Let’s Make Washington Less Scary: 5 Ways to Reform Congress

Congress can often seem as scary and tricky as Halloween, but we can change that!

With just over two months until the start of the new, 116^th Congress, the window for change is now. That’s why former Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle and Trent Lott wrote a letter to the co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform with recommendations ripe for bipartisan action. These five reforms are small steps that will make substantial changes in the productivity, effectiveness, and transparency of Congress.

1. Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress: The purpose of the Joint Committee is to reform Congress in a manner that will make it more efficient, effective, and accountable to the American people. By examining issues like the process for authorizing government programs, House and Senate floor procedures, and congressional committee functions, the new Joint Committee would recommend ways to reform Congress so that it works better for all of us. There’s already legislation introduced—and endorsed by 68 members of Congress—to make this committee a reality! If you want Congress to work better for you, urge your elected officials to support H. Con. Res. 28!
2. Biennial Budget: A biennial budget will help to regularize the length of the budget process and improve the efficiency of Congress by requiring Congress to create a budget for two-year cycles instead of annually. This would not only generate more thoughtful consideration of how government uses taxpayer dollars, it would eliminate the gridlock that’s fueled nearly 20 government shutdowns the last four decades.
3. Revive Civility: Civil discourse is a key component of a healthy democracy, and 85% of Americans believe that our elected officials should prioritize cultivating relationships across the aisle. Restoring civility is a ‘commonsense change’ that would improve the effectiveness and unity of Congress.
4. Adjusted Schedule: A new schedule will help ensure the overall efficiency of Congress. By implementing a synchronized five-day workweek schedule between the House and the Senate, more legislative work will be accomplished, and members of Congress will have more time in Washington to develop beneficial, interpersonal relationships with their colleagues.
5. More Efficient Appropriations Process: With partisanship in overdrive, it’s difficult for Congress to enact 12 separate funding bills annually. Segmenting them into groups of three or four legislative packages each year for floor consideration would increase Congress’s capacity to pass critical government funding.

These five reforms can turn those Halloween tricks into congressional treats, but they’re only possible if we call on our elected officials in Congress to make them a reality—and with the new, incoming 116^th Congress beginning in just over two months, the time for reform is now!  Call on your member of Congress to support the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress, which would make government less scary and, in turn, work better for us!