Ethics and Influence

Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Ethics and Influence, Rules, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for November 13, 2018. What Did Last Week’s Election Change?

By DanielSchuman November 13, 2018 8 min read

THE TOP LINE What did last week’s election change? The House will have at least 100 new faces and the average age dropped by eight years. Three Democrats lost their seats in the Senate, but it appears that, at most, they will lose one seat overall, with the parties in that chamber becoming more ideologically homogeneous. Demographically speaking, 101 women were […]

Tags: Office of Congressional Ethics

AI and Emerging Technology, Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Ethics and Influence, Rules, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for October 29, 2018. Child Care, Congressional Departures, the CAA, APIs, and Voicemail.

By DanielSchuman October 29, 2018 7 min read

THE TOP LINE Capitol Hill child care centers that prioritize Congressional staff have only 240 spots and a 550 deep wait list, according to a new Demand Progress report. Roll Call’s Katherine Tully-McManus covered efforts to expand availability to serve the 15,000 staffers on Capitol hill; even if expansion plans come to fruition, they would not meet […]

Tags: Congressional Research Service, Earmarks, White Supremacy, Political Violence, Cybersecurity, Government Publishing Office

Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for October 22, 2018. The Tale of Congress’s Incapacity, Plus Judiciary Moves Nominees in Recess.

By DanielSchuman October 22, 2018 8 min read

THE TOP LINE Decades of institutional deterioration has left lawmakers in the dark on technology. The Lincoln Network’s Zach Graves told the tale in ten charts. (We helped). Bookmark it and visit Future Congress for more. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced six judicial nominations while the Senate was in recess in a further destruction of institutional norms. Nomination hearings during recess […]

Tags: Inspector General, Freedom of Information Act, US Capitol Police, Earmarks, Whistleblower Protections, Cybersecurity, press freedom

Accountability and Oversight, Congressional Security, Continuity and Resiliency, Ethics and Influence, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for October 15, 2018. Preparing Congressional Offices and Committees for Transition.

By DanielSchuman October 15, 2018 7 min read

THE TOP LINE The Senate joined the House in adjourning until mid-November. Most members and many staff are now working on the campaigns (with the staff “on vacation”), others are taking much deserved vacations, and some are working on plans should the House flip. This includes drafting new rules for the chamber, new committee rules, new […]

Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, Cybersecurity

Accountability and Oversight, Congressional Security, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for October 9, 2018. FutureCongress, Plus “Popular Bills” Can Be Substantive, Too.

By DanielSchuman October 9, 2018 9 min read

LEGISLATIVE CAPACITY That Congress’s tech savvy hasn’t kept up with the times isn’t exactly breaking news, but we should highlight that 20 bipartisan advocacy groups led by Demand Progress and the Lincoln Network launched Future Congress this past week, a resource hub for efforts to improve science and technology expertise in the legislative branch. Do 218 co-sponsors make a difference […]

Tags: social media, Cybersecurity, Political Violence, Trump Taxes, White Supremacy, US Capitol Police, Freedom of Information Act, Library of Congress, Office of Legal Counsel

Appropriations, Congressional Security, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, Rules, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for October 1, 2018. Briefing on House and Party Rules, Plus the Launch of TechCongress.

By DanielSchuman October 1, 2018 8 min read

THE TOP LINE On Thursday we briefed congressional staff on House, committee, and caucus reform proposals with experts from Issue One, Georgetown, and the Brookings Institution. Incidentally, party rules are very important: for example, the earmark ban and chairman term limits are both Republican party rules. Learn more about how we’d make the House work better in our […]

Tags: Legislation, Science & Tech

AI and Emerging Technology, Appropriations, Congressional Security, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, Rules, First Branch Forecast

Forecast for September 24, 2018. Congress’ Staff Capacity Problem, Plus the Library of Congress Started Publishing CRS Reports.

