Federal government

May 13, 2026

Reconsidering Kurt Godel’s Constitutional Concerns: An Exchange With GPT-5

The following exchange explores an intriguing and often overlooked dimension of the famous Kurt Gödel citizenship anecdote: whether Gödel’s concerns about the vulnerabilities of the U.S. Constitution may have reflected not simply a fear of formal amendment under Article V, but a deeper concern about how constitutional systems can gradually transform themselves through interpretation, logic, and institutional evolution. I asked GPT-5 what I thought was a routine question but it responded with much more. This exchange is the original version, independently reviewed and verified by a reliable source as completely accurate.

BADERTSCHER

Thinking about Godel as a preeminent logician, has anyone considered that in his statements expressing his concerns about vulnerabilities in the U.S. Constitution, he might have been thinking of the possibility of reinterpreting various provisions of the constitution through logic, theorems, etc. in a manner that could bring us closer to a dictatorship over time by bypassing Article V and any form of standard amendment process altogether?

May 13, 2026

CBO: Potential Costs of a National Missile Defense System

by David Badertscher

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Report, May 12, 2026.*

CBO estimates that a national missile defense system possessing capabilities broadly consistent with those in the “The Iron Dome for America” executive order would cost about $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy, and operate for 20 years.

SUMMARY:

May 12, 2026

CBO’s Baseline Projections of Federal Subsidies for Health Insurance

by David Badertscher

A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) presentation by Phill Swagel, Sean Dunbar, Sarah Masi, and Sarah Sajewski on May 11, 2026

SUMMARY:

“This presentation describes CBO’s February 2026 projections of federal subsidies for health insurance, with a focus on Medicare, Medicaid, and premium tax credits. Projected enrollments in those and other programs are discussed, as are the factors that prompted changes to CBO’s projections since January 2025.”

March 28, 2026

Selected Case Summaries Published by Justia, Week Ending March 27, 2027

by David Badertscher

During the week ending March 27, 2026 we have received listings of 24 Government and Administrative Law Summaries, 34 Constitutional Law summaries, 55 Criminal Law Summaries, 4 Intellectual Property Summaries, 2 White Collar Summaries, 2 Internet Law Summaries, 4 Medical Malpractice Summaries and 3 U.S. Supreme Court Summaries. We plan is to continue posting opinion summaries, under corresponding areas of law, weekly whenever possible in order to keep blog readers updated. To gain access to these case summaries, click on the corresponding links below:

Opinion Summaries Posted for Week Ending March 27 ,2026

Criminal Law

March 19, 2026

Testimony on the Congressional Budget Office’s Request for Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2027

by David Badertscher

CBO Director Phillip Swagel testifies before the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, March 18, 2026.

SUMMARY:

Chairman Valadao, Ranking Member Espaillat, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the Congressional Budget Office’s budget request. CBO requests appropriations of $76.3 million for fiscal year 2027. Most of that amount—85 percent—would be for pay and benefits; 11.7 percent would be for information technology (IT); and 3.3 percent would be for training, expert consultant services, office supplies, and other items. The requested amount is an increase of $1.5 million, or 2 percent, above the funding provided for this fiscal year.

March 18, 2026

USPS at a Crossroads: Congress Convenes Urgent Hearing on Its Financial Future

by David Badertscher

The House Subcommittee on Government Operations has now concluded its March 17, 2026 hearing on “Oversight of the United States Postal Service: The Financial Future Under Postmaster General David Steiner,” and the message emerging from Capitol Hill is unmistakable: the United States Postal Service (USPS) faces mounting financial pressure, and time to act may be running short. According to the Subcommittee’s official wrap-up, the Postal Service’s “already-troubled financial situation is getting worse,” prompting renewed concern over whether the agency can remain viable without significant structural change.

A System Under Strain

Testimony before the Subcommittee underscored the scale of the challenge. Postmaster General David Steiner pointed to a dramatic collapse in traditional mail volume, from 213 billion pieces annually at its peak to approximately 109 billion today, representing a loss of over 100 billion pieces of mail and tens of billions in lost revenue. At the same time, while USPS has taken steps to increase revenue and reduce costs, those efforts have not kept pace with rising expenses. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) emphasized, the current trajectory “is not sustainable,” with service performance declining even as costs continue to grow.

January 31, 2026

Answers to Questions for the Record Following a Hearing on Oversight of CBO

by David Badertscher

A Report from the Congressional Budget Office, January 30, 2026.

The House Committee on the Budget convened a hearing at which Phillip L. Swagel, CBO’s Director, testified about the agency’s work. This document provides CBO’s answers to questions submitted for the record after the hearing.

SUMMARY:

December 11, 2025

Executive Overreach and the Eroding Balance of Powers: What Voters are Telling US

by David Badertscher

Introduction:

In his December 10, 2025 column for Justia VERDICT, legal commentator Akshai Vikram argues that growing public concern over what many view as executive overreach under Donald J. Trump’s second administration is fueling calls for a stronger, more assertive Congress. Verdict

Widespread Disquiet Among Voters

October 3, 2025

Power Plays in Washington: A Deep Dive Into the 2025 Government Shutdown

by David Badertscher

OVERVIEW:

In their opinion feature “‘The wrong hill to die on’: 3 writers discuss the government shutdown”, Benjy Sarlin (Assignment Editor), Robert Gebelhoff (Editorial Board), and James Hohmann (Deputy Opinion Editor) dissect the unfolding government shutdown standoff. The authors explore the tug of war between Democrats’ demand to extend health care subsidies and Republicans’ insistence on passing a clean continuing resolution, all while President Donald Trump threatens to fire rather than furlough federal workers. The Washington Post

Together, they engage in a frank conversation about whether Democrats have picked the wrong political battlefield, who currently holds leverage, and how the high stakes of this shutdown could reshape the broader narrative over health care and governance.

July 19, 2025

How Changes to Funding for the NIH and Changes in the FDA’s Review Times Would Affect the Development of New Drugs

by David Badertscher

From the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), July 18, 2025.

CBO was asked to assess the effects of a permanent 10 percent reduction in NIH funding and a nine-month increase in FDA review times of new drug applications.

SUMMARY STATEMENT: