News

Is it possible to change public opinion and behavior with online town hall meetings? Now more than ever, it is critical that Members of Congress use the most effective methods for communicating with their constituents. In this April 3 webinar, CMF and our academic partners at The Ohio State University Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability discuss our recommendations and the launch of a new pilot program for improved online town halls.

Watch the recording >>

Download the slides: idea_cmf_onlinetownhalls_covid-19crisis.pdf(1.6 MB)

The Congressional Management Foundation and Ohio State University's Institute for Democratic Engagement and Accountability (IDEA) are seeking congressional offices to participate in a project which could help slow the spread of the coronavirus by disseminating reliable public health information in a bipartisan way.

Working remotely does not have to mean working alone. Join your colleagues, CMF, and some of our partners for a weekly Friday afternoon "virtual happy hour," a casual, lightly-programmed session to connect online during this time. Learn more about our kickoff event scheduled for Friday, March 27 on managing stress and anxiety and building personal resilience:

Congress just made a massive change to how it functions: moving to remote operations. This change was rapid and unexpected. It is likely that many congressional managers have questions about how to manage their team in this new environment. To help congressional offices at this time, CMF conducted a webinar, "How to Manage a Congressional Office Remotely during a Crisis," on March 26. 

Watch the recording >>

Download the slides: cmf_managingofficeremotely-march2020.pdf(642 KB)

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) recognizes that Congress, as an institution and as individual offices, has never faced the operational challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. CMF does not remotely suggest we have all the answers. Yet we have provided guidance to Congress in the past during other crises which have impacted both the operations of Congress and congressional staff – such as 9/11 and the Gabby Giffords shooting. This information will focus on the managerial aspects of navigating this crisis.

This guidance should not supplant the official guidance from congressional leadership, and we urge congressional offices to follow the guidance of leadership and institutional offices to address the public health and security components related to the crisis.

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) commends the House of Representatives on the passage of H. Res. 756, which contains over 20 recommendations passed by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress to reform, revitalize, and revamp the institution.

I'll be candid. I had serious reservations when my colleague, Jaime Werner, suggested that we co-present a webinar to provide tips for planning fly-in events. Ask anyone who has planned a fly-in with me (by the way, I understand there's a regular support group for those who have), and they'll emphatically warn you: "never-never-never-ever let Seth plan a fly-in – EVER!"