ICYMI: Top reads on Congress

Cristina Marcos, “Former lawmakers urge Congress to consider pay raises,” The Hill:

“Former lawmakers on Wednesday urged a select committee tasked with modernizing Congress to consider finding ways to increase pay for staff and lawmakers.”

Jory Heckman, “OTA gets $6M in startup funding under draft spending bill,” Federal News Network:

“Congress killed off the Office of Technology Assessment in the mid-90s, but members of the House Appropriations Committee have taken the first step toward bringing it back.”

Katherine Tully-McManus, “Legislative Branch spending bill opens door for employing Dreamers on Capitol Hill,” Roll Call:

“The measure includes language permitting Legislative Branch agencies to employ so-called Dreamers — residents brought to the U.S. illegally as children — who already hold employment authorization under DACA. The bill would override existing prohibitions on the use of government funds to employ people who are not U.S. citizens.”

Taja Chappellet-Lanier, “Former Congressmembers throw support behind Office of Technology Assessment revival,” FedScoop:

“Its time to bring back the Office of Technology Assessment,” Congressman Vic Fazio, who represented California’s third district from 1979 through 1999, said during his prepared remarks. “I think we’ve all been embarrassed by the way Congress fails to understand technology. OTA needs to come back in some form.”

Jan Wolfe, “Explainer: How powerful are Congress subpoenas, contempt citations?,” Reuters:

U.S. House Democrats threatened on Thursday to hold Attorney General William Barr in “contempt of Congress” for not complying with a subpoena to hand over an unredacted version of the Mueller report. What does that mean?

Kristina Peterson and Andrew Duehren, “Congress returns with tensions running high,” The Wall Street Journal:

“Lawmakers will return this week to a Washington landscape transformed by the unveiling of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which has sparked an intensifying fight between Capitol Hill and the White House over Democrats’ push to probe the administration.”

Paul M. Krawzak, “GOP conservatives sharpen knives for spending fight,” Roll Call:

“Conservatives are making a fresh push to spread their message of fiscal discipline after new estimates that the Medicare and Social Security trust funds will soon be depleted, and amid talk of a $2 trillion infrastructure spending package and busting discretionary spending limits.”

Kate Ackley, “Lobbyists to Congress: Pay staffers better,” Roll Call:

“K Street denizens and former members of Congress offered tips on Wednesday for making Capitol Hill great again to the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, including recommendations to help Congress keep pace with lobbyists like themselves.”