Reports & Analysis

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Accountability and Oversight, Modernization, Announcements, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

For The First Time, More than 8,200 Congressional Research Service Reports Available Online

By DanielSchuman October 20, 2016 5 min read

New Civil Society Website Makes Available to the American People Reports Previously Available to Congressional Staff and DC Insiders Contact: Daniel Schuman, Demand Progress 202–577–6100, daniel@demandprogress.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, DC — October 19, 2016 — More than 8,200 reports authored by the Congressional Research Service, Congress’ think-tank, were published online today at EveryCRSReport.com by Demand Progress, a progressive grassroots organization with […]

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Accountability and Oversight, Announcements, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Why I Came To Believe CRS Reports Should be Publicly Available (and Built a Website to Make it Happen)

By DanielSchuman October 19, 2016 7 min read

I first started working for Congress as a senate intern in September 2001. I was 23 years old and had no experience working on policy. I found myself responding to letters from constituents on issues that I’d never heard of previously. It was then that I first encountered the Congressional Research Service and its reports. […]

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Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Experts Call on Senate to Stabilize Committee Staff

By DanielSchuman October 18, 2016 4 min read

October 18, 2016 Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Majority Whip Cornyn, Democratic Leader Reid, and Democratic Whip Durbin: The United States Senate is an institution rooted in history and tradition. Its long serving members and staff are a repository of policy expertise that serve as a counterweight to an often over-assertive executive branch. We encourage the […]

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Accountability and Oversight, Modernization, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Strengthening Congressional Oversight of the Intelligence Community

By DanielSchuman September 13, 2016 6 min read

Today 33 organizations called on the House of Representatives to strengthen its oversight of the intelligence community. Concurrently, a bipartisan quartet of organizations made in-depth recommendations on how the House should update its intelligence oversight rules. The letter and white paper are the culmination of nearly two years of work. Their release comes on the heels of the […]

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Accountability and Oversight, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Kudos to House of Reps. for Releasing its Spending Info as Data

By DanielSchuman August 29, 2016 1 min read

Today the House of Representatives published its spending information as structured data (a CSV) in addition to printing three volumes of tables. This is the second time it has done so. (I wrote about it the last time it happened and why it is important for accountability.) Okay, Senate, it’s your turn. Publish your semi-annual spending statement as data. — Written by […]

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Accountability and Oversight, Ethics and Influence, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Will Sen. McConnell Finally Close the Presidential Library Golden Parachute for Ex-Presidents (and a Future One)?

By DanielSchuman August 19, 2016 3 min read

Yesterday the Clinton Foundation announced it no longer would accept donations from corporate or foreign entities should Hillary Clinton be elected president, responding to criticism for “potentially allowing donors to seek special access through [Clinton’s] government post.” Unremarked upon is the danger of having a foundation linked to a president accepting any donations during his or her term of […]

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Appropriations, Rules, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Staff Designees on the House Appropriations Committee

By DanielSchuman August 12, 2016 3 min read

Earlier today I tweeted a request for evidence that members of the House Appropriations Committee used to be granted staff designees — staffers paid by the committee that are chosen by and serve the individual members of the committee — but that the designees are being phased out. The following is evidence of that practice.

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Accountability and Oversight, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

What Happens to VP Biden’s Senate Office Documents When He Leaves?

By DanielSchuman August 10, 2016 3 min read

Here’s a random thought. Vice President Biden maintains an office in the United States Senate, where he serves as President of the Senate. It is a good sized office — the Senate’s statement of expenditures (p. B-65) indicates it has a $2.5 million annual budget and more than 30 staff who play policy, communications, and logistical roles. Is that office subject […]

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Ethics and Influence, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Tracking Lobbying by Foreign Governments

By DanielSchuman August 2, 2016 7 min read

In the next few months, the Justice Department’s Inspector General will release a report on lobbying by foreign powers aimed at the federal government. Unlikely lobbying by American citizens and companies, tracked by the House of Representatives and Senate, lobbying by agents of foreign powers is monitored by the Department of Justice. The law requiring reporting by foreign lobbyists — known […]

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Modernization, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

The Constitution (Annotated) In Your Pocket

By DanielSchuman August 2, 2016 3 min read

After a powerful speech by Khizr Khan at the Democratic National Convention, sales of pocket U.S. Constitutions have skyrocketed, becoming the second best selling book on Amazon. This is great! But the words of the Constitution are unsufficient to provide an understanding into how it has been applied by the courts over the last two centuries. That’s where […]

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Modernization, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Rep. Hoyer Speaks on Renewing Faith in Government

By DanielSchuman July 12, 2016 3 min read

Yesterday, House Minority Whip Steny Hower (D-MD) gave an interesting speech on renewing the American people’s faith in government. He ticked off four major areas for reform: campaign finance reform, voting rights, redistricting reform, and government technology. While there’s a lot to digest in his speech, I want to highlight the part that concerns government technology.

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Reports & Analysis

Is The House Intelligence Committee Out of Balance?

By DanielSchuman July 7, 2016 4 min read

Yesterday’s appointment of representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) to the House Intelligence Committee may push the Committee’s membership out of balance — it no longer has a member who also serves on the Judiciary Committee, as required by the Rules of the House of Representatives. Because of its coordinating role, House Rules require the Committee to include at least one member who […]

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