Today was my last day working in the DC office. Although I had a good time in DC, I am looking forward to coming home.
Fridays tend to be quiet. This is because most representatives will be heading home for the weekend. Therefore, there were no House committee or subcommittee meetings for me to attend.
However, the House was in session, and because I had some extra time, I got a gallery pass and went up to see what was going on. There were not many members of Congress on the floor, and the main activity was colloquy between House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer regarding the schedule and when the House would be meeting the following week.
I spent the rest of my time finishing work on a summary from the previous day, as well as another miscellaneous project I had started in the local office.
I have learned so much here, and I am very appreciative of the DC office staff not only for guiding me and helping me learn, but also helping me grow as a person.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Thursday, September 8, 2016
9-8-2016: Foreign Affairs and Foreign Interests
The first thing I did this morning was attend the House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing entitled “Reforming the National Security Council: Efficiency and Accountability.” It was a full committee hearing whose main purpose was to discuss the alarming increase in size of the White House National Security Council (NSC), and the overwhelming bipartisan concerns regarding decreased congressional oversight in the United States’ foreign policy.
The meeting was eye-opening, as I knew nothing about the White House National Security Council prior to the hearing. Additionally, this meeting seemed to have the similar bipartisan, collaborative feel that was present in yesterday’s South Sudan hearing. In order to write my summary of the hearing, I had to do some more research on the NSC.
After lunch, I got to take the formal tour of the Capitol. This was more for me to learn, rather than me working for the staff. However, all interns in Ms. Kaptur’s office a required to take the tour, and even though I had already taken the tour, it was wonderful being able to see all of the important parts of the Capitol again, now more than twice as many years old compared to when I first toured the Capitol, as well as understanding more, given the fact that I learned so much in my history and social studies classes at Maumee Valley (many thanks to Mr. Cambisios and Mr. Green, 11th grade and 8th grade American history teachers). It also reminded me about the times during which our country’s stability has been tested its 240 years of existence, and this made me feel more even thankful toward the important individuals in history who protected the country so that we could have a functioning government and society today. Unfortunately, it took me almost a half hour just to get back to the office from my tour because I got lost several times attempting to navigate the Capitol Complex’s tunnel system.
The last thing I did today was attend the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific hearing entitled “Asia’s Growing Hunger for Energy: U.S. Policy and Supply Opportunities.” The main subject of the hearing was how developing Asian countries can find good, clean energy that they can depend on.
I liked my afternoon hearing because the subject was completely new to me. As I’ve already stated, my interests include foreign affairs, and although I do know about U.S. energy needs and U.S. foreign interests, I have never really thought about Asian energy needs, nor have I thought about what the U.S. can do to develop economic interests in Asia that specifically pertain to energy, so it was a very interesting meeting.
Tomorrow, my list of things to do includes finishing my summaries for the staffers.
The meeting was eye-opening, as I knew nothing about the White House National Security Council prior to the hearing. Additionally, this meeting seemed to have the similar bipartisan, collaborative feel that was present in yesterday’s South Sudan hearing. In order to write my summary of the hearing, I had to do some more research on the NSC.
After lunch, I got to take the formal tour of the Capitol. This was more for me to learn, rather than me working for the staff. However, all interns in Ms. Kaptur’s office a required to take the tour, and even though I had already taken the tour, it was wonderful being able to see all of the important parts of the Capitol again, now more than twice as many years old compared to when I first toured the Capitol, as well as understanding more, given the fact that I learned so much in my history and social studies classes at Maumee Valley (many thanks to Mr. Cambisios and Mr. Green, 11th grade and 8th grade American history teachers). It also reminded me about the times during which our country’s stability has been tested its 240 years of existence, and this made me feel more even thankful toward the important individuals in history who protected the country so that we could have a functioning government and society today. Unfortunately, it took me almost a half hour just to get back to the office from my tour because I got lost several times attempting to navigate the Capitol Complex’s tunnel system.
The last thing I did today was attend the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific hearing entitled “Asia’s Growing Hunger for Energy: U.S. Policy and Supply Opportunities.” The main subject of the hearing was how developing Asian countries can find good, clean energy that they can depend on.
I liked my afternoon hearing because the subject was completely new to me. As I’ve already stated, my interests include foreign affairs, and although I do know about U.S. energy needs and U.S. foreign interests, I have never really thought about Asian energy needs, nor have I thought about what the U.S. can do to develop economic interests in Asia that specifically pertain to energy, so it was a very interesting meeting.
