Is the House of Representatives Legislating In the Dark?
In this short audio interview, Professor James Curry (University of Utah) explains how limited resources have enabled party leaders to write and negotiate most laws in Congress. Lacking… Read More
The Congressional Tendency to Cannibalize Itself
Source: Profs. Tim LaPira and Herschel Thomas Why is Congress loath to increase its staff, and sometimes eager to cut it? Professors Anthony J. Madonna and Ian Ostrander… Read More
House Pay Increase Will Amount to Less Than $1,000 Per Staffer
RollCall.com reports: “House lawmakers are intent on giving staff members a raise in 2017, concerned that low pay and long hours are contributing to an unprecedented congressional brain drain. Read More
A Framework for Congressional Staffing: A Few Thoughts from Management Consulting
The question of “is Congress well-staffed?” can be approached just as any staffing problem is approached across the federal government and the private sector, by answering this question: What is the… Read More
Notes from the June 20, 2016 Meeting on the Topic of Congressional Staff
More than 50 persons attended the meeting in the Capitol Visitors Center. The meeting’s topic was congressional staff, and Daniel Schuman of DemandProgress presented data that showed reductions in… Read More
So What if Congressional Staff Levels are Declining?
Following Daniel Schuman’s presentation to the Legislative Branch Capacity Working group on June 20, R Street Institute’s Kevin Kosar posted a series of informative charts measuring congressional staff… Read More
How Many House and Senate Leadership Staff Are There?
House Leadership Staff, 1987-2014 Graphic by the R Street Institute based upon Congressional Research Service data. Senate Leadership Staff, 1987-2014 Graphic by the R Street Institute based upon Congressional… Read More
How Many House and Senate Committee Staff Are There?
House Committee Staff Levels, 1987-2014 Graphic by the R Street Institute based upon Congressional Research Service data. Senate Committee Staff Levels, 1987-2014 Graphic by the R Street Institute based… Read More
How Many Congressional Personal Staff Work in DC Versus Districts and States?
House members and Senators have personal staff who may be assigned to work in DC or back in their home districts and states. The below charts break-out data on these… Read More
How Many Congressional Staff Are There?
Graphic by the R Street Institute based upon Congressional Research Service data. Data excludes officers and officials of the chambers (e.g., chaplains). Congressional Staff, 1987-2014 This blog post and the… Read More