Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern said Republicans haven’t kept their promises on making the House more transparent.
The two groups say they would like to see the new House website, docs.house.gov, include databases listing earmarks.
The CAGW, which disputes Congress’ assertion that it has stopped earmarking, intends to publish its annual pamphlet this spring that would list spending items that it deems to be earmarks.
“We hear news of an earmark moratorium, and what we find out, from our definition, that the transparency around earmarks has regressed,” Paige said, explaining that lawmakers no longer have to disclose whether they requested funding for a parochial project.
These groups are also calling on lawmakers to provide more transcripts and coverage for many of their closed-door meetings, including markups, conference committees and ad hoc panels such as the super committee.
Empowering Democracy
The House Administration Committee has scheduled a conference for Thursday aimed at examining ways Congress can provide more legislative data to the public.
Scholars, journalists, watchdog groups and stakeholders are invited. Nearly every expert, so far, agrees that unraveling the legislative minutiae in ways that make sense to the public is crucial to empower democracy.
“There are very ordinary people that Washington regards as unsophisticated, but they’re incredibly sophisticated in other realms of life,” said Jim Harper at the Cato Institute. “We’re making them unsophisticated by withholding data they could use.”
Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), a co-founder of the Transparency Caucus, said he intends to advance legislation this year that would make publicly available every report that federal agencies submit to Congress.
“Secrecy breeds distrust, but by opening up our inner workings to the American people, we allow the people who elected us to judge our actions and policies for themselves,” Quigley said.
The measure is intended to ensure that any report required by law to be issued to Congress and releasable under the Freedom of Information Act would be posted on a Government Printing Office website. Congress itself is exempt from FOIA.
At the opening of the 112th Congress, Boehner and his leadership team promised a more open House, with more debate and a better flow of information to Members and the public.
Besides the legislative tracking website, leaders have taken other steps to be more transparent with constituents. The House Rules Committee is broadcasting its hearings for the first time. Last December, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a real-time public online markup of anti-piracy legislation. In the Senate, an Armed Services subcommittee held an open markup to consider its portion of the annual defense policy bill, something it hadn’t done in more than a decade.
“We are dedicated to making the activities of this Congress transparent, accessible and useful for people around the country,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said earlier this month.
Democrats were skeptical a year ago — and remain so.
“Here’s the deal: They campaigned on a set of promises that they haven’t kept. When you look at the way they handled the extension of payroll tax cuts, it was a closed process,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), a member of the Rules Committee. “They have this habit of coming to the House floor and talking about how open and wonderful everything is. And then we get this monstrosity of a rule. ... You scratch your head and say, ‘What planet are these guys on?’”
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
