Lectures: New Research on Recent Congressional History and Congressional Capacity
The U.S. Capitol Historical Society will host its annual lunchtime lecture series on Wednesdays in August and September on Capitol Hill. This year’s iteration of the series will focus on new and ongoing research on recent congressional history and issues related to congressional capacity, which is the ability of the institution to function.
All events take place from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM on Wednesdays on or near Capitol Hill. They are free and open to the public, though pre-registration is requested.
September 5: Kevin Kosar (VP of Policy for the R Street Institute) will discuss the rise and fall of congressional staffing on Capitol Hill.
Congress needs staff to carry out the duties prescribed by the Constitution and demanded by the public. From 1900 to 1990, Congress sporadically grew its staff to help it contend with its growing workload. That ended in the 1990s, and since then the legislative branch has downsized its corps of employees despite the expansion of government.
