The other day,
someone I've known for
years offered a pointed
bit of criticism. "It's easy
for people like you to
make long lists of things
Congress should do to
improve," he said. "But
you know good and well
most of them won't happen.
So if you're really
serious, what's the one
most important thing it
could do?"
He was right.
"People like me" — that
is, people who comment
publicly about all the
things Congress gets
wrong — often have long
laundry lists of fixes. But
the most important fix?
That takes some thinking.
I've spent some
time on it and have my
answer: Return to the
regular order.
I know, even a lot
of wonks don't know
what that means. You
could think of the regular
order as the rules, precedents
and norms that
have evolved over congressional
history to
make sure that it treats its
members fairly in the
course of its work and
that it plays its proper
role in our scheme of government.
It's how
Congress ensured that a
diversity of voices got
heard, members got the
benefit of the best thinking
in the country on difficult
issues, and even
rank-and-file members
had a chance to shape
policy.
I put those in the
past tense because, of
course, mostly they no
longer happen. Instead,
Congress has gotten into
some distressing habits
— omnibus bills, weakened
committees (especially
in the budget
process), amendmentfree
legislating — which
all add up to a curtailed
process dominated by the
leadership.
The result is the
diminished, unproductive
Congress we now
see. Deliberation, openness,
the give-and-take of
a free society, the process
of consulting with
experts and those who
might be affected by legislation,
a Congress that
squarely addresses the
tough questions that need
to be answered if we're to
move forward as a society
— all have fallen victim
to Congress's abandonment
of the regular
order.
We have two centuries
of experience on
Capitol Hill that have
taught us how to run a
legislature so that the
voices of the American
people can be reflected in
the halls of power, multiple
viewpoints get fair
and respectful consideration,
and ordinary legislators
have a fair shot at
influencing the results.
Until we get back to that,
no amount of tinkering
with Congress will add
up to much.
Lee Hamilton is a
Senior Advisor for the
Indiana University Center
on Representative
Government; a
Distinguished Scholar at
the IU Hamilton Lugar
School of Global and
International Studies; and a
Professor of Practice at the
IU O'Neill School of Public
and Environmental Affairs.
He was a member of the
U.S. House of
Representatives for 34
years. |