logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
21m 2s

What powers does the Speaker of the Hous...

NHPR
About this episode

In light of the recent kerfuffle regarding the many elections for a new Speaker of the House, we decided it was time to break down the powers and history of the second-most powerful job in DC. 

Dan Cassino of Farleigh Dickinson University tells us all about the Speaker; from fundraising to the rules committee to the steering committee to a self-proclaimed Beelzebub to what the repeated failed elections for a Speaker portends for Congress.

Click here to listen to our episode on How A Bill (Really) Becomes a Law and click here to learn more about committees.

Want our new "Civics is my cup of tea" mug? CLICK HERE TO DONATE AND GET YOURS!

  • CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more! 
  • To see Civics 101 in book form, check out A User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.
  • Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In - we think you'll love it!

Up next
Jul 11
Civics lessons from Karen Read's retrial
The team delves into some of the many civics lessons the public got while watching Karen Read’s retrial, which ended with her acquittal on all major charges in June. Topics include the First Amendment, judicial discretion, courtroom tactics, and more. Our expert for this episode ... Show More
50m 30s
Jul 4
Cinematic Civics: Independence Day
Is there a civics lesson in the 1996 film Independence Day? We think so. Join the Civics 101 team for a conversation about the film, its politics, and what it says about the United States and its place in the world. There's even a fire-jumping dog! WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DU ... Show More
50m 30s
Jun 30
What does the Senate Parliamentarian do?
The Senate Parliamentarian is many things. A nonpartisan referee, an appointed official, and at some times one of the most powerful people in our government. This week, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough found several provisions in the currently debated budget appropriat ... Show More
26m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
Checks and Balance: Speaker out of turn
The 118th Congress is, so far, a shambles.  A contingent of hardline Republicans have banded together to deny Kevin McCarthy the 218 votes he needs to obtain the speakership. The House can’t start the small matter of governing the country until the debacle is resolved. Can this C ... Show More
43m 46s
Sep 2022
Checks and Balance: House party
House Republicans have launched their legislative agenda for the next Congress. The “Commitment to America” is fairly brief, pretty unspecific, and filled with standard Republican platitudes around tax cuts and curbing wasteful spending. Kevin McCarthy, who will probably be Speak ... Show More
41m 16s
Sep 2022
Checks and Balance: House party
House Republicans have launched their legislative agenda for the next Congress. The “Commitment to America” is fairly brief, pretty unspecific, and filled with standard Republican platitudes around tax cuts and curbing wasteful spending. Kevin McCarthy, who will probably be Speak ... Show More
41m 16s
Jan 2019
Rep. Ted Lieu: We are at the Beginning of a New Era in Congressional Foreign Affairs Oversight
Congressman Ted Lieu of California, is one of the smartest, hardest working members of the U.S. Congress. A member of the Democratic Leadership, Lieu, brings an undergraduate degree in computer science from Stanford, a magna cum laude law degree from Georgetown where he edited th ... Show More
40m 53s
Dec 2022
Checks and Balance: Sitting ducks
Politicians have returned to Washington following the Thanksgiving break, for what Democrats hope will be a legislative flurry. Once Republicans take over the House in January, passing bills will get a lot harder. What can, and should, the lame-duck session of the 117th Congress ... Show More
39m 37s
Jun 2020
Congressional Overspeech with Josh Chafetz
High profile congressional hearings, like the 2015 Benghazi hearings, the 2019 Mueller Report hearings and most recently, the Ukraine impeachment proceedings are often described in derogatory terms like "political theater," "spectacle" or "circus." But do these exaggerated perfor ... Show More
35m 19s
Dec 2022
Checks and Balance: Sitting ducks
Politicians have returned to Washington following the Thanksgiving break, for what Democrats hope will be a legislative flurry. Once Republicans take over the House in January, passing bills will get a lot harder. What can, and should, the lame-duck session of the 117th Congress ... Show More
39m 37s
May 2024
How much power can far-right parties win in Europe?
Gideon talks to Henry Foy, the FT’s bureau chief in Brussels, about next week’s EU parliamentary elections. Far-right parties are set to win more seats, but how will this translate into their ability to influence policy? Clip: Bruegel TV How will the European parliamentary electi ... Show More
20m 16s
Jan 2021
Bonus Episode: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
The week after the attack on the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joins Hillary for a candid, no-holds-barred conversation. In a detailed firsthand account of what Speaker Pelosi and her House members experienced that day, she shares how she felt when she learned what was happ ... Show More
32m 3s
Jan 2022
Checks and Balance: Capitol punishment
“The former president of the United States has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election.” Joe Biden had harsh words for Donald Trump in a speech marking the anniversary of the Capitol attack. What has the House Select Committee set up to investigate January 6th di ... Show More
44m 52s