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

Forecast for July 29, 2019.

By DanielSchuman July 29, 2019 5 min read

The House is out for August recess; the Senate has one week to go. Here’s what you need to know for the week of July 29, 2019. SELECT COMMITTEE GRAND SLAM The Fix Congress Committee adopted two-dozen recommendations last week and also turned their May recommendations into H. Res 526. A super-majority of the committee is required to adopt recommendations; […]

Tags: Government Publishing Office, Cybersecurity, Caucus Rules, Science & Tech, debt limit, Freedom of Information Act

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

GPO Watchdog Testimony Raises Concerns About the Agency

By DanielSchuman July 27, 2019 2 min read

The Government Publishing Office’s (GPO) lack of permanent leadership was just one of the major issues raised at this week’s oversight hearing of the GPO Office of the Inspector General. Senate Rules Committee Chairman Roy Blunt kicked off the hearing by voicing concerns over shaky leadership: the agency hasn’t had a permanent director since October […]

Tags: Leg Support Agencies, Government Publishing Office

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

Forecast for July 22, 2019.

By DanielSchuman July 22, 2019 5 min read

The last week before recess is always crazy and this week will be no exception. We apologize for skipping the Forecast over the last two weeks, but we were literally and figuratively underwater. ON THE RADAR Negotiations over appropriations levels and the debt ceiling must result in a long-term agreement, a short term agreement, Congress returning […]

Tags: Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, House Ethics Committee, Office of Congressional Ethics, US Capitol Police, debt limit, Congressional Data Task Force, Legislation

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

Forecast for July 1, 2019.

By DanielSchuman July 1, 2019 7 min read

CONGRESS IN BRIEF • Only 36 (working) days are left for Congress to pass all 12 spending bills, so why is McConnell pressing pause on the approps process? More below. • 90% of House offices either don’t pay their interns or — more likely — failed to announce they have paid internships in job postings on their websites. • The […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Whistleblower Protections, SCOTUS, House Ethics Committee, Foreign Lobbying, Staff Pay, Freedom of Information Act

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

Forecast for June 24, 2019.

By DanielSchuman June 24, 2019 7 min read

CONGRESS IN BRIEF • Apparent mismanagement at CRS has created a 19% annual turnover rate in its law division and a lack of diversity in the agency’s senior leadership, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Last week’s House Admin hearing on CRS — the first in more than a decade — shed welcome light on problems facing Congress’s […]

Tags: Staff Pay, NDAA, Congressional Research Service

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

Forecast for June 17, 2019.

By DanielSchuman June 17, 2019 7 min read

CONGRESS IN BRIEF • Congress’s staff retention and diversity issues will be the subject of a Fix Congress committee hearing on Thursday. • The Congressional Research Service will be subject to a rare (and much needed) oversight hearing before the House Administration Committee on Thursday. It’s time to re-read Kevin Kosar’s “Why I Quit the Congressional Research Service.” • Approps on […]

Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, Foreign Lobbying, Science & Tech, press freedom

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

Forecast for June 10, 2019. Leg Branch Approps Goes to the Floor; Modernizing the Contempt Process; and Improving Constituent Communications.

By DanielSchuman June 10, 2019 13 min read

CONGRESS IN BRIEF • The Approps minibus will hit the House floor this week. Several hundred amendments were offered for Rules Committee consideration, including 38 for leg branch; H. Rules meets Monday at 5 and again on Tuesday. Anyone offering amendments to stop the member pay adjustment from taking place should read this and then find something useful to do instead. Don’t just […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Staff Pay, MRA, Congressional Transparency Caucus

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

Forecast for June 3, 2019. Mission Accomplished

By DanielSchuman June 3, 2019 9 min read

Congress is in session for the next 4 weeks. Here’s what you need to know: House FSGG Approps Subcommittee markup is tonight at 7. Here’s the draft bill and where you can watch the proceedings. The Fix Congress Committee is talking constituent engagement this Wednesday. The House is on track to consider appropriations bills on the floor starting June 12th. The Congressional Transparency Caucus will demo […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Staff Pay, Science & Tech

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

Forecast for May 20, 2019.

By DanielSchuman May 20, 2019 8 min read

DESCRIBING WHY CONGRESS IS BROKEN can be hard, but this awesome claymation video helps. Seriously, it’s better than schoolhouse rock. (Thanks CS Monitor). ON STARTING IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS, PELOSI’S STRATEGY HAS BEEN DELAY, DELAY, DELAY. But with Rep. Justin Amash’s statement this weekend that the “Mueller’s report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet […]

Tags: Library of Congress, Leg Support Agencies

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

Forecast for May 13, 2019.

By DanielSchuman May 13, 2019 16 min read

THIS IS YET ANOTHER long winded, discursive First Branch Forecast. What’s inside? • What happened when the Modernization Committee examined transparency as a means to strengthen Congress? • What exactly was included in the leg branch’s budget bill? The contents may surprise you. • Oversight Wars: the phantom privilege • Freedom of the Press • Swamp […]

Tags: press freedom, Cybersecurity, Leg Support Agencies, Science & Tech

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

Forecast for May 6, 2019. So It’s Finally Time for Infrastructure Week?

By DanielSchuman May 6, 2019 12 min read

BIG PICTURE: SPENDING ON THE HOUSE House Leg Branch Approps Subcommittee favorably reported its FY 2020 approps bill that contains a ton of great provisions. Oddly, Republican members spoke favorably about the bill during the proceedings even as they voted against it, suggesting that their opposition had to do with political concerns unrelated to the work of the […]

Tags: Staff Pay, US Capitol Police, Leg Support Agencies

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

Forecast for April 29, 2019. It’s off to work we go.

By DanielSchuman April 29, 2019 9 min read

CONGRESS IS BACK FOR THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS. Buckle up, it’s gonna be bumpy. The Scylla and Charybdis of our odyssey will be Appropriations and the Trump investigation(s). It’s possible that the Trump administration’s refusal to meaningfully cooperate with subpoenas and accede to requests to testify will become fused to the appropriations process, as appropriations […]

Tags: Office of Congressional Ethics, Cybersecurity

Forecast for July 29, 2019.

GPO Watchdog Testimony Raises Concerns About the Agency

Forecast for July 22, 2019.

Forecast for July 1, 2019.

Forecast for June 24, 2019.

Forecast for June 17, 2019.

Forecast for June 10, 2019. Leg Branch Approps Goes to the Floor; Modernizing the Contempt Process; and Improving Constituent Communications.

Forecast for June 3, 2019. Mission Accomplished

Forecast for May 20, 2019.

Forecast for May 13, 2019.

Forecast for May 6, 2019. So It’s Finally Time for Infrastructure Week?

Forecast for April 29, 2019. It’s off to work we go.

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