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From citizens to data points: A word of caution for legislators
Source: RollCall.com. Currently, uses of technology in Congress are preventing citizens from meaningfully engaging with their policymakers. Technologies such as constituent databases provide helpful tools for collecting, storing, and… Read More
Restoring fiscal conflict
Near the end of Ayn Rand’s dystopian novel, Atlas Shrugged, the discredited regime representing the United States Government announces the “John Galt Plan for Peace, Prosperity, and Profit” in a… Read More
How to make Congress work better for the American people
Every few decades, Congress comes to the realization that it needs to fix itself. For the last 50 years, whether due to an imminent crisis or a slow deterioration, special… Read More
Today: Hearing on “Experts needed: Options for improved science and technology advice for Congress”
Thomas Dolby, “She blinded me with science,” 1982. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 2318 Rayburn 10am: The LiveStream is at https://science.house.gov/hearings/experts-needed-options-for-improved-science-and-technology-advice-for-congress Witnesses: The… Read More
Today: Hearing on “Rules and Procedures in the U.S. House of Representatives: A Look at Reform Efforts and State Best Practices”
Date: Thursday, December 5, 2019 – 2:00pmLocation: 210 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Witnesses: Mr. Christopher M. Davis Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process, Congressional Research… Read More
Impeachment in the words of the Founders
Junius Brutus Steams, Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention, 1856. Source: Archives.gov The House’s rapid-moving impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine is about to enter yet… Read More
When Congress was great: Reforming Social Security
Lost amid the impeachment fight and election contests, an epochal moment in the history of America’s welfare state is coming in 2020: For the first time since 1982, the Social… Read More
Modernizing oversight to improve government efficiency and accountability
While impeachment hearings and the 2020 election dominate the political headlines, several encouraging bipartisan efforts to reform Washington and improve governance are making progress below the radar. The result could… Read More
My meeting with the King of Jordan, or the inevitability of legislative diplomacy
Pope Francis addresses Congress in 2015. Editor’s note: This speech was given before the Open World Leadership Center’s conference on women in leadership and legislative diplomacy on November 19,… Read More
Video: Symposium on congressional capacity and endless war in Afghanistan & Syria
The Brennan Center’s Elizabeth Gotien, and R Street’s Casey Burgat, Anthony Marcum, and James Wallner discuss Congressional Capacity and the Endless War in Afghanistan & Syria at the Legislative Branch… Read More