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Forecast for January 27, 2020.

By DanielSchuman January 27, 2020 9 min read

THE TOP LINE The “Senate is hiding from all of us,” writes longtime hill reporter Kathy Kiely, who said “the current security scheme appears designed to protect lawmakers from reporters’ questions.” The restrictions on press access, which we oppose, are a black eye on the Senate and a provocation for future restrictions. Care about leg branch funding? We’ve […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Earmarks, Science & Tech, Whistleblower Protections, War Powers

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

Forecast for January 21, 2020.

By DanielSchuman January 21, 2020 12 min read

House Members are in their districts this week but the Senate is in for impeachment trial proceedings, which start today. Senators are the deciders, but they are not jurors. Before we start, it’s worth rereading MLK’s letter from a Birmingham jail. I found this section resonant: “I have tried to make clear that it is wrong to use immoral means […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Freedom of Information Act, Government Accountability Office, Staff Pay, Remote Voting, Earmarks, War Powers, press freedom

Accountability and Oversight, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for September 3, 2019.

By DanielSchuman September 3, 2019 4 min read

It’s been a quiet week in Woebegone, D.C., our fair city. Uh, nope. It was a dark and stormy night. Nooooooooo. It was a bright cold day in September, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Ah, that feels right. Welcome to the First Branch Forecast. CONGRESS IN BRIEF More members announced their retirements, including Sen. Isakson and […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Inspector General, Freedom of Information Act, Earmarks

Accountability and Oversight, Modernization, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for May 28, 2019. Slow-mo.

By DanielSchuman May 28, 2019 6 min read

HOLD ON TO YOUR “OUT OF OFFICE” RESPONSES • Congress doesn’t have the resources right now to take on Trump and House Dem Leadership isn’t fighting to acquire them. • The Fix Congress Committee unanimously approved five measures to improve congressional transparency and accountability. • Oversight wars: the military is trying to hold info back from Congress; McGahn may be held […]

Tags: Science & Tech, Earmarks, Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel

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

Forecast for March 4, 2019. This House Is Falling Apart.

By DanielSchuman March 4, 2019 8 min read

IT WILL COST BILLIONS to keep the Congress from literally (physically) falling apart, the acting Architect of the Capitol explained at an appropriations hearing last week. Read this round-up (with a nifty chart!) of the four legislative branch appropriations hearings on GAO, GPO, AOC, and CBO. One big take-away: if the House is going to modernize — or even […]

Tags: Library of Congress, US Capitol Police, Earmarks

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

Forecast for February 19, 2019. Never Waste an Emergency

By DanielSchuman February 19, 2019 6 min read

THE HOUSE COMMITTEE TASKED WITH MODERNIZING CONGRESS has 12 newly appointed members, an initial $50,000 budget (through March), and less than one year to issue recommendations. There’s little doubt that Congress must invest in its own brain power and modernize its technology. The select committee isn’t Congress’s only hope, as the oversight committees (House Admin + Senate Rules) and leg branch […]

Tags: Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, Staff Pay, US Capitol Police, Earmarks, White Supremacy, Legislation, Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, Caucus Rules, press freedom

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

Forecast for November 26, 2018. On Deck: House Democratic Leadership Elections and Potential Partial Shutdown.

By DanielSchuman November 26, 2018 7 min read

THE TOP LINE House Dem leadership elections are this week. More below. The Government may partially shut down on December 7 when the CR runs out of gas. The House launched the Office of Employee Advocacy (OOEA) according to a Nov. 5 CAO Dear Colleague. House staffers can learn more by following this internal House link. The OOEA provides legal representation […]

Tags: Congressional Research Service, Staff Pay, Earmarks, factions, Leadership

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

Forecast for November 19, 2018. Challenges to House Leadership; Changes to House Rules; and How New Members Will Shape Up.

By DanielSchuman November 18, 2018 13 min read

THE TOP LINE House Dems scheduled leadership elections for next week, and everyone else elected their leadership last week. Details on who was elected and what’s going on with Dems elections are below. A draft House rules summary was unveiled last week (WaPo published it), with potentially major changes in the lower chamber. House rules rarely change in significant […]

Tags: Earmarks, factions, Leadership, War Powers, press freedom

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

Accountability and Oversight, Appropriations, Congressional Workplace Fairness and Inclusion, Rules, First Branch Forecast, Blog posts

Forecast for September 17, 2018. Celebrating Constitution Day and Reforming the House Rules.

By DanielSchuman September 17, 2018 9 min read

THE TOP LINE Happy birthday to the US Constitution, signed 231 years ago today. In its honor, we are pleased to publish online the Constitution Annotated, a treatise commissioned by Congress that explains the Constitution as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court. By we, I mean Cornell’s Legal Information Institute, GovTrack.us, and Demand Progress. Reforming the House’s […]

Tags: Access to Court Proceedings, factions, Earmarks, Foreign Lobbying, Diversity and Inclusion, Staff Pay

Tag: Earmarks

Forecast for January 27, 2020.

Forecast for January 21, 2020.

Forecast for September 3, 2019.

Forecast for May 28, 2019. Slow-mo.

Forecast for March 4, 2019. This House Is Falling Apart.

Forecast for February 19, 2019. Never Waste an Emergency

Forecast for November 26, 2018. On Deck: House Democratic Leadership Elections and Potential Partial Shutdown.

Forecast for November 19, 2018. Challenges to House Leadership; Changes to House Rules; and How New Members Will Shape Up.

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 September 17, 2018. Celebrating Constitution Day and Reforming the House Rules.

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