Source: Nathan Leamer, R Street Institute

Source: Nathan Leamer, R Street Institute

More than 100 congressional staff, think-tankers, and others filled a room in the U.S. Capitol on to partake in the October 27, 2016 panel, “Restoring Congress as the First Branch.” The bipartisan panel and big turn-out for the event indicate agreement that Congress has problems. As the first and most democratic of the three branches, its health is central to the well-being out of republic.

Copies of the papers the panelists discussed are online and free. Each assesses the ills of Congress and discusses remedies:

Yuval Levin, NationalAffairs.com (host/moderator)

Kevin R. Kosar, R Street Institute, How to Strengthen Congress and So, This is Nixon’s fault? The Problems with the Budget Act

Paul Glastris, Washington Monthly, The Big Lobotomy

Lee Drutman, New America, A New Agenda for Political Reform

Jonathan Rauch, Brookings Institution, Political Realism: How Hacks, Machines, Big Money and Back-room Deals can Strengthen American Democracy

Molly Reynolds, Brookings Institution, What is the Freedom Caucus and What Does It Want?