The Top Line
Matt Lira, who held a wide variety of technology-related posts in Congress, recently spoke about how to modernize Congress – especially congressional technology – in a wide-ranging interview in Statecraft. Matt was around during the heady days when Reps. Darrell Issa, Steny Hoyer, Eric Cantor, Mike Honda, Nancy Pelosi, and others were pushing forward innovation on Congressional technology.
Anyone remember the 2007 Open House Project report, the 8 principles of open government data, or the recommendations to the bulk data task force? There’s a long, largely untold story of the collaborative effort among congressional political staff, non-political staff, and civil society coalescing around the start of the Obama administration that brought tremendous energy to modernizing legislative branch technology. One focus was improving transparency, but another was to save staff from the drudgery of aspects of their work so they could serve a higher, democracy-supporting function. Let me quote Matt on this point:
“So if we make Congress a better place to work, where you can have more engaging, substantive relationships with communities and constituencies and do impactful work, you’re going to attract better people to serve, and to join the great ones who are already there. The challenge you raised is all tied into the boring operational stuff, but it’s super high impact.”
The boring (but important!) technology operations stuff is partially documented at the Congressional Data Coalition’s website in scores of blogposts. The coalition was founded by Zach Graves and me more than a dozen years ago to bring together civil society, technologists, journalists, and others to work with and encourage Congressional stakeholders. (The policy side of that equation is also documented in long-disappeared Sunlight Foundation blogposts and in this newsletter’s archives.)
The most striking thing I learned from that effort – ongoing today – was that we had aimed at technological transformation, but in the creation and sustaining of the Congressional Data Task Force, we obtained something even more valuable: a change in culture. This happened in no small part because of the work of appropriators, House Admin + Senate Rules, leadership, member-entrepreneurs, the House Rules Committee, and political and non-political staff in the support offices and agencies.
Matt’s point is broad: we are failing to use technology to bring the American people into the political process. “[Congress] should collectively build out a process in which every citizen of this country feels fully bought in on the bills as they pass. Some will agree, some will disagree, but they will feel included.” Are we dreaming big enough?
One thing that struck me about Matt’s interview is how few of those political staff I started working with all those years ago are still in Congress. This contrasts significantly with the non-political staff, many of whom are still around. Some of us in civil society have more-or-less managed to hang on as well, but the churn is real and vicious. We have to find a way to keep the innovators around.
Speaking of innovation, the Congressional Hackathon 6.0 is scheduled for September 19th. The Congressional Hackathon goes back to 2011 – yes, I was there – and it’s really more of a wonk-a-thon. The people who know where the data lives inside the legislative branch and how the technology functions come to talk with the technologists and policy hackers about how to improve the availability of that information, think through new projects, and how to improve ongoing ones. It’s worth your time. To RSVP, or read about past hackathons, click through to my blogpost on the CDC website. The hackathon is well worth your time.
In this email
- The Top Line
- CR & Appropriations
- Congressional Subpoenas
- Transitions
- Accessible Capitol Campus
- Odds & Ends
CR & Appropriations
The House Freedom Caucus is suggesting the inevitable CR should run through 2025 to avoid allowing Democrats and Republicans from coming together in December and passing appropriations bills that the apparently incoming President Trump would not like. This seems very, very unlikely.
Congressional Subpoenas
A federal judge set a date in October for the Biden Administration and attorneys for the House to discuss the House’s subpoenas for testimony from two DOJ attorneys regarding possible favorable treatment in the Hunter Biden investigation. Meanwhile, the Justice Department told the lawyers to defy the subpoenas because lawyers for the Justice Department would not be allowed to be present, although personal lawyers for the DOJ attorneys would be permitted. Roll Call has the story.
Transitions
Congrats to Jen Daulby, the new CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation. She succeeds the very capable Brad Fitch, and is known for serving as Rep. Rodney Davis’s Chief of Staff and Staff Director for House Admin Republicans.
Why do Congressional staff leave? Per new research by Hanna Brant: “I find that staff members who report higher levels of turnover intention are driven more by concerns about human capital, such as dissatisfaction with their coworkers’ abilities to conduct their jobs. In contrast, staff who actually do exit are influenced by office type and demographic factors such as age and education level. However, both intent and actual exit are strongly influenced by the impact of polarization on job satisfaction.”
No Good. Who will lead the Freedom Caucus? Punchbowl ponders.
What’s in McConnell’s future? Appropriations? Politico’s Inside Congress considers.
Accessible Capitol Campus
Capitol Hill is still not very accessible to persons with disabilities. National Journal has the story (behind a paywall). FYI, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights enforces the ADA’s public access requirements, and folks who believe there is a violation of the ADA may file for an inspection from the OCWR’s general counsel.
The most recent biennial report from the OCWR on ADA was issued in Spring 2023. As we reported previously, that report identified 567 barriers to access, with the lowest barriers in the primary House and Senate office buildings. As a reminder, the FY24 approps bill included funding for two new pick-up and drop-off zones for persons with disabilities visiting Congress, and the ModCom made recommendations and held a hearing on the topic.
Odds & Ends
Get certified on working with whistleblowers, if you’re a House staffer, by taking this class through the Congressional Staff Academy. (Link only works on HouseNet)
This 17-year-old is walking 1500 miles to Congress to try to get a meeting with his representative, Jodey Arrington, about ending Social Security penalties for retired public servants, including his grandma. The Social Security Fairness Act has 325 cosponsors but has been stalled in the Ways and Means Committee since January 2023, which is chaired by Jason Smith and on which Rep. Arrington serves. The teen is too young to stay in hotels and has been roughing it, making it to Roanoke this past Friday. The CBC has the story. I hope someone buys him lunch.
QFR’s from House Admin’s hearing on AI in the Legislative branch is now available, starting on page 69.
Surviving Inside Congress, 6th edition, was recently released. Mark Strand, one of the authors, describes it as “a comprehensive guide aimed at congressional staffers, particularly those who are new or relatively inexperienced.” It’s on my bookshelf.
Rep. Pascrell unfortunately is back in the hospital.
Sen. Schumer opined in the Washington Post on his bill to “direct courts, during federal criminal prosecutions of presidents, not to consider whether an action was official or unofficial unless prescribed by Congress.” This court stripping effort is in response to the Supreme Court’s creation of a presidential immunity privilege out of whole cloth.
The organization FIRE is looking for a senior counsel or lobbyist to join its policy team.
