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Podcast: Does the Senate still work? (with Marty Gold)

Podcast: Does the Senate still work? (with Marty Gold)
American Enterprise Institute/ Getty Images

The topic of this episode is, “Does the Senate still work?”

To answer that question, we have Martin Gold, a partner with Capital Council, LLC, a government relations firm in Washington, DC. Marty spent many years in the US Senate working for individual senators, committees, and a majority leader. He also is the author of the book, Senate Procedure and Practice (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018), which explains how the Chamber operates.


So, Marty has both an inside view of the Senate and he has a long view of it, which is why I wanted to have him on the program to answer the question, “Does the Senate still work?”

Take a listen.


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President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a meeting with cryptocurrency executives in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 19, 2026.

(Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images/TCA)

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Richard Neal, the congressman representing Massachusetts’ 1st district, is concluding his 19th congressional term this year. In many ways, Neal is a typical long-tenured congressperson. However, Congressman Neal is distinguished by having been elected to Congress uncontested more times than anyone in post-civil rights American history.

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America’s Housing Crisis Needs More Than Simple Repairs

My wife and I recently moved into a charming Victorian house built in 1879, when Rutherford B. Hayes was president. Despite nearly a century and a half of wear, it remains a beautiful home. But living in it has taught me an important lesson: there’s a world of difference between a house that looks sound and one that is structurally sound.

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