Part of the expanded mission of CMF through the Partnership for a More Perfect Union is to build a better understanding of how Congress works in the public mind. That job gets a little harder when solid mainstream news organizations perpetuate misperceptions about how Congress works. The Washington Post recently published a column on congressional recesses, which engendered this Letter to the Editor from CMF's President and CEO, Bradford Fitch.

Jena McGregor's column, "Congress finds plenty of time to take vacations," comparing congressional recesses to "vacations" is a wildly inaccurate portrayal of Congress.

My nonprofit organization works extensively with Congress. When members of Congress return to their home districts, their days are usually 8-10 hours long (compared to the 12-14 hour day in Washington), and are filled with meetings with constituent groups, visits to district facilities, and town hall meetings. McGregor also criticizes the new House recess schedule. A Congressional Management Foundation survey of a bipartisan group of managers of House district offices conducted in May indicated that 70 percent felt the new schedule was "more predictable" and 63 percent thought it helped members of Congress "spend more time with constituents."

The media constantly mocks congressional "recesses," as if our elected officials are collectively streaming out of Washington every month to the proverbial schoolyard to play kickball. Some years ago the Pew Research Center surveyed members of Congress and 75 percent reported working 70 hours a week or more. Congress is an easy target, and it's always appropriate for the media and the public to question their work product. But questioning their work ethic is ridiculous.