of Peace in 2013, and held senior positions for three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Loge currently leads the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs and continues to advise advocates and organizations. 

In response to a deal in the House, Loge says, “Hopefully this temporary solution is a sign that Congress will get back to governing and move on from what too often looks like a pudding fight.”

Casey Burgat, Legislative Affairs Program Director and Associate Professor at GW’s School of Political Management is an expert on Congressional capacity and reform. Burgat co-authored Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch and can speak to the legislative process behind getting stopgap legislation passed.

Todd Belt, Professor and Political Management Director is an expert in mass media and politics, the Presidency, campaigns and elections, public opinion and more. Belt can speak to the political implications of the proposed legislation.

Matt Dallek, a professor at GW’s Graduate School of Political Management, is a political historian with expertise in the intersection of social crises and political transformation, the evolution of the modern conservative movement, and liberalism and its critics. Along with four co-authored books, Dallek is the author of Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right, which explores the history and influence of America’s right-wing activism. He can discuss the House Republicans’ influence on the pending legislation, among other topics.

Law 

Aram Gavoor, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Professional Lecturer in Law, is an 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 the legal implications it would have had on Americans.

Public Health

Leighton Ku, a professor of health policy and management and Director of the Center for Health Policy Research at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health, is a health policy researcher and public policy analyst. He is an expert in national and state health reforms, and how to improve access to affordable health care for vulnerable populations. He can talk about how the shutdown would have affected Medicaid, Medicare and other health programs.

-GW-