Office of Congressional Workplace Rights

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

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

Forecast for March 15, 2021

By DanielSchuman March 15, 2021 26 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 It’s been a year since we wrote to every Member of Congress on how Capitol Hill should respond to COVID. If I were to grade the response, I’d likely give the House of […]

Tags: Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, Staff Pay, Leg Support Agencies, Legislation

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

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

Forecast for March 2, 2020.

By DanielSchuman March 2, 2020 13 min read

ON YOUR RADAR Approps season is firing on all cylinders, with many Members schedules double- or triple-booked. It’s running us ragged, too. (At least we can help you keep track of testimony deadlines.) Maybe Congress should take a real look at fixing its hearing schedule? Anyway— Leg Branch heard testimony from LOC and GAO this past week, and there’s news […]

Tags: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Government Accountability Office, Surveillance, Science & Tech, Leg Support Agencies, Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, Cybersecurity

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

Forecast for February 18, 2020.

By DanielSchuman February 18, 2020 14 min read

ON YOUR RADAR A nice breather. Both the House and Senate are in recess this week. Whistleblower Ombudsman. Congratulations to Shanna Devine, who was just named the House of Representatives’ first Whistleblower Ombudsman. The nonpartisan, independent office, established 14 months ago as part of the House rules package and filled this past week — with bipartisan support […]

Tags: Office of Legal Counsel, Government Accountability Office, Department of Justice, US Capitol Police, Science & Tech, Leg Support Agencies, Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, Caucus Rules, Whistleblower Protections, War Powers

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

Forecast for January 6, 2020.

By DanielSchuman January 6, 2020 16 min read

Welcome back. An astonishing amount has happened over the break, so let’s dive back in. THE TOP LINE The US assassinated Iranian Maj. Gen Qassem Soleimani in what may be a violation of US and international law — in flagrant violation of Congress’s war powers. Much more on this below in the section entitled “Wag the […]

Tags: Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, Whistleblower Protections, War Powers, Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, Government Accountability Office, SCOTUS

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

Forecast for October 28, 2019.

By DanielSchuman October 28, 2019 12 min read

CONGRESS IN BRIEF Government funding runs out by Thanksgiving and lawmakers still haven’t agreed on 302(b) allocations. The Senate will take up a package of four “non-controversial” spending bills this week (Ag, CJS, Interior & Transportation), but there’s no consensus on top line numbers. And now there’s talk about another CR until March — which keeps everyone frozen […]

Tags: Whistleblower Protections, Staff Clearances, Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, Science & Tech, Office of Legal Counsel

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

Tag: Office of Congressional Workplace Rights

Forecast for March 22, 2021

Forecast for March 15, 2021

Forecast for March 1, 2021.

Forecast for March 2, 2020.

Forecast for February 18, 2020.

Forecast for January 6, 2020.

Forecast for October 28, 2019.

Forecast for February 19, 2019. Never Waste an Emergency

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