Newsletter - March 2025

The scope of my work continues to be driven by my eight good government principles, with the belief that through those principles we can reduce legislative gridlock and empower the public to impact and inform federal legislation. 

During the first three months of this year, news and headlines have been focused on the work and actions of the Trump administration through their executive actions and the work of DOGE. I continue to believe that the work of DOGE is critically impactful and bears extremely close scrutiny.

Although the executive branch is getting most of the headlines, our Constitution spells out that it is the responsibility of Congress to enable and empower the work of our federal government through the laws and budget appropriations that they pass, so their work should be garnering increasing attention in the upcoming weeks and months as they fund the government and provide the legislative framework for the Trump agenda.

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I am pleased to announce that the local pilot I am working on with Braver Angels and Voice of the People is making very good progress. Focusing on two local congressional districts, we are going to give constituents an opportunity to do an online policymaking simulation for a national issue selected by Braver Angels members. The results will be analyzed by Voice of the People to see which policies are recommended—or opposed—by a majority of constituents. The findings will be made publicly available as a report with shareable graphics. The recommendations will then be presented at an open forum to which all participants, our local congressional representatives, and local media will be invited to attend.

Our hope is that through this pilot we will be creating a model for true partnership with our elected representatives by providing a structured process for constituents to inform the legislative process.

Stay tuned for updates and more information on this exciting endeavor.

Here is a summary of social media posts over the past month:

• NPR interview with Elaine Kamarck comparing DOGE to the reinventing government efforts in the 1990s

• Brookings article on size and composition of federal government

• Peter G. Peterson Foundation key charts that provide an excellent overview of the Federal budget

• Voice of the People policymaking simulations - an online process that puts citizens in the shoes of elected officials by simulating the process they go through in making policy decisions

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Have a great month.