Office of Congressional Ethics | First Branch Center

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

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

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

Forecast for March 25, 2019. Only the best and most serious people.

By DanielSchuman March 25, 2019 10 min read

MUELLER LITE? Recess is over, Congress is back, and appropriations season is in full swing, but what is everyone talking about? Sigh. As my kids would say, “BORING!” Let’s talk about Congress instead. The House and Senate are back for three weeks. PROPOSED HOUSE COMMITTEE ALLOTMENTS (i.e., how much the House will spend on each of its […]

Tags: Political Violence, Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, Staff Clearances, Office of Congressional Ethics, Legislation

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

Forecast for March 11, 2019. The Not at SXSW Edition.

By DanielSchuman March 11, 2019 8 min read

IT’S SUNSHINE WEEK, devoted to all things transparency, and there are a ton of Congress tie-ins. On the House floor, set for a vote this week, are: the Access to Congressionally Mandated Report Act (which requires all agency reports sent to Congress to be online on a central website); the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2019 (to improve transparency of the […]

Tags: Library of Congress, Freedom of Information Act, Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, Office of Congressional Ethics, White Supremacy, Legislation

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

Forecast for February 4, 2019. Executive Time.

By DanielSchuman February 4, 2019 9 min read

THE TOP LINE H.R. 1, the pro-voting & ethics strengthening bill, is getting negative reviews from anti-anti-corruption politicians (Mitch McConnell), court-identified fabulists (Hans Spakovsky), and K street lobbyists. It’s also the subject of an Oversight hearing on Wednesday. Why won’t House Dems release their caucus rules? Progressives & grassroots orgs are pushing for their publication while Democratic Caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries dodges press questions. Rep. Jeffries didn’t respond to […]

Tags: Staff Clearances, Foreign Lobbying, Office of Congressional Ethics, US Capitol Police, Korematsu Day, factions, White Supremacy, Caucus Rules

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

Forecast for December 24, 2018. Naughty or Nice.

By DanielSchuman December 23, 2018 10 min read

THE TOP LINE Naughty or nice. Congress is still in session, so here’s a little something to read if you’re still hanging around. Shutdown. For the first time in years, the House and Senate got their approps work done on time and five bills enacted into law. But instead of pushing for the remaining seven, they […]

Tags: Legislation, Office of Congressional Ethics, Congressional Research Service

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

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

Forecast for August 6, 2018. Transparency Bills Are Stuck and the Clock Is Ticking.

By DanielSchuman August 6, 2018 6 min read

TICKING CLOCK ON TRANSPARENCY BILLS The House and Senate have about a dozen good government and transparency bills that have widespread support, have advanced through the chambers, but are now stuck for no apparent (or good) reason. Here’s four of them: — The Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (HR 4631), which requires all mandated agency reports […]

Tags: Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, Office of Congressional Ethics, press freedom, Political Violence, NDAA, Legislation

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

Recs on the House’s Harassment Bill

By DanielSchuman January 26, 2018 9 min read

In early December, we shared our recommendations on how Congress should address harassment. Since then, the Committee on House Administration has published a draft reform bill — the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act — and today we are publishing our recommendations on how that bill should be further strengthened. We expect the underlying legislation will be shortly enacted into law. Members […]

Tags: Legislation, Leg Support Agencies, Congressional Ops, Office of Congressional Ethics

Ethics and Influence, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

Effort Underway to Undermine the House’s Ethics Watchdog

By DanielSchuman January 2, 2017 6 min read

Update at 12:52 pm on Tuesday: After an outpouring of phone calls, emails, tweets and an avalanche of news stories, House Republicans held a secret meeting just before noon and pulled the Goodlatte amendment, which would have eviscerated the Office of Congressional Ethics. While we have won for now, members are quoted as saying they’re going […]

Tags: House, Office of Congressional Ethics

Ethics and Influence, Rules, Blog posts, Reports & Analysis

House Beats Back Effort to Weaken Office of Congressional Ethics, But It Was Ugly

By DanielSchuman June 11, 2016 5 min read

On Friday rank-and-file members of the House of Representatives beat back a last-minute amendment by Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) to reduce proposed funding for the Office of Congressional Ethics by nearly 9 percent. In the end 137 representatives voted in favor of the cut and 270 opposed, with Republicans more-or-less evenly split and nearly all Democrats opposed. […]

Tags: House, Office of Congressional Ethics

Tag: Office of Congressional Ethics

Forecast for July 22, 2019.

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

Forecast for March 25, 2019. Only the best and most serious people.

Forecast for March 11, 2019. The Not at SXSW Edition.

Forecast for February 4, 2019. Executive Time.

Forecast for December 24, 2018. Naughty or Nice.

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

Forecast for August 6, 2018. Transparency Bills Are Stuck and the Clock Is Ticking.

Recs on the House’s Harassment Bill

Effort Underway to Undermine the House’s Ethics Watchdog

House Beats Back Effort to Weaken Office of Congressional Ethics, But It Was Ugly

Media Center

Contact Us

Subscribe to first branch forecast