Tomorrow, my list of things to do includes finishing my summaries for the staffers.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
9-7-2016: Committee Hearings
My second day in DC was very fast paced and exciting! I had the opportunity to learn several different things in my own interest areas, as well as explore and do follow up research to give myself a better understanding of the topics.
This morning, I attended two meetings at the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The first one was entitled “Possible motions to subpoena information from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.” The purpose of this committee meeting was to potentially issue a subpoena on the Department of Veterans Affairs to find out more information as to where money has been spent in light of several Veterans Health Administration (VHA) scandals since 2014. Ranking Member Mark Takano expressed his primary concern that any subpoena issued should protect past and future whistleblowers. Despite these concerns, the subpoena was passed. The thing that surprised me was the attitude of Chairman Jeff Miller, which seemed impatient and unwilling to listen, saying that the majority party would pass the motion for the subpoena whether or not the minority party agreed.
Immediately after the first meeting was a hearing entitled “From Tumult to Transformation: The Commission on Care and the Future of the VA Healthcare System.” It featured two health care management professionals who served as the chairperson and vice chairperson of the Commission on Care, a group of individuals authorized by the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to make recommendations as to how the VHA can improve. Both individuals testified before the committee with the Commission’s findings and answered questions from the committee members.
I liked these two meetings because they gave me a sense as to how work proceeds on Capitol Hill: in small committees with extensive discussion, research, and debate to ensure that the best conclusion was found. I also realized how slow the process can be; for example, the Commission on Care has been spent almost a year doing research and finding solutions.
After attending a meeting, I went back to the office to write what had happened in the meeting. I would send then send the summary to the legislative assistant who works in the same interest area as the subject of the meeting. In other words, my assignment is to write summaries about what happens in the meetings so that the legislative assistants can stay on top of new developments in their respective areas of interest.
After lunch, I attended another hearing. This time, it was for the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations. This hearing was entitled “The Growing Crisis in South Sudan.” The primary witness in this hearing was Ambassador Donald Booth, the Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan. Ambassador Booth gave an update on the situation in South Sudan, with human rights abuses, attacks on aid workers and U.S. diplomats, and widespread civil violence, as well as potential solutions and how the U.S. should move forward in its foreign policy with South Sudan. I also wrote a summary about this meeting when I returned to the office.
A major difference I noticed in this meeting compared to the meetings I attended this morning is that both the Chairman and Ranking Member (from opposite parties) agreed on the facts. There was no doubt about the topic of discussion, and some of the congress members even brought up the same points made by the members of the opposite party. This hearing was somewhat more engaging than the one I attended this morning, as international relations and foreign affairs are very interesting to me, and at this point, this is the major I would like to declare in college.
It was not easy writing the summaries, as it was my first time ever attending house committee meetings. Because the Capitol Complex is so big, it took me almost ten minutes just to get to the first meeting! Furthermore, it wasn’t always easy to hear what was going on, given the fact that the witnesses sat facing the committee members, and what they said wasn’t always clear. Tomorrow, the legislative assistant will give me feedback on the summaries I have written thus far.
In addition to that, I will be attending more House committee hearings, writing summaries of those hearings, and taking the full, formal tour of the Capitol! I am satisfied with the work I have done so far, and I hope there are many more interesting things for me to do!
This morning, I attended two meetings at the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The first one was entitled “Possible motions to subpoena information from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.” The purpose of this committee meeting was to potentially issue a subpoena on the Department of Veterans Affairs to find out more information as to where money has been spent in light of several Veterans Health Administration (VHA) scandals since 2014. Ranking Member Mark Takano expressed his primary concern that any subpoena issued should protect past and future whistleblowers. Despite these concerns, the subpoena was passed. The thing that surprised me was the attitude of Chairman Jeff Miller, which seemed impatient and unwilling to listen, saying that the majority party would pass the motion for the subpoena whether or not the minority party agreed.
Immediately after the first meeting was a hearing entitled “From Tumult to Transformation: The Commission on Care and the Future of the VA Healthcare System.” It featured two health care management professionals who served as the chairperson and vice chairperson of the Commission on Care, a group of individuals authorized by the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to make recommendations as to how the VHA can improve. Both individuals testified before the committee with the Commission’s findings and answered questions from the committee members.
I liked these two meetings because they gave me a sense as to how work proceeds on Capitol Hill: in small committees with extensive discussion, research, and debate to ensure that the best conclusion was found. I also realized how slow the process can be; for example, the Commission on Care has been spent almost a year doing research and finding solutions.
