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The necessity of strong institutional barriers to autocracy is unquestioned, but equally important to a well-functioning democracy is the commitment to our democratic principles by the Members and staff who comprise our national legislature. Despite many concerning findings in State of the Congress 2022, that commitment, often unnoticed, clearly remains strong.

The Congressional Management Foundation enthusiastically celebrates the latest recommendations adopted this week by the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. This round builds on the amazing work by the Select Committee, which has served as a model for bipartisanship and productivity during its tenure. We are especially excited by those recommendations regarding district offices, which are often overlooked yet are often the first point of contact with Congress for millions of Americans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – CMF and the Partnership for Public Service released the first annual assessment of congressional performance by a cohort of more than 100 senior and exceptional congressional staff. The research reveals these staffers have deep concerns about important aspects of congressional civility, functionality, and capacity. State of the Congress 2022 is available at: https://ourpublicservice.org/publications/state-of-the-congress-2022/.

Information is one thing that isn't in short supply in congressional offices. And yet there aren't enough hours in a day to EVER catch up! How do you go about juggling these opposing forces? Follow CMF's CEO and President, Bradford Fitch, in this recording where you will learn how to:

Without warning, your staffer picks up the phone to hear these chilling words: "We're coming for the congresswoman, her family, you, your family ... and we know where you live!" Before the staffer can hang up, the caller has cursed at her several times. Congressional managers and Members need to appreciate – and mitigate – the impact of these verbal attacks on staff and on interns.

Public sentiment alone should not be the sole determinant in developing public policy—if it was, we would not need Congress, just a national polling firm. The Founders gave us a republic, a representative democracy, not a direct democracy.

Both Congress and the organizers of grassroots campaigns are stuck with an antiquated and inaccurate belief that the best way to demonstrate broad support for a cause or issue is to send as many emails as possible to as many Members of Congress as possible. Because it is now so much easier and less expensive than in pre-Internet days to generate high volume, these tactics are no longer a clear indication of the salience of an issue. Generating identical form email campaigns to Congress just sap the time, resources, and hard drive space of Congress.