Surviving inside Congress – and helping it work better

“If you want to do good, you picked a great job. There’s just no other place where you can do so much good for so many people at such an early age.”

So says Mark Strand about the joys and trials of working on Capitol Hill. A member of Faith and Law’s Board of Directors, Strand is a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Congress, former president of the Congressional Institute and co-author of the book Surviving Inside Congress.

In his Friday Forum talk, “Politics and Sausage-making,” Strand drew on his many experiences – working in both the minority and majority – to encourage Hill staff to work hard, use reason to persuade, make friends across the aisle, and treat people with respect.

“You can be bipartisan,” said Strand. “It’s a matter of finding friends and finding respect for people who may disagree on 75 percent, 80 percent of the issues but may agree on 20 percent of the issues. So why not?”

The congressional historian and professor discussed how Congress has changed over the decades and expressed concern about congressional inaction. “The weakness of Congress is a threat,” he said. “When Congress fails to do its job, the person in charge of the executive has unchecked power…The Constitution was written deliberately to make it difficult for an executive to do things.”

Despite these challenges, Strand urged staff to think and act in light of how Congress should work. “You are in a position, especially being young in your careers, where you can have an influence on that. Start doing amendments, start working on new legislation. Don’t be just tied to what the leadership says you are supposed to do, but what you think should be done.”

Strand reminded staff that they are “here for a reason” and not to “rush” off the Hill. “You have been given work to complete. You will be aided by the Holy Spirit to carry out that work. That is a pretty good reason to get up and go to work every morning and do your best, no matter the frustrations and difficulties each day may bring. Because what you do really matters.”

Thank you, Mark, for encouraging Hill staffers not simply to work hard but to see themselves as keepers of the American experiment, a great job indeed!