How Congress Really Works

Like other parents, I fell into the travel-soccer trap. I spent a lot of time thinking about the ins and outs of soccer all those countless hours watching their games from the sidelines. One day, it struck me that there's a lot of overlap between their sport and the "sport" of advocacy. I realized that there are three lessons that soccer can teach us about advocacy.

Washington and Hollywood have had an uneven love affair over the years, but currently it's enjoying a smoking hot revival! Capitol Hill staffers joined millions outside the Beltway in binge-watching the frothy "House of Cards." But even as we collectively obsess over these fictional accounts of D.C., it's worth considering how the show impacts or even drives our deepening cynicism about American politics. "House of Cards" lead actor Kevin Spacey further blurred the lines between perception and reality when he said in an interview, "Some people feel that 99 percent of the show is accurate."

CMF's report, "Life in Congress: The Member Perspective," finds that Members of Congress and their staff work extremely hard and long hours, and value their contribution to society. This raises the question, if Member's of Congress are working so hard why is Congress falling short of getting things done and boosting public approval?

CMF research, our collective experience and off-the-record interviews with Members and staff suggest that Congress is more noble than portrayed. Congress is actually made up of hardworking public servants who are mostly motivated by what is in the best interests of their constituents: Head, Heart and (Political) Health.

CMF's Brad Fitch takes a look at the human element to the report findings from the recent report, "Life in Congress: Job Satisfaction in the U.S. House and Senate Staff." The report provides a window into staff job satisfaction, what can improve, and what it really means for staff to work in public service.  

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) partnered to conduct a study about the work-life of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. “Life in Congress: The Member Perspective,” is the first research to focus on the Members’ viewpoint of their daily activities, challenges, and motivations, and is based on questionnaires of 25 Members of Congress (and corroborated by other research and work conducted by CMF).