Reforming Congress Interview Series

Dr. Laura Blessing discusses the history of budgeting and taxes in the United States and how it still affects us today. About Dr. Blessing: Dr. Blessing earned her PhD from the University of Virginia, she was also a Miller Center National Fellow and a Fellow for the Bankard Fund for Political Economy. Her studies focus on Congress, political parties and policy regarding tax and budget. Dr. Blessing currently teaches at Georgetown University, her teachings centralize around Congress, the presidency, media and politics as well as the public policy process. She is also a Government Affairs Institute Fellow, she teaches two research seminars on the Politics of tax and budget policy and the second research seminar explores Committees and Parties in Congress. Chapters: 0:08 - Background 3:19 - Themes for research, PhD and afterwards 5:20 - Tax and Budget 6:24 - How has the budget and tax-and-spend process changed overtime? 16:51 - Talk a little about the top-down process of the budget 22:20 - Alternatives to top-down budget process? 26:37 - Transparency related to budget process 27:59 - Proposed budget process reforms you support or don't support 33:58 - Tax Policy: Did it evolve similarly to the budget process or independently? 38:41 - Taxes: Individuals vs. Corporations and Income vs. Assets 41:49 - Borrowing and Low Interest Rates 45:24 - Earmarks 51:05 - What do you think congressional representation should mean? 56:00 - Congressional Time - How would you allocate it? 59:02 - Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue in Congress 1:01:59 - What fundamental improvement do you think Congress should make within a 50-year time frame? Fix the budget process 1:04:00 - Good books on congressional reform About the Sunwater Institute: The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org​​.

Dr. Nick Hart discusses how data can improve policymaking in our government and why it's important to utilize data properly. About Dr. Nick Hart: Dr. Nick Hart is the CEO and President of the Data Foundation. Dr. Hart focuses his studies on evidence informed policymaking as well as open data practices to improve society. During his professional career, Dr. Hart has led initiatives in the government and nonprofits championing the use of data for bettering the way our government operates. He is a fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration and the Bipartisan Policy Center. He previously worked at the White House Office of Management and Budget, as the Policy and Research Director of the U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, and as the Director the Evidence Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Dr. Hart earned a Ph.D. from George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, specializing in program evaluation. He holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Truman State University. Dr. Hart is also an author, he has written books and articles focusing on evidence based policymaking About the Sunwater Institute: The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org.

Representative Emanuel Cleaver discusses bipartisanship between parties and how modern change can assist with polarization issues. About the Sunwater Institute: The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org​​.

Dr. Nick Hart discusses how data can improve policymaking in our government and why it's important to utilize data properly. About Dr. Nick Hart: Dr. Nick Hart is the CEO and President of the Data Foundation. Dr. Hart focuses his studies on evidence informed policymaking as well as open data practices to improve society. During his professional career, Dr. Hart has led initiatives in the government and nonprofits championing the use of data for bettering the way our government operates. He is a fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration and the Bipartisan Policy Center. He previously worked at the White House Office of Management and Budget, as the Policy and Research Director of the U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, and as the Director the Evidence Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Dr. Hart earned a Ph.D. from George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, specializing in program evaluation. He holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Truman State University. Dr. Hart is also an author, he has written books and articles focusing on evidence based policymaking About the Sunwater Institute: The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org.

Dr. Lindsey Cormack discusses communication within Congress, how to get the younger generation to vote, and the different terms Republicans and Democrats tend to use when conversing about political issues. #Congress #nonpartisan #interview #sunwater About Dr. Lindsey Cormack: Dr. Cormack is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Stevens Institute of Technology. Prior to her professorship, she received her PhD in Political Science from New York University. After graduating with her PhD, Dr. Cormack started DC Inbox which is the central location for Sitting Members of Congress to share e-newsletters with their constituents. Prior to DC Inbox, there was no centralized location for e-newsletters to be shared from members of Congress. Dr. Cormack is also an author and has received numerous honors and awards in relation to her teaching including but not limited to the 2021 Provost's Online Teaching Excellence Award (2021) as well as the Harvey N. Davis Distinguished Teaching Assistant Professor Award (2019) About the Sunwater Institute: The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org​​.

Dr. Periloux Peay discusses the Congressional Black Caucus and how members of color experience their service in Congress. Sunwater.org About Dr. Periloux Peay: Periloux Peay is an Assistant Professor in the department of Political Science at Georgia State University. He received my Ph.D. from The University of Oklahoma in 2020. His scholarly interest center on questions of the influence of racial identity and the representation of group-specific policy interests in political institutions. He draws on theories of the public policy process to examine how those from under-represented communities employ collective strategies to shape political agendas and outcomes from within and outside American political institutions. About the Sunwater Institute: The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org​​.

