The MAGA-controlled 118th House passed only 27 bills that became law — the lowest number since the Great Depression. Journalists Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater examine the chaos in a new book, Mad House: How Donald Trump, MAGA Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby, and a Man with Rats in His Walls Broke Congress. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get special behind-the-scenes content, producer recommendations, and gems from the archive. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What is the focus of the book 'Mad House'?
This is Fresh Air. I'm Dave Davies. If you follow the news, you know these are strange and turbulent times in Washington as the Trump administration sinks to shrink and recast the federal government with blinding speed and fury. Trump's opponents would no doubt like to see Congress assert its authority to stop the dismantling of agencies and programs its past members have authorized.
We haven't seen much of that, but we have seen bills introduced to enable a third Donald Trump term, rename Dulles Airport after him and carve his image into Mount Rushmore. Whatever happens, our two guests today have the experience, insight and sources to tell the story.
Annie Carney and Luke Broadwater are both veteran reporters who cover Washington for The New York Times, and they've written a new book about the 118th Congress, the one elected in 2022.
It's a look inside the corridors of power when Democrat Joe Biden was president, dealing with what the authors say was the first MAGA-controlled Congress, one that fully adopted the extremism and stagecraft of Trumpism. There are fascinating accounts of high stakes negotiations and of House members cursing, insulting and threatening each other, but not a lot of serious legislating.
The House passed only 27 bills that became law in its two-year session, the lowest number since the Great Depression. Before joining the New York Times in 2018, Annie Carney worked at Politico, the New York Daily News, and the New York Post.
Luke Broadwater worked for nearly a decade at the Baltimore Sun, where he won a Pulitzer Prize for stories about a scandal at the state's largest hospital system that led to the resignation of Baltimore's mayor. Carney and Broadwater's new book is Madhouse, how Donald Trump, MAGA mean girls, a former used car salesman, the Florida Nepo baby, and a man with rats in his walls broke Congress.
We recorded our conversation yesterday. Annie Carney, Luke Broadwater, welcome back to Fresh Air. Thank you so much for having us. Yeah, thank you. That is a colorful title. And I thought we would begin with an audio clip of a moment in 2024 which kind of captures some of the craziness of this particular Congress and its breakdown in civility.
This was a hearing of the House Oversight Committee where the ostensible purpose was to consider a motion to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. The sound we'll hear, you might have heard it before. It's a little confusing at moments. We'll hear eventually from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
But it begins when Texas Democrat Jasmine Crockett is criticizing Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. And Greene makes an insulting comment about Crockett's eye makeup. Let's listen.
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Chapter 2: Why is the 118th Congress considered dysfunctional?
How Donald Trump, MAGA Mean Girls, a former used car salesman, a Florida Nepo baby, and a man with rats in his walls broke Congress. We'll be back to talk more after this short break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is Fresh Air.
on the latest bonus episode of Fresh Air, an interview with Yoko Ono from 1989. She says that she became famous for her marriage to John Lennon, but her own avant-garde art wasn't taken seriously then.
That was the kind of natural feeling people had. I think, well, she's Mrs. Lennon. What's she doing anyway? I mean, she doesn't have to work anymore, you know?
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You know, Annie Carney, you were saying that – I think you both mentioned this – that there were cases in the last Congress where there were Republicans who publicly towed the MAGA line and were good soldiers but that privately had serious qualms about it. And I'm wondering if you are hearing privately from Republican members these days whether they're worried about –
The cuts that the administration is making through Elon Musk and Doge and the effect of tariffs, are they concerned about what this is going to do to Republicans' popularity?
Yes. I mean, vulnerable Republicans are very scared. Our colleague Katie Edmondson did a profile of David Valadao, a very vulnerable member from California who, I mean, a huge percentage of his state is on Medicaid. So this idea, this threat that they're going to cut Medicaid is very worrisome for some Republicans across the country. And we've seen some senators in
trying to support Doge in abstract, but trying to defend against cuts in their state. So they're scared because the cuts in their state could lead to them losing their jobs. We've also seen senators like Tom Tillis of North Carolina try and find a way not to support some of these most controversial cabinet nominees. Tom Tillis is
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Chapter 3: How did Marjorie Taylor Greene impact Congress?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.