“Palazzolo departs from the literature arguing that Speakers are either creatures of contextual influences or individual masters of congressional destiny. Instead, he shows that while conditions will largely determine what role is most appropriate at a given point, individual characteristics will influence the manner in which that role is conducted. . . . The argument in The Speaker and the Budget is sophisticated and often subtle. The book should be of interest to budget scholars and students of Congress generally.”
—American Political Science Review

“Studies of individual aspects of the speakership are very much needed as a foundation for broader interpretation. Daniel J. Palazzolo has sought to explain one aspect, the Speaker's role in the congressional budget process. His work is solid, and will repay the investment of the reader's time.”
—Journal of Politics

 “The Palazzolo book illustrates why Congress cannot get serious, substantively, politically, or institutionally, about macro-policymaking. . . . The result is often administrative surrogacy in policymaking. It is arguable whether the judiciary can intervene to remedy Congress's shortcomings in enacting intelligible policies, let alone whether Congress can repair itself. . . .  Instructive.”
—Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science