WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) hosted its annual Democracy Awards Ceremony on Thursday, September 18, recognizing exceptional Members of Congress and staff who exemplify outstanding public service, operational excellence, and innovation in their work on Capitol Hill.
In the stately House Ways & Means Committee Hearing Room, the 8th annual Democracy Awards ceremony unfolded as a heartfelt tribute to the congressional offices honored earlier this summer. The event marked more than just a formal recognition—it was a celebration of integrity, dedication, and the enduring spirit of public service.
Throughout the ceremony, emotions ran high. Members of Congress and their staff—regardless of party affiliation—gathered not as political adversaries, but as stewards of democracy. The atmosphere served as a powerful reminder that, even in polarized times, collaboration and mutual respect remain possible within the halls of Congress.
“At a time when public trust in democratic institutions is strained, it’s easy to overlook the day-to-day work of congressional offices,” said Jen Daulby, CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF). “At CMF, we’re committed to spotlighting what’s working in Congress and honoring the offices that go above and beyond in service to the American people.”
This year’s Democracy Awards highlighted offices that exemplify the highest standards of constituent service, innovation, and responsiveness. The honorees demonstrated that party lines do not define excellence in governance, but rather a shared commitment to the communities they represent.
Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT-01)Credit: CMF
Best of Constituent Service
- WATCH: Acceptance speech of Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT-01) HERE.
- WATCH: Acceptance speech of Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04) HERE.
Representative Blake Moore reflected on the significance of the award: “More than anything, this recognition is special to me because since my first day in office, I told myself and my team that constituent service will be the heart of everything we do.” His remarks underscored a theme echoed throughout the evening—public service as a calling rooted in empathy and action.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA)Credit: CMF
Best of Constituent Correspondence & Outreach
- WATCH: Acceptance speech of Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX-11) HERE.
- WATCH: Acceptance speech of Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) HERE.
Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock also shared a moment of pride and gratitude. “Last fall, I instructed my staff to use every tool at our disposal to communicate critical safety and support information to every affected Georgian,” he said. “This award recognizes my staff’s heroic service to Georgians across our state. In times of great hardship, Georgians can always count on me and my office to provide resources and support.”
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK-05)Credit: CMF
Best of Innovation & Modernization
- WATCH: Acceptance speech of Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK-05) HERE.
- WINNER: Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI)
"This award is not mine alone," said Bice. "It is shared with amazing people who have supported me over the last two plus years." She said that her focus is on constituents and that "they're better served by a Congress that is equipped to work more efficiently."
The full list of the 2025 Democracy Awards winners can be found on the CMF website.
The 2025 Democracy Awards ceremony was more than a celebration—it was a reaffirmation of the values that sustain American democracy. In honoring those who serve with distinction, the event offered a glimpse of Congress at its best: principled, people-focused, and united in purpose.
The Bridge Alliance Education Fund, which funds the Fulcrum, is a co-founder of CMF’s Democracy Awards.
A golden tray sits on the Resolute Desk as President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement on American nuclear innovation in the Oval Office at the White House on July 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Trump is signing multiple executive orders targeting the nuclear energy sector and easing rules for new reactors and nuclear fuel supply chains.
Trump’s hubris rivals the fallen heroes of ancient Greek mythology
In January, the New York Times asked President Donald Trump if there were any limits on his global powers.
“Yeah,” the president responded, “there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
That was eight months ago, but fortunately Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of “The Odyssey” has made ancient Greek literature newly relevant. Before that window closes, I’d like to talk about hubris.
Today, the term mostly means excessive pride or arrogance. That’s part of what the Greeks meant by it too, but the meaning was a bit richer and more specific. Hubris was an insolent or outrageous act that offended the gods, often because the transgressor was claiming abilities or authorities that solely belonged to supreme beings.
Nolan renamed and slightly modified the concept of xenia for the film, calling it “Zeus’ law.” In the director’s telling, mortals should follow the rules laid out by the gods, specifically the requirement to treat strangers with respect lest they be gods in disguise.
In a sense, hubris is the opposite, or at least the rejection, of xenia. The hubris of the suitors, and at times Odysseus himself, invites punishment by the gods and their mortal instruments.
Which brings me back to Donald Trump. His claim that there are no constraints on his personal power to dictate events on the global stage was one of the greatest expressions of hubris ever uttered by a political leader.
Trump’s claim was obviously false when he made it.
He vowed that he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours. He’s proved powerless to make that happen. If he had divine powers to work his will, why would he have balked at implementing his tariffs so often that Wall Street adopted the “TACO trade” term for his deals? “TACO” stands for “Trump always chickens out.”
And why would Trump have made so many embarrassing concessions to China — from rescinding tariffs on Chinese goods to allowing them to buy crucial and incredibly valuable computer chips?
But Trump saw his success at capturing Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro as proof of his ability to launch missiles to the same effect as Zeus’ lightning bolts. Trump believed he was the most powerful man who ever lived.
This is no exaggeration. In March, when the Iran invasion seemed successful, Trump gave a document penned by“Presidential Historian David King” to New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan purporting to prove that Trump was “the most powerful person to have EVER walked this planet.” King was, in fact, a businessman and occasional caddy for legendary golfer Gary Player.
King compared Trump favorably to many of history’s most powerful, and often heinous, figures: Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, William the Conqueror, Napoleon Bonaparte, Joseph Stalin, Genghis Khan, Mao Tse Tung, Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. Many of these men thought they were the most powerful person in the world, too. And many were defeated precisely because they believed it.
At least Napoleon and Hitler had a string of truly impressive victories before they learned the folly of hubris. The limits on Trump’s power have been exposed by far less august forces than the combined might of the allies in World War II or the fearsome Russian winter.
Iran is a comparatively middling power. But the regime’s ability to absorb punishment while imposing its will on the Strait of Hormuz has proved to be a greater constraint on Trump’s power than his morality or mind. We should note that, at least rhetorically, his morality has not proved much of a constraint. He has repeatedly promised to destroy Iranian “civilization” if the regime refuses to capitulate.
But they haven’t — and won’t anytime soon — because the regime’s tolerance for pain far outstrips Trump’s. The combined fear of skyrocketing oil prices, outrage of Gulf state potentates, diminishing weapon supplies and domestic unpopularity is doing the work that international law, congressional oversight and the collective opinion of foreign policy experts can’t or won’t do.
If I considered Trump more heroic than reason and facts could allow, I would say his Sisyphean predicament has the whiff of Greek tragedy to it. Trump is vexed by the fact that the Iranians won’t honor deals or ratify his countless premature claims of victory — giving new meaning to his vow that his presidency would make people tired of winning. It’s almost like they’re out-Trumping Trump.
Things might have gone better if he’d heeded that great Greek tragedian Sophocles: “For Zeus utterly abhors the boasts of a proud tongue.”
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Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. His Twitter handle is @JonahDispatch.