ARCHIVE
Capitol Hill Workshop
The 100th Congress - Archive Edition
April 26-28, 1988
Capitol Hill Workshop:
A Seminar on the Legislative Process
Held at The Capitol Hill Club.
The agenda on Capitol Hill continues to be ever-changing, vital and fascinating. Federal agencies, state and foreign governments, business and labor leaders, farmers, consumers, and many more look to Congress for support, problem solving, budgetary assistance and leadership.
Recently, Congress has considered policy and fiscal changes which have profoundly affected the role of government in American society. Government professionals are key players in the national policy process and thus require up-to-date comment and analysis of the Capitol Hill scene. The issues of taxes, budget control, defense, deficits and more are perceptively examined by experienced Congressional staffers, observers and members. The three-day workshop will probe with greater depth into what is happening in Washington than traditional press, accounts, and television footage permit.
Today, grasping the complexities of Congress is especially difficult. A major national debate unfolded over the issue of our growing national debt and the overhaul of our Byzantine tax code. The Gramm-Rudman limits, as well as the growing deficit in our international trade accounts, have profoundly altered the context of this debate. With the election of the 100th Congress in 1986, these forces are culminating in wide-ranging disputes over every facet of public policy. The responsibilities of government at every level, the range and limits of U.S. foreign policy, and the size and structure of defense spending are all being vociferously debated.
The focus of bitter disagreements between the legislative and executive branches-highlighted by the current Iran/Contra hearings-illustrate the difficulty of achieving a consensus. In this atmosphere, it is becoming extremely difficult for government officials to develop programs. It is, therefore, imperative to study the legislative branch to help ascertain what direction U.S. public policy will take over the remainder of the century.
Congress is the sounding board upon which these clashing viewpoints reverberate. The roots of democracy are everywhere to be seen on Capitol Hill. Decisions made and avoided will impact directly on the missions and forces of the Army and personally shape the work conditions and pay and pensions of uniformed and civilian personnel alike. Grasping the essence of these realities has become a necessity for federal executives if they are to perform their managerial responsibilities with maximum effectiveness. To understand how national policies are made and where the country is headed, it is crucially important for federal managers and executives to learn as much as possible about the legislative branch, our national lawmakers, and Congressional leadership.
Speakers & Topics
EVOLUTION OF POWER IN CONGRESS: Walter Oleszek, Senior Specialist in American Government, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
LEADERSHIP IN CONGRESS: Representative Mickey Edwards (R-OK), House Committees on Appropriations and Budget; Subcommittees on Foreign Operations and Military Construction.
THE ART OF LOBBYING: Ton Korologos, President and Director of Congressional Liaison, Timmons & Company.
CONGRESS AGAINST ITSELF: John Kramer, Dean, Tulane University Law School; Former Counsel to House Majority Whip Ton Foley.
THE TURBULENT ECONOMY: IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND POLITICS: Allen Schick, Professor, University of Maryland, Author of Congress and Money; Visiting Scholar, American Enterprise Institute.
CONGRESS AND THE DOMESTIC AGENDA: Cokie Roberts, Congressional Correspondent, National Public Radio.
THE ROLE OF CONGRESS: A PERSONAL ASSESSMENT: Ralph Nader, Consumer Activist
REAGAN AND CONGRESS: Norman Ornstein, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute: Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University
MILITARY REFORM: C. William Whitehurst, Former Congressman from Virginia; Founder, Congressional Military Reform Caucus.
CONGRESS, THE WHITE HOUSE, AND THE MIDDLE EAST: Bernard Reich, Professor, George Washington University; Board of Governors, Middle East Institute.
THE IMPACT OF THE MEDIA ON PUBLIC POLICY: Sid Davis, Program Director, Voice of America; Former Washington Correspondent, NBC News.
THE STRUGGLE RENEWED: THE PRESIDENT, CONGRESS AND FOREIGN POLICY: Robert S. Wood, Chief, Department of Strategy, U.S. Naval War College.
