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New Report: 1 in 8 congressional staffers in D.C. aren’t paid a living wage

January 26, 2022  ·  William Gray
A new report from Issue One analyzing LegiStorm data highlights “why Congress should invest in greater compensation for its junior staff.” Among the key findings: 1 in 8… Read More

States should run elections. Here’s how they can run them better.

January 24, 2022  ·  William Gray
Last week, the R Street Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Bipartisan Policy Center, Issue One and Unite America released a new report on election reform, targeting policy changes that, if implemented, would… Read More

Democrats Can Beat a GOP Filibuster Without Wrecking Senate Rules

January 14, 2022  ·  James Wallner
This piece first appeared in Reason. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris want Congress to pass two voting rights bills presently stuck in the Senate. Biden and Harris… Read More

Congressional Management Foundation: What Does Working in Congress Mean to You?

January 6, 2022  ·  William Gray
In 2011, the Congressional Management Foundation surveyed more than 1,400 congressional staff and asked an open-ended question: What does working in Congress mean to you? They received more… Read More

What do we currently know about the Build Back Better Act?

November 18, 2021  ·  Jonathan Bydlak
UPDATED: 11/18/2021 4:05 PM With news sources reporting that a vote on the Build Back Better (BBB) Act, the Biden administration’s signature piece of legislation, could come as early… Read More

EVENT: Obstacles to the Democratic Agenda on Capitol Hill

November 10, 2021  ·  William Gray
Register here. When: November 18 2021 12:00-1:00PM Where: Virtual Moderator: Jonathan Bydlak, Policy Director, Governance, R Street Institute Panelists: James Wallner, Senior Fellow, R Street InstituteMolly Reynolds, Senior Fellow,… Read More

House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress achieves progress on recommendations

November 2, 2021  ·  Nan Swift
Impermanent committees too often get a bad rap in Washington. People are quick to point to the 2011 Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—sometimes called the “Supercommittee”—or the more… Read More

EVENT: Losers’ Consent: How do we stabilize our democracy?

October 21, 2021  ·  William Gray
The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 was not an isolated incident; rather, it marked the culmination of the ongoing degradation of our political culture. A successful democracy relies upon… Read More

The People’s Branch

October 16, 2021  ·  Maya Kornberg
The people’s branch, Congress, was designed as a platform for the American people to have a conversation about policy. It is their medium through which to tell their stories. Read More

A Necessary Step to Stabilizing our Democracy – Restoring Loser’s Consent

October 13, 2021  ·  William Gray
The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 was not an isolated incident; rather, it was the culmination of the ongoing degradation of our political culture. A successful… Read More