News

The Congressional Management Foundation has no position on whether Senators and Representatives should return to Washington, D.C. for floor votes. However, we must express concern about requiring staff to be physically present in congressional offices at this time. 

As the federal officials closest to and most in touch with people, Members of Congress are particularly well-equipped to do this informing and convincing. They and their staff can act as liaisons between experts, federal and state resources and the experiences of their constituents. To help in these efforts, CMF is pursuing a strategy which will help Senators and Representatives communicate more effectively with constituents about the crisis while increasing constituents' trust: the deliberative online town hall meeting.

In this week's Virtual Staff Happy Hour, our academic partners will join us to discuss innovative techniques for conducting online and telephone town halls and how these improved methods could make a difference during the COVID-19 crisis.

A Democratic congresswoman and Republican mayor in Oklahoma held the first bipartisan virtual online town hall meeting in the nation on Tuesday, April 14. The two-hour interactive session featured Congresswoman Kendra Horn (D-OK), Oklahoma Mayor David Holt (R-OK), and Oklahoma City County Health Department Executive Director Dr. Patrick McGough. CMF collaborated with the Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability (IDEA) at The Ohio State University, who organized and hosted the forum.

This webinar on April 17, hosted by CMF and SHRM as part of the "Life in Congress project," featured former Rep. Brian Baird, a clinical psychologist, who offered strategies and communication skills for dealing with emotional constituents, as well as ways for staff to manage their own emotions during this stressful time. 

Watch the recording and download the slides >>

Working remotely does not have to mean working alone. Wherever you are at 3 pm (Eastern) on Friday afternoon, relax in front of the laptop and join your colleagues, the Congressional Management Foundation, and some other friends of Hill staffers for a casual, lightly-programmed virtual staff happy hour. This week's topic of conversation: Managing a Congressional Office Remotely During a Crisis.

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) today announced the finalists for this year's Democracy Awards, CMF's annual honors program recognizing non-legislative achievement and performance in congressional offices and by Members of Congress.