After attending a meeting, I went back to the office to write what had happened in the meeting. I would send then send the summary to the legislative assistant who works in the same interest area as the subject of the meeting. In other words, my assignment is to write summaries about what happens in the meetings so that the legislative assistants can stay on top of new developments in their respective areas of interest.
After lunch, I attended another hearing. This time, it was for the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations. This hearing was entitled “The Growing Crisis in South Sudan.” The primary witness in this hearing was Ambassador Donald Booth, the Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan. Ambassador Booth gave an update on the situation in South Sudan, with human rights abuses, attacks on aid workers and U.S. diplomats, and widespread civil violence, as well as potential solutions and how the U.S. should move forward in its foreign policy with South Sudan. I also wrote a summary about this meeting when I returned to the office.
A major difference I noticed in this meeting compared to the meetings I attended this morning is that both the Chairman and Ranking Member (from opposite parties) agreed on the facts. There was no doubt about the topic of discussion, and some of the congress members even brought up the same points made by the members of the opposite party. This hearing was somewhat more engaging than the one I attended this morning, as international relations and foreign affairs are very interesting to me, and at this point, this is the major I would like to declare in college.
It was not easy writing the summaries, as it was my first time ever attending house committee meetings. Because the Capitol Complex is so big, it took me almost ten minutes just to get to the first meeting! Furthermore, it wasn’t always easy to hear what was going on, given the fact that the witnesses sat facing the committee members, and what they said wasn’t always clear. Tomorrow, the legislative assistant will give me feedback on the summaries I have written thus far.
In addition to that, I will be attending more House committee hearings, writing summaries of those hearings, and taking the full, formal tour of the Capitol! I am satisfied with the work I have done so far, and I hope there are many more interesting things for me to do!
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
9-6-2016: Exploration and Brainstorming
Today was my first day in Congresswoman Kaptur’s DC office, located in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Although there is some overlap between the district and DC offices, the DC office tends to work independently of the district offices. The only staff member that works in both offices is the chief of staff. Although there were some projects that I worked on in the district office that pertained to the DC office, they had very little to do with work that takes place at the local level.
I spent a good part of my day continuing to explore background information, news, and best practices regarding the subject of the bill that Congresswoman Kaptur is trying to introduce by the end of the month. I read several extensive articles as to better familiarize myself with this topic. I already read through the bill late last week; now, the assignment to me is to brainstorm creative ways to “brand” the bill in an effort to make it catchier. I will be collaborating with the legislative assistant who is working with the bill, and will report back to him with all of the ideas I will have come up with by the end of the week. I also did some research on Ms. Kaptur’s legislative history, reading some of the bills that she has introduced over the course of her seventeen terms in Congress.
I am excited to learn everything I can be a good intern to the staff in the next few days working at this office. I am looking forward to the opportunity to attend some hearings of interest, as well as take a formal tour of the Capitol.
On a completely unrelated note, I’ve had a lot of fun touring DC over Labor Day weekend! I was able to visit many museums and monuments that I had visited in eighth grade, as well as new places that I had not seen. It was especially fun after having taken AP United States History!
Only three more days…
Although there is some overlap between the district and DC offices, the DC office tends to work independently of the district offices. The only staff member that works in both offices is the chief of staff. Although there were some projects that I worked on in the district office that pertained to the DC office, they had very little to do with work that takes place at the local level.
I spent a good part of my day continuing to explore background information, news, and best practices regarding the subject of the bill that Congresswoman Kaptur is trying to introduce by the end of the month. I read several extensive articles as to better familiarize myself with this topic. I already read through the bill late last week; now, the assignment to me is to brainstorm creative ways to “brand” the bill in an effort to make it catchier. I will be collaborating with the legislative assistant who is working with the bill, and will report back to him with all of the ideas I will have come up with by the end of the week. I also did some research on Ms. Kaptur’s legislative history, reading some of the bills that she has introduced over the course of her seventeen terms in Congress.
I am excited to learn everything I can be a good intern to the staff in the next few days working at this office. I am looking forward to the opportunity to attend some hearings of interest, as well as take a formal tour of the Capitol.
On a completely unrelated note, I’ve had a lot of fun touring DC over Labor Day weekend! I was able to visit many museums and monuments that I had visited in eighth grade, as well as new places that I had not seen. It was especially fun after having taken AP United States History!
Only three more days…
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