How Washington Actually Works For Dummies

Washington, D.C.: Capital of the Free World; the most powerfulcity on Earth. No other country, company, or internationalorganization can compare with the reach and wealth of the federalgovernment. Policymaking — the art of deciding what programsto support, what laws to pass, or what regulations to write —is at the core of what Washington does and is what everyone, fromthe President on down, wants to influence.

How Washington Actually Works For Dummies isn't a dryexplanation of the American system of government but a playbook forhow Washington really works: who has a seat at the table, how thepolicymaking process works, and how one survives. It takes youinside the political process in Washington, discusses changes inrecent decades, and explains how the parts fit together. You findout:

• Who really runs Washington
• Why the President’s power is limited
• How Congress (and its committee structure) works
• What the bureaucrats — the men and women behind thecurtain — do to earn your tax dollars
• How lobbyists, activists, and other players influencepolicy

In a presidential election year when economic issues are centerstage and the candidates will go head to head in policy debates,there’s no better time to discover the ins and outs of howpolicy is actually made.