"Committees are key to telling the story of how Congress works." Dr. Maya Kornberg is the author of the forthcoming book "Inside Congressional Committees: Function and Dysfunction in Lawmaking." In this interview, she talks with Sunwater Institute founder Matt Chervenak about congressional committees' role in American governance. #Congress #nonpartisan #interview #sunwater About Dr. Kornberg: Dr. Maya Kornberg is a research fellow on the Elections and Government Program, where she leads work related to information and disinformation in politics, Congress, and money in politics. She has worked on democratic governance issues at nonprofits, international organizations, think tanks, and academic institutions. She previously held positions at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), NYU Govlab, and Public Agenda. Most recently, she led research for a UNDP and IPU project examining civic engagement in the work of over 80 parliaments around the world. She is lead author of the resulting Global Parliamentary Report. About the Sunwater Institute: The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org​​.

Representative Stephanie Bice, chair of the House Administration Committee's Modernization Subcommittee, discusses opportunities to meet the needs of an evolving Congress. Sunwater.org #Congress #reform #nonpartisan #interview #sunwater About Representative Stephanie Bice: Congresswoman Stephanie Bice graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Marketing and a minor in International Business. Before serving in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Bice served in the Oklahoma State Senate for six years. Before her public service, Bice worked in financial oversight, business strategy and marketing for her family's technology company. In the 117th Congress, Bice was elected to serve as freshman class president and serves as a member of the Republican whip Team. She has also served on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. She currently serves as the sophomore class representative to the Elected Leadership Committee for the 118th Congress. About the Sunwater Institute: The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. Sunwater’s vision is a society, founded on the principles of individual liberty, striving toward its maximum potential. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org​​.

Dr. Chafetz discusses "overspeech" in Congress, the importance of parties, and how committees have served Congress over time. Sunwater.org About Josh: Josh Chafetz received his B.A. from Yale University, his doctorate in Politics from Oxford (where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar), and his J.D. from Yale Law School. Following law school, he clerked for Judge Guido Calabresi of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Before coming to Georgetown, he spent twelve years on the faculty at Cornell Law School. His research interests include structural constitutional law, American and British constitutional history, legislation and legislative procedure, American political development, and the intersection of law and politics. His second book, Congress’s Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of Powers, was published by Yale University Press in 2017. He is also the author of Democracy’s Privileged Few: Legislative Privilege and Democratic Norms in the British and American Constitutions (Yale University Press, 2007) and is a co-editor (along with William N. Eskridge, Jr., Elizabeth Garrett, and James Brudney) of the leading casebook in Legislation, Cases and Materials on Legislation and Regulation: Statutes and the Creation of Public Policy, published by West. His scholarship has been published in the Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, University of Chicago Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Duke Law Journal, Notre Dame Law Review, and Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities, among others. He has also written for a number of popular press outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, Slate, and The New Republic. In 2019-2020, he served as a member of the American Political Science Association Presidential Task Force on Congressional Reform. The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. Sunwater’s vision is a society, founded on the principles of individual liberty, striving toward its maximum potential. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org​​.

Danielle Thomsen discusses how money influences power in Congress, moderates in Congress, as well as partizan polarization. Sunwater.org About Danielle: Professor Thomsen, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. She studies American politics, U.S. Congress, elections, and gender and politics. Her book, "Opting Out of Congress: Partisan Polarization and the Decline of Moderate Candidates," examines the rise of partisan polarization in Congress. The central argument is that the benefits of serving in Congress today are too low for moderates to run, further exacerbating the ideological gulf between the two parties. Another aspect of her research analyzes contemporary patterns of women’s representation and why the number of Democratic women in Congress has increased dramatically since the 1980s while the number of Republican women has barely grown. Dr. Thomsen's next book project, Money as Muscle in American Elections, explores the significance and impact of fundraising in congressional elections from 1980 to 2020. Dr. Thomsen's research has been published in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Perspectives on Politics, Political Behavior, Political Research Quarterly, Politics, Groups, and Identities, and State Politics & Policy Quarterly. She has received financial support from the National Science Foundation, the American Association of University Women, the Dirksen Congressional Center, and the Social Science Research Council. The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. Sunwater’s vision is a society, founded on the principles of individual liberty, striving toward its maximum potential. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org​​.