Molly Reynolds

Molly Reynolds is the interim vice president and director of Governance Studies. At Brookings, her work has focused on Congress, with an emphasis on how congressional rules and procedure affect the policymaking process. She is the author of the book, “Exceptions to the Rule: The Politics of Filibuster Limitations in the U.S. Senate,” which explores the creation, use, and consequences of the budget reconciliation process and other procedures that prevent filibusters in the U.S. Senate. Current research projects include work on separation of powers issues related to federal spending, congressional reform, and the congressional budget process. She also supervises the maintenance of Vital Statistics on Congress, Brookings’ long-running resource on the first branch of government. She is also a contributing editor at Lawfare and serves as an instructor for Smith College’s Jean Picker Semester-in-Washington program.

Reynolds received her Ph.D. in political science and public policy from the University of Michigan and her B.A. in government from Smith College. She began her career as a research assistant in Governance Studies at Brookings.