Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Capitol Hill interns especially vulnerable as D.C. shuts down

College interns on Capitol Hill

Retaining paid interns, hiring paid summer interns and keeping interns during the coronavirus crisis would help ensure a smooth continuation of government, writes College to Congress CEO Audrey Henson.

College to Congress
Henson is founder and CEO of College to Congress, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization that works to get more young adults positioned for careers in public service.

Last week, the House of Representatives adopted 29 bipartisan recommendations from the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. Among them are plans to improve the House's record of staff diversity and retention — including better ways to address the needs of entry-level staff, the annual legion of congressional interns included.

Our group caters to students who are passionate about public service and come from low-income backgrounds or are in the first generation of their family to attend college. We help them get placed in offices throughout the House and Senate, but now they are among the most vulnerable communities on Capitol Hill.


While Congress is facing an extended period with most staffers on telework, possible layoffs of contract employees, and potentially an extensive adjournment in the wake of the novel coronavirus, we implore lawmakers to think of how this can impact the thousands of interns now positioned on the Hill — as well as those planning to intern in Washington this summer.

The Trump administration is still determining how to bolster our nation's markets in the wake of this economic shock and further contain the spread of the virus. If one of the solutions is for Congress to do almost all of its work remotely, who will keep the Hill's lights on?

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Historically, you can thank congressional interns for this. The people answering phones, fielding requests, and communicating with visiting constituents in most congressional offices are the college students, recent graduates, parents and veterans who are so passionate about public service that they are willing to work as interns just to be involved in running our nation's government.

Earlier this year, Congress appropriated an additional $17 million to support these internships, but it is at the discretion of each member's office whether to use the money to pay the interns for their time. In the wake of a possible government suspension, College to Congress urges members to keep their interns' livelihoods in mind when considering the wellbeing of their staff. We implore individual congressional offices to remember your interns when making telework arrangements.

Retaining current paid interns, hiring paid summer interns and keeping interns onboard during the coronavirus crisis would not only help ensure a smooth continuation of government, but it would also protects the financial wellbeing of these important workers in a time of high economic anxiety.

College to Congress is grateful for the abundance of caution that our government is taking, and we implore you to keep the most junior and most vulnerable members of your staff in mind as you move forward in your pandemic response planning.

And those congressional interns currently living in the D.C. area who are unable to telework, or who find themselves postponing or ending their internships prematurely? Please contact College to Congress for advice on returning to Washington after this crisis passes.

Read More

Recent Republican policies and proposals limiting legal immigration and legal immigrants' benefits and rights

An oversized gavel surrounded by people.

Getty Images, J Studios

Recent Republican policies and proposals limiting legal immigration and legal immigrants' benefits and rights

In a recent post we quoted a journalist describing the Republican Party as anti-immigration. Many of our readers wrote back angrily to say that the Republican party is only opposed to immigrants who are present illegally.

But that's not true. And we're not shy of telling it like it is.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indoor Air Pollution Causes Millions of Deaths Each Year
pink petaled flowers on green vase

Indoor Air Pollution Causes Millions of Deaths Each Year

After losing my kidney to cancer, I made a disturbing discovery: household air pollution might have contributed to my illness.

According to researchers, plastics in our air and household items could be linked to kidney problems. While I may never identify the exact cause of my cancer, research shows that indoor air pollution is responsible for an estimated three to five million premature deaths worldwide each year. It’s connected to heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump standing with Elon Musk and Kid rock
President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Kid Rock watch a UFC event at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 16.
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

The Care and Feeding of a Superpower

The Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, led by an unelected billionaire and supported by the Donald Trump administration, continues its bulldozer approach to our federal government. As we careen forward, an essential food for thought is an awareness of the global and historical perspectives that underscore how our current leaders' strategies align with a playbook for the final chapter of previous global powers.

When we think of global dominance, we often think of military strength and the size of a superpower’s budget. What we think less of is the importance of perception or the significance of the cultural aspects of power. The USAID spreads the impression of a peaceful and protective United States, dispersing resources and building a global community with the US at the helm. President Kennedy began the USAID in 1961 with an Executive order. Research shows that USAID has continuously had bipartisan support and a tremendous impact, makes up less than 1 percent of our budget, and is a major player within the United Nations Developmental Programme.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump’s cuts at the FAA could underscore the risks of shrinking government
white passenger plane on airport during daytime

Trump’s cuts at the FAA could underscore the risks of shrinking government

WASHINGTON – After recent layoffs of employees at the Federal Aviation Administration and a string of aviation incidents, passengers and experts expressed concerns that U.S. airlines’ excellent safety record could be at risk.

About 400 probationary workers were removed from the FAA beginning on February 14, just weeks after the DCA midair collision on January 29 that left 67 dead. On February 17, at least 18 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis crash-landed upside down on a runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Keep ReadingShow less