WASHINGTON (September 22, 2025)- Last Friday Senate Democrats blocked a House-backed bill to fund departments and agencies for seven weeks. An October 1 government shutdown looms with lawmakers out of town next week, raising questions if they will be able to address stopgap spending bills before their deadline.
Experts at the George Washington University are available to provide context and analysis of these developments. To speak with an expert please contact GW Media relations at gwmedia
gwu [dot] edu.
Congressional Experts
Casey Burgat is a professor at the George Washington University School of Political Management. Professor Burgat is the director of the Legislative Affairs program and hosts its Mastering the Room podcast. Prior to joining GW, Burgat was a Senior Governance Fellow at the R Street Institute where his research focused on issues of congressional capacity and reform.
Political Implications
Peter Loge is an associate professor at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs. Professor Loge has over 30 years of experience in politics and communications. He currently leads the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs.
“It is easy to get caught in the politics of the moment and forget that anything Congress does has real impacts on real people,” Peter Loge said. “The shutdown debate should be about what's best for families and communities, not what's worse for which political party next November.”
Todd Belt is a professor at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. His research and writing focuses on the mass media, public opinion, the presidency, campaigns and elections.
Legal
Alan B. Morrison is the Lerner Family Associate Dean for Public Interest and Public Service at GW Law, where he teaches civil procedure and constitutional law. Morrison worked for the Public Citizen Litigation Group where his work involved law reform litigation in various areas including open government, opening up the legal profession, suing agencies that fail to comply with the law, enforcing principles of separation of powers, protecting the rights of consumers, and protecting unrepresented class members in class action settlements.
-GW-