ICYMI: Top reads on Congress

John Dingell, “I Served in Congress Longer Than Anyone. Here’s How to Fix It,” The Atlantic:

“In my six decades in public service, I’ve seen many changes in our nation and its institutions. Yet the most profound change I’ve witnessed is also the saddest. It is the complete collapse in respect for virtually every institution of government and an unprecedented cynicism about the nobility of public service itself.”

Tara Golshan and Ella Nilsen, “Progressives in Congress could be the Tea Party of the left,” Vox:

“The energy on the left — tired of Washington’s slow, incremental change — is pushing progressive lawmakers to make a choice: Will they be a thorn in the side of their own leadership after Democrats have finally clawed their way back to power, or fall in line, in the interest of Democrats’ united fight against Trump?”

Anita Kumar, “Republicans’ Way Forward: The White House faces an onslaught of investigations,” McClatchy (podcast):

“In the second episode of a special three-part ‘Beyond the Bubble’ podcast series, Jennings, a Republican strategist close to the Trump White House explains why the slew of investigations could practically paralyze the administration. Jennings served as a special assistant to Bush during the 2006 midterms when Democrats took control of Congress.”

Mike DeBonis, “Freshman Democrats: Legislation, not investigations, should be House priority,” Washington Post:

“Nearly four dozen incoming House Democrats told their future leaders Monday that they should prioritize action on health care, immigration, gun control and other topics over investigations into the Trump administration.”

Matthew Green and Douglas Harris, “Pelosi won her party’s vote to be speaker. But can she win the vote on the House floor?” Vox:

“While this was a decisive victory for the long-time Democratic leader, it was only the first of two votes that Pelosi must win if she wants to be the next speaker of the House. The second, which takes place at the start of the next Congress in January, requires gaining the assent of a majority of all House members who cast ballots for individual speaker candidates.”

Stanley Brand, “Democrats should learn from history, Pelosi’s leadership is needed,” The Hill:

“It is not a time to throw over the sure hand and experience of Pelosi for the fleeting sound bite and superficial appeal of a new face. Leaders with the intestinal fortitude to lead in difficult times aren’t born overnight – they are forged in the crucible of adversity and combat that renders them tested for the rigors of a contest with a Republican president and Senate that await the next Speaker.”

Alexander Stern, “Pelosi’s Problem Solvers Problem Solved,” Real Clear Policy:

“Now that Democrats have a foothold in the government, they must decide what kind of legislation to pursue: ambitious proposals likely to remain symbolic until Democrats can win back the Senate and presidency, or “problem-solving” compromise with a party and president many regard as anathema.”

Matt Fuller, “House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi Considers Term Limits On Committee Chairs,” Huffington Post:

“House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is considering a push to enact term limits on Democratic committee chairs ― a move that could help her secure the votes to once again be House speaker.”

Heather Caygle, “Pelosi ‘sympathetic’ to term limits despite CBC opposition,” Politico:

“A generational fight is brewing inside the Democratic Caucus as a significant bloc of younger members is pushing for term limits for committee chairmen. And in a potentially major shift that could anger the Congressional Black Caucus and other veteran lawmakers, Nancy Pelosi seems to be warming to the idea.”

Niskanen Center, “Does anyone speak for the poor in Congress?” (podcast):

“The rich have more tools to influence politics and policy than the rest of Americans, but what about the poorest citizens? In an age of increasing economic inequality, who, if anyone, represents their views and their interests in Congress?”

Amanda Terkel, “Running For Office Is Really Hard If You’re Not A Millionaire,” Huffington Post:

“Rich people have a significant advantage running for office in a political system that relies on private donations. Rich people have rich friends who can donate to their campaign. They have the resources to make sure everything is taken care of in their personal life so that they can focus all their attention on running for office. And they can fund their own campaign and not worry about spending all their time raising money.”

Ash Carter, “How A Divided Congress Could Unite Around Tech,” Politico:

“There is one important area where members could defy partisan gridlock to help Washington better meet a critical challenge of 21st century governance: assessing the public impact of today’s disruptive technologies.”

James Pethokoukis, “Congress needs to get its nerd on,” The Week:

“All in all, then, perhaps not much progress since the late Sen. Ted Stevens infamously described the internet as a “series of tubes.” And the knowledge gap is probably going to worsen as Congress is confronted by a host of emerging technologies playing an ever bigger role in our lives.”

Katherine Tully-McManus, “Clock Ticks Down on Sexual Harassment Proposals for Congress,” Roll Call:

“Congress is running out of time to make changes to how sexual harassment is handled in its own workplace, as negotiations between House and Senate proposals drag on and legislative days dry up.”

Katherine Tully-McManus, “Exiting Lawmakers Retain Parking Access and Other Congressional Perks,” Roll Call:

“Following the lame-duck session, lawmakers exiting Congress in January will retain some member privileges, fitness center access, some postage rights, and parking among them. But there are limitations, especially for former lawmakers that take lobbying gigs.”

James C. Capretta, “The Joint Budget Committee Failed, But It Produced Some Useful Ideas,” Real Clear Policy:

“Despite the failure to produce a bill, the joint committee may not have been a total waste of time. Some of its members engaged in serious discussions about what it would take to fix today’s broken budget process, and the ideas that came out of those discussions could prove to be useful when the time is right to consider a serious reform plan.”

Michael A. Neblo and Kevin M. Esterling, “Representing Is Hard. Online Town Halls Can Help,” Roll Call:

“Our suggestion, based on over a decade of research: Go beyond business as usual. Make special efforts to connect with your constituents, not just interest groups and your most vocal supporters. These interactions can’t simply be infomercials, but must offer genuine, two-way engagement.”

Nahal Toosi and Marianne Levine, “Congress looks to usurp Trump’s foreign policy powers,” Politico:

“The Senate is on the verge of an extraordinary rebuke of Donald Trump’s foreign policy, underscoring a bipartisan willingness to encroach on the president’s powers as commander in chief.”

Mike DeBonis, “House Democrats look to roll back little-known rule allowing guns in the Capitol,” Washington Post:

“House Democrats are looking to roll back a little-known, five-decade-old Capitol Hill regulation that allows members of Congress to keep guns in their offices and carry them around the Capitol grounds.”