[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 9, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1668]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          THE WORK OF CONGRESS

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                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 9, 1998

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
Report for Wednesday, August 19, 1998 into the Congressional Record.

                          The Work of Congress

       The work of Congress often seems laborious and painfully 
     slow. We hear complaints about legislative stalemate, 
     excessive partisanship, and the ``do-nothing'' Congress. 
     Sometimes it is hard to discern good reasons for the 
     inefficiencies and delays that occur. But often the 
     difficulty of passing legislation stems from the very nature 
     of our representative democracy and from our changing country 
     and changing political climate. The work of Congress has 
     become much more difficult over the past several years.
       The job of Congress: Although the job of a Congressman 
     involves several different roles, the main ones are as 
     representative and legislator. As a representative, a Member 
     serves as an agent for his constituents, ensuring that their 
     views are heard in Congress and that they are treated fairly 
     by federal bureaucrats and other public officials. As a 
     legislator, a Member participates in the lawmaking process by 
     drafting bills and amendments, engaging in debate, and 
     attempting to build the consensus necessary to address our 
     nation's problems. Fulfilling these roles may sound easy, but 
     can be enormously difficult.
       Some things, it must be said, have helped to make the work 
     more manageable in recent years. Congress has moved into the 
     information age, as computers, faxes, and Internet access 
     help Members communicate with citizens. Large numbers of 
     congressional staff help Members respond to constituent mail 
     and research legislation. The expansion of think tanks and 
     public policy research helps provide lawmakers with detailed 
     analysis of policy options.
       Increased difficulty: However, the elaborate constitutional 
     system of separated powers and checks and balances created by 
     our founding fathers still requires that compromise and 
     consensus occur for legislation to pass. This protects people 
     from the tyranny of the majority, but also makes it difficult 
     for Congress to act. Since I have been in Congress the job of 
     a Congressman has become increasingly difficult, for several 
     reasons:
       First, the country has grown larger and more diverse. The 
     population of the country has more than doubled since I was 
     in high school. Each Member of the House now represents 
     almost 600,000 constituents; almost 50% more than in the 
     1960s. Americans also vary more now in terms of occupation, 
     race, religion, and national origin. The increasingly diverse 
     background of constituents expands the range of interests and 
     differences that must be reconciled to produce consensus on 
     major issues.
       Second, the issues have grown more numerous and more 
     complex. Today's Congress tackles a host of topics that 
     simply were not around a few decades ago, from campaign 
     ``soft money'' and HMO's to cloning and cyberspace. Also, the 
     issues we consider have become more technical and 
     complicated. A recent environmental bill before Congress 
     reminded me of my college chemistry textbook.
       Third, the issues have also become more partisan. The 
     policy agenda always has included divisive items, but in past 
     years these divisions typically were not partisan. An 
     individual you disagreed with on one issue likely would 
     support your view on many other items, making it easier to 
     strike bargains and achieve consensus. With the intensity of 
     American politics today, issues often have a sharper, 
     partisan flavor. Policy debates frequently split constituents 
     and their elected representatives by party, making the two 
     major parties resemble warring camps more than potential 
     partners in compromise.
       Fourth, there are more policy players in the legislative 
     process. For instance, in the 1960s just a handful of major 
     groups were actively involved in foreign policy making. Now 
     there are literally hundreds, including the business and 
     agriculture communities, nonprofits and public interest 
     groups, labor unions, ethnic groups, and international 
     organizations. The cast of important players has similarly 
     expanded in the numerous other policy areas.
       Fifth, although the workload of Congress has expanded, the 
     number of hours in session in recent years has actually 
     dropped. The leadership has chosen to have the House now work 
     basically only 2\1/2\ day weeks, with many Members arriving 
     in Washington on Tuesday afternoon and leaving for their 
     districts on Thursday evening. As a result, Members have less 
     time to know each other well and to work out their 
     differences, thus making consensus-building even harder.
       Sixth, the cost of campaigns has skyrocketed, driven 
     largely by the cost of television advertising. Members today 
     must spend a disproportionate amount of time fundraising, 
     which means less time with constituents discussing the issues 
     and less time with colleagues forging legislation and 
     monitoring federal bureaucrats. Also, special interest 
     support may drive some Members to lock in their views 
     earlier, reducing their flexibility and making compromise 
     harder.
       Seventh, the tone in Congress has changed dramatically over 
     the past several years, with more partisan bickering and 
     personal attacks, and less civility. That takes a significant 
     toll. It poisons the atmosphere and complicates the efforts 
     of Members to come together and pass legislation for the good 
     of the country. In the end, Congress works through a process 
     of give and take, which is far more difficult with strained 
     relationships across the aisle.
       Eighth, the media tend to favor the extreme views on any 
     given issue, emphasizing the differences and downplaying the 
     areas of agreement. That can polarize the issue and make 
     agreement more difficult to reach.
       Finally, public suspicion of politicians is greater today 
     than it was in past decades. Americans have always had a 
     healthy skepticism about government, but problems arise when 
     they become cynical and have little trust in what their 
     leaders say or do. It is difficult for Members of Congress to 
     even discuss the issues with constituents when their 
     character, values and motives are always suspect.
       Conclusion: It is easy to criticize Congress. As Members 
     are clearly aware, many criticisms of the institution are 
     justified. But we need to get beyond that and recognize that 
     certain perceived shortcomings of Congress are actually 
     inherent features of any legislature in a large, diverse, and 
     complicated country. Members of Congress need a certain 
     degree of trust from their constituents if they are to 
     fulfill their roles as representative and legislator--not 
     unconditional trust, but support meshed with constructive 
     skepticism and a reasonable understanding of the difficulties 
     the institution confronts.

     

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