Former members of Congress applaud House of Representatives for continuing to invest in our nation’s legislative branch

Today, 40 former members of Congress from Issue One’s bipartisan ReFormers Caucus commended the House of Representatives for continuing to invest in our nation’s legislative branch.

In a letter addressed to House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger (R-TX), Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), House Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch Chair Mark Amodei (R-NV), and Ranking Member Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), the former members of Congress thanked House leaders for retaining funding for the Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA) and Modernization Initiatives Account (MIA) in the FY2024 House Legislative Branch Appropriations bill.

“These continued investments will help implement critical Congressional modernization efforts already underway and recruit and develop robust and knowledgeable staff that are equipped to take on the country’s largest policy priorities,” the letter states.

The letter goes on to say: “We also commend the retention of funding for the MIA, which sets aside resources to advance modernization projects for meaningful and lasting change in Congress. The MIA is the result of a recommendation from the bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. It secures $10 million to implement operational and technological improvements that make Congress more effective and efficient, including the implementation of a collaborative legislative drafting system and a legislative staff directory.”

The letter concludes by encouraging our elected leaders to “continue finding commonsense, bipartisan solutions that restore Congress’ Article I role, strengthen oversight, and better serve constituents. A robust, effective first branch relies on a capable workforce with the tools to take on complex policy issues, and we are grateful for your continued investment in the institution and the people that support it.”

Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus is the largest bipartisan coalition of its kind ever assembled to advocate for sweeping reforms to fix our broken political system. It is co-chaired by former Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD), Amb. Tim Roemer (D-IN), and Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN).

Read the full letter.