Fixing Congress

The U.S. Congress isn’t properly equipped to fulfill its Article One constitutional responsibilities and serve the American people. Polling shows that many Americans lack faith in the legislative branch. Even members of Congress and their staff find the job to be an impossible task, with some opting to leave rather than face the constant gridlock and partisan vitriol that has become so common within the institution.

The problems plaguing Congress are numerous. Such basic structural shortcomings as outdated technology, high staff turnover and low diversity, and a lack of trust between members of different parties hurt members’ ability to do their job: solve problems and pass legislation.

We are working to build a modern and capable Congress, the type of institution that Americans both deserve and need.

We:

• Work with the Subcommittee on Modernization within the House Administration Committee to inform and advance its recommendations in the House.
• Call on the legislative branch to invest in staff, technology, and other modernization efforts to improve staff retention and overall functionality.
• Push for Congress to increase transparency and public participation in the legislative process, including by publishing the text of bills and amendments online prior to votes and standardizing public access to congressional reports.
• Urge Congress to address the urgent and dangerous vulnerabilities to the continuity of all three branches of government.

Our impact:

• Called for the creation of a new, permanent subcommittee to strengthen the legislative branch in the 118th Congress, which was later established by the House Administration Committee
• Helped push to create a pay floor for House staffers to help Congress better reflect and serve the American people, including publishing a report that found that 1 in 8 D.C.-based congressional staffers made less than a living wage in 2020
• Joined the CapitolStrong coalition, an initiative to support and recognize the congressional and service staff working in the U.S. Capitol, and to create a space to repair and rebuild trust in our democratic institutions following the violent attack that transpired on January 6, 2021
• Advocated for an extension of the Modernization Committee into the 117th Congress
• Supported the passage of H.Res. 756, which adopts nearly 30 recommendations by the Modernization Committee
• Secured a 100% increase in funding allocated for the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion and advocated for the removal of Confederate statues from the Capitol
• Helped secure a 13.8% increase in overall House funding and a 21% increase individual House office budgets in the FY22 Legislative Branch Appropriations package
• Joined a diverse array of organizations and advocates in pushing for the creation of the bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress
• Helped launch the Rebuild Congress Initiative to convene and facilitate productive dialogue among members of Congress and key stakeholders
• Co-produced a hard-hitting report looking at why members of Congress leave office