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. Blessin...

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 gover...

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 gover...

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,...

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...

"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...

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 Internatio...

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...

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 Pola...

Joel Sievert discusses procedural actions of the senate, incentives within Congress, as well as how members view re-elections.  Sunwater.org  About Joel: Joel Sievert is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Texas Tech University. Dr. Sievert received his Ph. D. from the University of Georgia in 2015. Prior to joining the faculty at TTU, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Polit...

Annelise discusses covering media in Congress, how staff utilize social media for members, and how government related communications has changed over the years.  Sunwater.org  About Annelise: Annelise Russell, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the university of Kentucky. She is also a faculty associate of the U.S. Policy Agendas Project and. member of the Comparative Agen...

Jesse Crosson discusses unstable majorities, member incentives, and how those factors influence the speed of congressional policymaking. Sunwater.org   About Jesse Crosson: Jesse is an Assistant Professor of political science at Purdue University. Previously he was an assistant professor of political science at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, a fellow, and a visiting research scholar a...

#Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #Interview #sunwater   About Steven Smith: Steven S. Smith is the Kate M. Gregg Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences and Professor of Political Science at Washington University. He was a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and taught at George Washington University, Northwestern University, and the University of Minnesota, where he was the Distingui...

Daniel Lipinski is an American politician and political scientist. He served eight terms as the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 3rd congressional district between 2005-2021. Lipinski is a socially conservative democrat, however he was a part of the Blue Dog Coalition, The Problem Solvers Caucus, and the Climate Solutions Caucus as well as many others. In addition to Caucus Memberships, he also...

#Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #Interview #sunwater The Sunwater Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit institute founded to foster the creation, discussion, and implementation of fundamental ideas that advance liberty, knowledge, opportunity, and power for individuals and society. Sunwater’s vision is a society, founded on the principles of individual liberty, striving toward its maximum potential...

#Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #Interview #sunwater   About Leonard: Leonard Steinhorn is a professor of Communication and an affiliate professor of History. His expertise includes American politics, culture and media; the presidency and presidential elections; political strategy and communication; recent American history; the 1960s; race relations in America. He is author of The Greater Gene...

#Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #Interview #sunwater About Michele L. Swers: Michele Swers is a Professor of American Government in the Department of Government. She earned her Ph. D. from Harvard University. Dr. Swers' research and teaching interests encompass Congress, Congressional elections, and Women and Politics. She has written two books on women and representation in Congress. Her book, The...

#Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #Interview #sunwater   About Casey Burgat: Casey Burgat is the director of the Legislative Affairs program at the Graduate School of Political Management. Prior to joining GSPM, Dr. Burgat was a Senior Governance Fellow at the R Street Institute where his research focused on issues of congressional capacity and reform. In this role, Casey wrote regularly for bot...

#Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #Interview #sunwater Zachary Courser is Director of CMC's Policy Lab and a visiting Assistant Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College. His research agenda focuses on public policy, political parties, democracy and populism. He recently co-authored a report for the American Enterprise Institute on the need for reinstating congressional earmarking entitled...

#Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #interview #Sunwater Louis Fisher is Scholar in Residence at the Constitution Project. Previously he worked for four decades at the Library of Congress as Senior Specialist in Separation of Powers (Congressional Research Service, from 1970 to 2006) and Specialist in Constitutional Law (the Law Library, from 2006 to 2010). During his service with CRS he was research d...

#Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #interview #Sunwater Travis Moore was the Legislative Director for Representative Henry A. Waxman, the former Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Moore has launched several programs to improve technological capacity inside and outside of Congress; one of the programs they created is the first congressional digital communications training...

#Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #interview #Sunwater About Peter Shane: Peter M. Shane is the Jacob E. Davis and Jacob E. Davis II Chair in Law at the Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, where he regularly teaches Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Legislation and Regulation, Law and the Presidency, and courses at the intersection of law, democracy, and new media. Named a Distinguis...

#Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #interview #Sunwater Hugh Halpern is the Director of the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) which is the agency’s chief executive officer. The agency is responsible for publishing and printing information for the three branches of the Federal Government. With over 30 years of experience on Capitol Hill, he has served in multiple leadership rolls including the Di...

Sandra Strokoff is a former Legislative Counsel of the House of Representatives. She is the first woman appointed as Legislative Counsel and replaced the previous Legislative Counsel, Pope Barrow. Prior to this, Ms. Strokoff was senior counsel in the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives, where she drafted legislation for the House for more than 30 years. Her areas...