'Exemplary' Staffers Believe Congress Isn’t Functioning Properly, Citing Polarization

Kent Nishimura | Los Angeles Times

A recent report from the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) and the Partnership for Public Service found 76 percent out of 128 congressional staffers surveyed earlier this year believe Congress is not functioning the way a democratic legislature should. The State of the Congress report further noted an overwhelming majority of staffers on both sides of the aisle do not consider Congress to be an effective forum for debate on issues of public concern.

The Partnership and CMF identified respondents as the Exemplary Congressional Staff Cohort, or “Congressional Exemplars” based on recommendations from former staff and engagement of personnel from the examining organizations. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents have worked in Congress for over 10 years and are active in senior positions among personal, committee, leadership, and institutional support offices throughout the Legislative Branch.

Congress is not functioning properly. Twenty-four percent of respondents believe Congress is functioning as it should while 76 percent disagreed. Based on party affiliation, more than three-quarters of Democratic personnel disagreeing and over two-thirds of Republican personnel disagreeing.

Polarization and rhetoric hinder progress. The polarization among members has resulted in the failure of otherwise noncontroversial legislative ideas, according to 66 percent of Democratic and 54 percent of Republican personnel.

The Manager of a House support office stated, “Ideological and partisan differences are always going to be there. But a social reward and incentive structure for shaming and injuring others has turned debate into rhetorical warfare and point scoring. Many are afraid to offer alternative views and opinions for fear of being damaged. Even within the same party.”

The importance of civility and working across party lines. Most respondents said it was crucial to promote civil conduct, and more than half of respondents rated bipartisanship among senators and representatives as essential; however, only one percent were satisfied with either. This viewpoint was shared by nearly equally high percentages of Democratic and Republican personnel.

“The incentive structure for collaboration is lower than at any point in my career,” commented a Legislative Director of a Senate personal office.

Members are responsible for the needs of their constituents. A majority of respondents identified “solving constituents’ problems” as the most important role of senators and representatives. Generally, they were more satisfied with portions of congressional functionality and capacity related to public engagement and accountability.

The Chief of Staff of a House personal office added, “Bipartisanship is a misnomer. Members and staff working on behalf of their constituents in a manner consistent with a set of core beliefs—instead of a focus on generating social media metrics or feeding news media's constant need to generate content—will produce sound policy that the majority of Americans will support.”

Improvement will likely require infrastructure development. Eighty percent of respondents said Congress needs adequate capacity and support to fulfill its role in American democracy, while 74 percent indicated that the Congressional technological infrastructure must be adequate to support its members.

The Legislative Director of a Senate personal office concluded, “I believe there are solutions to the problems Congress has; the question is whether we have the collective will to implement them.”

Further, respondents suggested areas where there are clear opportunities for improvement, including the reforms recommended by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; restoring Congress’ constitutionally defined functions; enhancing staff diversity, retention, compensation, and benefits; overhauling the budget and appropriations process; and maintaining continuity in emergency situations.

The House of Representatives recently adopted 70 percent of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress’s 144 recommendations in their FY 2023 appropriations bill. If the provisions in the House legislation are passed in the Senate, 76 percent of the Committee’s recommendations would be in effect.

According to CMF President Brad Fitch, his organization in collaboration with the Partnership produced the report to “capture a snapshot of the state of Congress now, not for the purposes of embarrassing the institution, but rather to be a benchmark that can be used to measure improvement.”

By in large, the report highlights a broad bipartisan consensus for an improved Congress to better serve the American public.