Should members of Congress have to prove they can do the job before they are (re-)elected?
June 24, 2023
This Congress has been in session for just six months and already its become apparent that a number of Congressmen and women have no idea what their responsibilities are within the institution, their chamber or to their constituents. 15 votes to elect a speaker, with provisions to kick him out on a whim, taking the county to the brink of economic catastrophe over debt ceiling talks that they clearly didn’t understand…. According to the Constitution (Article 1), the primary role of Congress is the power of the purse. Yet with three months to go before the current budget expires, there is already talk of a potential government shutdown because members are not happy with the debt ceiling agreement. Do they have any idea what their job is?
Granted, they are told in orientation that at least half of their time in Washington has to be spent with donors and raising money. So they can only spend half their time learning the ropes. Add in the time spent on running for reelection, and the amount of time new Representatives have to learn their job is minimal at best. Shouldn’t they at least come into the job knowing what it is?
There are ample resources. Constitution101, for example offers a high-school level explanation of the Constitution. Module 7: The Legislative Branch: How Congress Works might be a good place for them to start.
What do you think? Should anyone who wants to represent us have to prove he/she/they are up to the task before being able to run for a seat in Congress? What should they have to know to get the job?
The Senate as a luxury retirement home
May 20, 2022
Can’t afford to retire, or the cost of a retirement home? Become a US Senator and move to a senior living environment with complete with marble floors, handprinted walls, all the features of assisted living, and on-call doctors and pharmacists. The average age of the US Senate is 64, just a year away from the standard retirement age. Their staffers double as nurses’ aids for those who can no longer get around on their own, make sure they are appropriately medicated, and make decisions and cast votes for those who are not always in touch with reality.
We talk about this our chapter (four) on the Senate. Alexandra Petri’s recent column in the Washington Post offers a humorous and alarming take on it as well.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/19/us-senate-seniors-retirement-destination-satire/
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How much more of its power can Congress give away?
August 25, 2022
Congress has systematically divested itself of its legislative power and responsibilities, first to the Executive Branch and now to the Judicial Branch. How much longer will it be before they are totally obsolete?
Only Congress has the power to declare war. The President, as commander-in-chief, can send troops off to fight, but it’s up to Congress to ensure they are fed and have cab fare home. When was the last time they actually voted on a military action? Bush’s Iraq war? What about all the years and dollars spent in Afghanistan? Or the countless other military actions. Presidents have been free to commit us to countless engagements, during which Congress has been conspicuously MIA.
The primary responsibility of Congress, according to the Constitution, is its power of the purse. It is supposed to authorize and appropriate public funds for government functions before the start of each fiscal year – October 1st – to ensure that all of the functions and services that government performs and provides continue seamlessly. Yet they haven’t been able to do that in decades. Instead, they rely each year on continuing resolutions, stop-gap provisions to keep government functioning at budget levels contained in the most recently passed budget,which is often many years ago. The use of continuing resolutions moves the responsibility for allocation of funds to federal agencies from Congress to the (President’s) Office of Management and Budget. Their most important duty gets relegated to the Executive Branch because they can’t do the job we elect them to do.
The Supreme Court is supposed to review legislation passed by Congress, when requested via legal challenge, to determine how the enacted policy fits into Constitutional bounds. When legislation is found to be unconstitutional, it is up to Congress to right the wrongs and pass new laws that meet the standard. The recent Dobbs and EPA decisions will have devastating consequences in so many ways, and despite the majority of the public’s preference to the contrary, Congress has been unable to act to clarify the implementation protections intended in the original bills as well as protections enshrined in amendments to the Constitution. The consequence is policy dictated by the Judicial Branch. Given the inability of Congress to act on less controversial policy issues (not just spending), we can look forward to years of policy-making by the Justices.
So what, exactly, does the Legislative Branch do for us anymore?
Share your thoughts……
Want to know what this abdication costs us? Read the book to find out!
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How re-electable are your Representatives?
July 15, 2022
As much as most of us think Congress is dysfunctional, we tend to think that is the case for all Representatives except ours. However, the chart below shows that we are increasingly losing faith in our representatives.
In the 90’s and until early years of this millennium, voters strongly supported their representatives. That changed with the 2006 mid-term elections; since then fewer voters have been positive and more negative about their members of Congress. Increasing polarization and wide-spread dissatisfaction have never been more evident than in the decrease in undecided voters going into the 2020 general election.
What do you think of your representatives now? Do they know how you feel? If not, why not? If so, have they been responsive to your communications?
Tell us what you think….
The Cost of Congress 
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