Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7593, the Modernizing the Congressional Research Service's Access to Data Act. In order for Congress to fulfill its Article I obligations and act as the first among coequal branches of government as the Framers intended, its support agencies need to be fully equipped to assist Congress in all of its legislative and representative duties. When our support agencies falter, we falter, and it is incumbent upon us to fix what is not working. CRS is a case in point. The agency is bound by statute to outdated rules that do not reflect how Congress works today. CRS' statute was last updated in 1970, and back then committees were very much at the center of the policymaking process. The agency's authority to request data and information from Federal agencies reflected that reality. Requests for data and information could only be made to support the work of committees. More than five decades later, CRS continues to operate under this narrow and outdated request authority. Congress has evolved as an institution, but in many ways CRS has not. Its ability to fully support today's Congress is hindered by a statute drafted to support yesterday's Congress. Committees continue to play an important role in the legislative process, but so do Members. Members today are doing more work on behalf of their constituents and relying more heavily on CRS for support.…”