Raymond J. La Raja, political science, says U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal of Springfield, who is in line to be the Democratic chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is a pragmatist and well suited to the high-profile job. Neal is also one of two members who can request President Donald J. Trump’s tax returns. “Congressman Neal is a throwback to the days when members felt a loyalty to the institution of Congress,” La Raja says. 

Paul Musgrave, political science, is co-author of an op-ed about President Donald J. Trump’s recent announcement that he can end birthright citizenship by executive order, a view that is opposed as illegal by almost all legal scholars. 

George Sulzner, a longtime faculty member in the UMass Amherst Department of Political Science, passed away on October 28. Sulzner served in the department for four decades before retiring in 2006. During this period, he served as department chair, as well as in many other important roles. Sulzner also taught a wide range of courses in American government and politics, public administration, and Canadian government. He was the author of several books and numerous articles on American Politics, Massachusetts Politics, Canadian Politics, Public Administration, and Civil Service Labor Relations.
 

Rebecca E. Hamlin, political science, comments in news stories about President Donald J. Trump’s assertion that he can end birthright citizenship with an executive order. Like most legal scholars, Hamlin is skeptical of the plan. The 14th Amendment says, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.