Events
With Congress at Low Point, Time for Reform Is Now
Former House Rules Committee staffer and Wilson Center expert Don Wolfensberger lays out a step-by-step plan to restore Congress’ “culture of lawmaking.” Committees—not party leaders—should control legislative work, he says, and campaign finance reforms are needed to shift attention from 24-7 fundraising.
‘Vote Pummeling' Can Soften Majority's Hard Line in House
June 4, 2007 By Don Wolfensberger,Roll Call Contributing Writer
Getting Back to Legislating: Reflections of a Congressional Working Group
Congress has changed dramatically over the last half century, from a culture of legislating to a culture of campaigning, according to a new report prepared for the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Wilson Center by Donald Wolfensberger, who is a scholar at each organization. The report finds that this culture is not conducive to bipartisan compromise or serious problem solving and contains suggestions for changes the new Congress could implement to effect a returned focus to legislating.
Omnibus Spending Bills Portend Ominous Consequences
September 25, 2006 By Don Wolfensberger,Roll Call Contributing Writer
Congress and the Politics of Deficits
In its August 2003 budget and economic update, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected a $401 billion deficit this year, and $480 billion next year, with no sign of a surplus reemerging until 2012. How will Congress deal with this new sea of red ink? Will mounting deficits be an issue in the 2004 presidential and congressional campaigns? These were some of the issues that were explored at this recent Congress Project seminar.
The Politics and Processes of Congress
Remarks of Don Wolfensberger before the Executive Council on Diplomacy Briefing of Foreign Diplomats on "The Washington Roadmap: How Congress Works." April 8, 2004
Members of Congress Catch 72-Hour Bug From Constituents
It's not a new strain of flu, but there is an infectious form of transparentitis that's sweeping the nation. And members are catching it from their constituents, writes Congress Project Director Don Wolfensberger in a Roll Call op-ed.