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Forecast for May 24, 2021

By DanielSchuman May 24, 2021 19 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your weekly look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. Encourage your colleagues to subscribe here. TOP LINE The House is holding a committee work week and the Senate is in. Next week, both chambers will be out to coincide with the Memorial Day holiday. The January 6th Commission bill (H.R. […]

Tags: Freedom of Information Act, Diversity and Inclusion, US Capitol Police, January 6, Earmarks, NDAA, Proxy Voting

Accountability and Oversight, Appropriations, Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Continuity and Resiliency, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for May 17, 2021

By DanielSchuman May 17, 2021 18 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your weekly look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. Encourage your colleagues to subscribe here. TOP LINE Both chambers are in session this week and getting down to business: A bill providing for a January 6th Commission likely will be considered in the House this week. The legislation, introduced by […]

Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, US Capitol Police, January 6, Earmarks, Proxy Voting

AI and Emerging Technology, Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for May 10, 2021.

By DanielSchuman May 10, 2021 21 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your weekly look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here. TOP LINE STOP EVERYTHING. “100% of my focus is on stopping this new administration,” said Sen. McConnell at a press conference. He added: Democrats want to turn America into a “socialist country” and […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, PLUM Act, Freedom of Information Act, Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, Department of Justice, US Capitol Police, Earmarks, Surveillance, Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, Whistleblower Protections, Advisory Committee on Transparency

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

Forecast for April 26, 2021

By DanielSchuman April 26, 2021 14 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your weekly look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here. TOP LINE Staffers on Capitol Hill continue to bear the trauma and burn out from working through a pandemic, the 2020 election, and the insurrection, leading many staff to leave their jobs, according to Business […]

Tags: Staff Pay, Office of Congressional Ethics, US Capitol Police, January 6, Earmarks, Political Violence, Cybersecurity

Appropriations, Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Continuity and Resiliency, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for April 19, 2021

By DanielSchuman April 19, 2021 23 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your weekly look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. (Tell your friends to subscribe.) TOP LINE White nationalism has no place in Congress and yet several representatives on Friday were gathering support to start the America First Caucus, ostensibly focused on Anglo-Saxon “political traditions,” per PunchBowl.news. The America First Committee, the obvious antecedent, […]

Tags: MRA, Cybersecurity, Political Violence, Leg Support Agencies, Science & Tech, White Supremacy, Congressional Data, Earmarks, January 6, US Capitol Police, Staff Pay, Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, Congressional Research Service

Congressional Security, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Continuity and Resiliency, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for March 29, 2021.

By DanielSchuman March 29, 2021 16 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your weekly look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. (Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.) TOP LINE We made it. The House and Senate are on recess for the next two weeks. With members at home, at fundraisers, or on CODELs, staff will have an opportunity to catch […]

Tags: Freedom of Information Act, Earmarks

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

Forecast for March 22, 2021

By DanielSchuman March 22, 2021 21 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your weekly look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. (Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.) TOP LINE The security supplemental funding bill could reach $2 billion, according to Billy House, and is intended to strengthen security at the Capitol and enhance member protection. To place this number in […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Staff Pay, Office of Congressional Ethics, US Capitol Police, SCOTUS, Earmarks, Legislation, Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, Cybersecurity, Proxy Voting

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

Forecast for March 1, 2021.

By DanielSchuman March 1, 2021 22 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your weekly look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. (Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.) TOP LINE Officials tasked with keeping the Capitol safe and open testified before Congress last week — see the video & written testimony from the HSGAC/Senate Rules hearing with all the former security leaders and […]

Tags: Freedom of Information Act, Staff Pay, Diversity and Inclusion, US Capitol Police, January 6, Judicial Security and Privacy Act, Earmarks, Leg Support Agencies, Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, Political Violence, Cybersecurity

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

Forecast for February 22, 2021

By DanielSchuman February 22, 2021 15 min read

Welcome to the First Branch Forecast, your weekly look into the Legislative branch and government transparency. (Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.) SUPPORTING CONGRESSIONAL STAFF + MEMBERS The Office of Employee Assistance (OEA) and mental health inside the Legislative branch was the topic of the first Leg branch Appropriations subcommittee hearing for the FY 2022 appropriations cycle, […]

Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, House Ethics Committee, US Capitol Police, January 6, Earmarks, Political Violence, Cybersecurity

Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

What to do about Congressional Earmarks

By DanielSchuman February 16, 2021 8 min read

We’ve known, at least since December, that congressional earmarks are coming back, and the latest news reiterates that they will return in some fashion. Earmarks are congressionally directed spending — legislative language in an appropriations bill that directs spending for a particular purpose, such as building a bridge or pushing funding to a specific corporation […]

Tags: Earmarks

Appropriations, Continuity and Resiliency, Ethics and Influence, Modernization, Rules, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for December 14, 2020

By DanielSchuman December 14, 2020 22 min read

THE TOP LINE It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I really don’t want to talk about the totally avoidable train-wreck that is the CR, approps omnibus, and COVID relief efforts, which are as infuriating as they are predictable. The latest contretemps are the natural consequence of institutional design and political incentives, shaped by those […]

Tags: Congressional Data Task Force, Earmarks, NDAA, Caucus Rules, Whistleblower Protections, Cybersecurity

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

Forecast For February 10, 2020.

By DanielSchuman February 10, 2020 8 min read

ON YOUR RADAR Shedding light on the Justice Department’s OLC Opinions is the topic of today’s Transparency Caucus briefing, set for 2pm in 1310 Longworth. RSVP to Hannah.Mansbach@mail.house.gov. Here’s why we think OLC opinion transparency is important plus a refresher on legislative efforts concerning OLC opinions. Also, read Mike Stern’s latest on OLC. Oversight hearings […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Congressional Research Service, Staff Clearances, Foreign Lobbying, US Capitol Police, Earmarks, War Powers, Science & Tech, Leg Support Agencies, Budget, Political Violence

Tag: Earmarks

Forecast for May 24, 2021

Forecast for May 17, 2021

Forecast for May 10, 2021.

Forecast for April 26, 2021

Forecast for April 19, 2021

Forecast for March 29, 2021.

Forecast for March 22, 2021

Forecast for March 1, 2021.

Forecast for February 22, 2021

What to do about Congressional Earmarks

Forecast for December 14, 2020

Forecast For February 10, 2020.

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