A Case for Stronger Congressional Committees

With congressional partisanship at record highs and congressional approval ratings at record lows, the federal government’s so-called “first branch” should consider reform. Two recent white papers (one analyzing the House;the other, the Senate) cast light on the nature of the admittedly complex problem. Together this research suggests that a significant amount of power has shifted to the chambers’ leaders. The legislature has shifted from a “transformative legislature,” which generates and develops legislation, toward an “arena,” which functions to display political clashes or position-taking on externally generated legislation.... (Read more)