4/20/2019
- Ryan Shucard Townhall.com
For Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO), and members of a recently
established Select
Committee, the effort to modernize Congress is serious business. But what
passes as “modernization” seems more like good old-fashioned commonsense to
Buck, his constituents, and millions more Americans across the country.
Seemingly simple things like appointing Members of Congress
to committee posts based on their unique backgrounds, professional expertise,
and collective experience – instead of the amount of money they raise for their
party’s campaign committees – passes muster for modernization these days.
In testimony before the Select Committee, Buck said in part
that, “Chairmanships and “A” Committees require an even greater dedication to fundraising
for the party. This should not be the way we do business. Our constituents
didn’t elect us to raise money, they elected us to solve problems. This
practice must stop.”
But Congressman Buck, also the newly elected Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party and
conservative firebrand, has shown to be all in for this sort of effort despite
the fact that many of the proposed reforms are what Americans would already
expect from their elected representatives, not to mention they may find it a
bit ridiculous that Members are having these types of seemingly obvious
conversations.
While many Members of Congress may agree with some of the
proposed “modernizations”, most will condemn the committee’s work as a PR stunt
and not worth the circular discussions regarding legislation they feel would be
dead-on-arrival – especially with Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the helm. Much of her
power has been obtained via the very processes which committee testimonials
have identified as problematic.
Still others will criticize the efforts pointing to the
irony of Congress proposing fixes to itself. But that kind of mentality speaks
to the jadedness many in Congress feel. As Rep. Buck pointed out, “Too often,
Members arrive in Washington expecting to make a difference, but quickly lose
faith after realizing that their ability to make a difference is tied to their
fundraising prowess.”
When the Member, especially a new one, loses faith in their
ability to lead, propose new ideas, advance legislation, convince their
colleagues, build relationships, or forge bipartisan coalitions to tackle big
issues, he or she inevitably realizes their existence is mostly relegated to the
binary options of either succumbing to the whims of party elders and unelected,
self-interested party operatives or work from the political fray and wear the
label of “outsider” or “wrench thrower.”
However, Buck rarely accepts binary options and is known for
embracing the crucible of today’s political climate which means he’s willing to
go the distance with additional measures like enacting five-day work weeks.
What a novel concept – Congress working as least as many days as the average
American they represent.
Sarcasm aside, it’s easy to dismiss these kinds of
“modernizations” as overly simplistic, even sophomoric when cast in the
backdrop of the world’s oldest and most esteemed democracy. But five-day work
weeks have the ability to fuel our representatives in another not-so-tangible
way.
“We would have more time to foster those relationships that
allow us to effectively legislate. It will also give Members more time in
committee to learn their roles and build out their legislative ideas. This
might just stop us from the current system where committees are all but
bypassed to rush bills to the floor,” says Buck.
Curious how we got Obamacare? Or why they can’t seem to pass
any comprehensive reform packages for immigration or unauthorized spending
practices exploding the national debt? This is the root cause.
The priorities infused into the day-to-day processes of
serving as a federally elected representative are misaligned. Members spend
more time on politics than policy when their primary responsibility is to fully
execute on the latter.
Compounding these chronic ailments is a severe brain drain
among congressional staff. The demands of modern governing far exceed the
capabilities of a lone Member and even a few key staff to manage on their own.
Still, Members operate on a handful of mostly dedicated staff members who help
them navigate a portfolio of hundreds of issues and thousands of constituent
service needs. But with uncompetitive salaries and lack of benefits, staff
often leave for more lucrative offers from the private sector. The result is a
loss of institutional knowledge and connectivity which exacerbates the problem
of effective policymaking.
While Congress shouldn’t need a select committee to enact
commonsense reforms on itself, it does have fighters like Buck who are still
willing to look past its vanity and engage with Members interested in bettering
its processes, its people, and ultimately a better product delivered to the
American people.
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