By DanielSchuman September 24, 2018 8 min read

THE TOP LINE Rules reform is the topic of a Congressional Transparency Caucus event on Thursday at 2 in Rayburn 2456 entitled “Playing by the House Rules.” RSVP here. Rep. Quigley will make opening remarks. Panelists include Daniel Schuman, Demand Progress; Meredith McGehee, Issue One; Matt Glassman, GAI at Georgetown; Molly Reynolds, Brookings Institution. For more, we […]

Tags: Caucus Rules, Cybersecurity, press freedom, Foreign Lobbying, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Inspector General

Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Ethics and Influence, Rules, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for September 10, 2018. Legislative Branch Appropriations and Conference Rules.

By DanielSchuman September 10, 2018 10 min read

TOP LINE The Leg Branch minibus conference report may get a House floor vote this week; there was an actual, real-life conference committee last week. Here’s what’s in the House and Senate bills. — As a bonus (& thanks to Tim Ryan), the House plumped down $8.8m for intern pay in the amended legislation (text is unavailable), a big step forward to opening up the […]

Tags: Caucus Rules, social media, Staff Pay, Freedom of Information Act, Congressional Research Service, Cybersecurity, press freedom

Appropriations, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Ethics and Influence, Rules, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for September 4, 2018. Appropriations Bills and SCOTUS Nomination Are Moving Forward Quickly.

By DanielSchuman September 4, 2018 13 min read

THE TOP LINE Appropriations. House and Senate appropriators have moved their bills faster than usual, but time is running out. Only eight legislative days remain for the House and sixteen days for the Senate to reach agreement and enact them before the fiscal year starts on Oct. 1. The action will be on the floor, in the House Rules committee, […]

Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, SCOTUS, social media, Government Publishing Office

Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for August 27, 2018. Rest in Peace Senator John McCain.

By DanielSchuman August 27, 2018 16 min read

TOP LINE Senator John McCain has died. We wish him fair winds and following seas and offer condolences to his family. — McCain Senate Office Building? In his tweets commemorating the life of Sen. McCain, Sen. Schumer said he would introduce a resolution to rename the Russell Senate Office Building after McCain. Richard Russell was a Democratic lion of […]

Tags: Staff Pay, Science & Tech, Legislation, Transparency in Government Act

Accountability and Oversight, Congressional Security, Ethics and Influence, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for August 20, 2018. How Effective Exactly Are Lawmakers?

By DanielSchuman August 20, 2018 10 min read

LEGISLATIVE CAPACITY, PROCESS, AND POLITICAL SCIENCE Put down the popcorn, congressional hearings aren’t pure theater. An analysis of over 120 hearings found that witness testimony tended to be fairly balanced and sophisticated. That said, we have concerns that the methodology: using complex language doesn’t mean the arguments are strong, and having competing viewpoints should not suggest full […]

Tags: social media, Cybersecurity, press freedom

Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, Rules, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for August 13, 2018. While #MeToo Stalls in Congress, SCOTUS Nomination Hearings Move Forward.

By DanielSchuman August 13, 2018 6 min read

THE TOP LINE Rep. Collins was arrested for insider trading every news outlet on earth reported, but that’s not the most interesting part. Multiple news outlets described what happened as Speaker Ryan stripping Collins of his committee membership. He didn’t. Curious? Read my dive into the Speaker’s power to police member behavior and what that means for policy dissenters. […]

Tags: white, press freedom, Science & Tech, SCOTUS

Forecast for November 13, 2018. What Did Last Week’s Election Change?

Forecast for October 29, 2018. Child Care, Congressional Departures, the CAA, APIs, and Voicemail.

Forecast for October 22, 2018. The Tale of Congress’s Incapacity, Plus Judiciary Moves Nominees in Recess.

Forecast for October 15, 2018. Preparing Congressional Offices and Committees for Transition.

Forecast for October 1, 2018. Briefing on House and Party Rules, Plus the Launch of TechCongress.

Forecast for September 24, 2018. Congress’ Staff Capacity Problem, Plus the Library of Congress Started Publishing CRS Reports.

Forecast for August 27, 2018. Rest in Peace Senator John McCain.

Forecast for August 13, 2018. While #MeToo Stalls in Congress, SCOTUS Nomination Hearings Move Forward.

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