Forecast for April 15, 2019. First hundred days.

HOUSE OPERATIONS Technology staff hiring faces huge challenges, according to House Clerk Cheryl Johnson and House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving. At this past week’s House Admin hearing, both agencies said they struggle with hiring and retaining IT personnel, a topic that came up several times. The House officers identified insufficient resources to pay staff, the … Continue reading Forecast for April 15, 2019. First hundred days. →

Forecast for April 8, 2019.

AUTHORIZERS AND APPROPRIATORS This past week House Leg Branch Approps received outside testimony from members of Congress and 18 outside witnesses, of which a dozen were in person, concerning strengthening the legislative branch. This sets the stage for this Tuesday's House Admin hearing on House Officer priorities for 2019 and beyond, featuring the Sergeant at Arms, the Clerk, the Chief Administrative … Continue reading Forecast for April 8, 2019. →

Forecast for April 1, 2019. Every Day Is April’s Fools Day.

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMIN (FRANKLINS): Last week the House approved H. Res 245, which contains House Admin's recommendations on how to allot funds amongst all the committees (except approps, which is funded separately). The upshot: flat funding for everyone, and a smaller-than-expected amount for the Fix Congress Committee. We break down the numbers and analyze them here. With an … Continue reading Forecast for April 1, 2019. Every Day Is April’s Fools Day. →

Forecast for March 25, 2019. Only the best and most serious people.

MUELLER LITE? Recess is over, Congress is back, and appropriations season is in full swing, but what is everyone talking about? Sigh. As my kids would say, "BORING!" Let's talk about Congress instead. The House and Senate are back for three weeks. PROPOSED HOUSE COMMITTEE ALLOTMENTS (i.e., how much the House will spend on each of its … Continue reading Forecast for March 25, 2019. Only the best and most serious people. →

Forecast for March 18, 2019. The seven-per-cent solution.

SEVEN PERCENT OF THE HOUSE, or 32 Members, spoke at a Member's Day hearing of the Fix Congress Committee, held on Tuesday, with 35 members submitting written testimony. (Video, Witness statements). The 3 hour hearing, which followed the committee's organizational meeting that adopting committee rules, is too complex to recap, but we summarized the subject matter in this spreadsheet. FWIW, I … Continue reading Forecast for March 18, 2019. The seven-per-cent solution. →

Forecast for March 11, 2019. The Not at SXSW Edition.

IT'S SUNSHINE WEEK, devoted to all things transparency, and there are a ton of Congress tie-ins. On the House floor, set for a vote this week, are: the Access to Congressionally Mandated Report Act (which requires all agency reports sent to Congress to be online on a central website); the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2019 (to improve transparency of the … Continue reading Forecast for March 11, 2019. The Not at SXSW Edition. →