It is widely believed that Congress has broken down. Media accounts
present the storied legislature as thoroughly gridlocked, paralyzed by
partisan rancor. Political scientists find that Congress is passing
fewer laws and spending less time on legislative work. Which parts of a
supposedly dysfunctional legislature continue to function?
Maya L. Kornberg examines the legislative process beyond voting
patterns, emphasizing the crucial role of congressional committee
hearings. In committees, lawmakers hear from expert witnesses,
legislators revise and discuss bills before bringing them to a vote, and
the public has an opportunity to engage with Congress. Kornberg
scrutinizes the inner workings of committees-the different types of
witnesses who testify, the varied hearings Congress holds, and the
distinct effects that committee work has on congresspeople. She deploys
original mixed-methods datasets that span from insider interviews to
sentiment analysis examining the language used in hearings. Kornberg
evaluates how committees operate and the conditions affecting their
performance, finding that committee work can be more deliberative and
productive than the politics of the Congress floor.
Through a comprehensive exploration of who committees hear from and how
they listen, this book demonstrates that Congress is not as
dysfunctional as is often claimed. Inside Congressional Committees
also suggests timely reforms based on these findings that can strengthen
Congress.
