The following is an excerpt from TheHill.com
A low percentage of congressional staffers from both parties believe Congress is functioning as a democratic legislature should, according to a survey released on Thursday.
The State of the Congress 2022 report from the Congressional Management Foundation and the Partnership for Public Service found that out of 128 congressional staffers surveyed in February, only 24 percent believe Congress is functioning the way a democratic legislature should, while 76 percent disagree.
An overwhelming majority of respondents — 67 percent — also disagreed that Congress is currently an effective forum for debate on questions of public concern, including 65 percent of those working for Democrats and 65 percent of those working for Republicans.
“In recent years it seems leadership has consolidated a lot of power and weakened the committees. As a result, very little legislation is passed via regular order, and members and staff are frustrated by the lack of input, particularly on big bills,” the manager of a House support office told the survey.
Read the “State of the Congress 2022” here.
Staffers for the different parties probably have completely different reasons for arriving at their conclusions. Republican staffers probably think (1) that huge bills are rushed through without due deliberation and debate; and (2) that key committees like the January 6th Committee operate in an un-American fashion with no allowance for opposing points of view, no cross-examination of witnesses, and with a pre-determined agenda that omits key lines of inquiry.
Democrat staffers probably resent the fact that there is any opposition at all to their agenda and that each state has the same weight in a Senate vote.
Golly! When did they find that out?
It’s only been that way since the 60’s. The 1860’s.
I needed a good laugh this morning. Thank you, Lon!
Got that right!