In rural Mongolia, nomadic goat herders travel hundreds of miles by camel to reach their seasonal work sites. In the desolate winter, mine workers in

Members of Congress should actually live in DC

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2024-05-04 17:30:02

In rural Mongolia, nomadic goat herders travel hundreds of miles by camel to reach their seasonal work sites. In the desolate winter, mine workers in Yellowknife, Canada drive a load of heavy construction materials over a precariously constructed ice road to reach their camps. And in the United States, members of Congress fly roundtrip between Washington, DC and their home districts on a weekly basis — some even sit in coach.

But between the necessity of face time with their constituents and the general structure of the legislative calendar, members of Congress often find themselves on the road, with only a few days out of the week spent in Washington. That means less time to engage in committee hearings, take floor votes, and ultimately get to know their fellow colleagues, including the ones across the aisle.

Telling your voters that you want to spend less time with them isn’t the most politically advantageous decision. But I think Congress would benefit from actually living full time in DC and establishing more of a long-distance relationship with their constituents.