The last time Congress reorganized committee jurisdictions, the internet didn’t exist.
and mandated safety tests are just a few of the many options for regulation. But instead of mounting a concerted effort, different committees have held hearings on distinct facets of the issue.
In addition to lacking a committee devoted to technology, Congress does not employ enough staff who are experts in tech policy and who can advise the members who don’t have that knowledge. Indeed, Congress doesn’t employ enough staff, period. The House and Senate have several thousand fewer staff than in the 1980s, and only a handful have advanced, let alone science or tech expertise.
between 1994 and 2016. Hiring caps and salary caps, insufficient funding, and a hiring pipeline that does not proactively seek out scientific and technical expertise are all to blame.The dearth of internal infrastructure cramps Congress’ access to external experts. When inviting witnesses to testify in hearings, committee staff frequently rely on insular groups of experts they already know, many of whom live and work in D.C. To be sure, this dynamic shapes witness selection in all committees.
This sounds straightforward on paper. Each chamber can pass resolutions to create new committees. The sticking point, however, is that reallocating committee jurisdictions means reallocating power, and existing committees might be resistant. Bolstering congressional expertise in this way would also reduce the power of lobbyists, because staff would not be as reliant on them for information and witness suggestions—which would inevitably present another hurdle.
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