Is It Time for Congress to Work Monday-thru-Friday?

Posted Mar 15th 2010 6:00PM by Joseph Lazzaro
Filed under: Politics

True, placing the words Congress and productivity next to one another can seem like a contradiction in terms.

Well, scholar Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute think tank, and as good as it gets regarding the workings of Congress and the public policy process, has an idea that just may make Congress more productive: a five-day work week.

Currently, Congress follows a Tuesday through Thursday schedule, which basically amounts to a 3 ½ day week, with most weekends spent at home. The Tuesday/Thursday format means very little that's essential is scheduled on Mondays and Fridays. The schedule does allow lawmakers to spend a lot of time in the home district/state, but it also means lawmakers are also spending a lot of time in airplanes.

Ornstein wants to change that. His plan: a Monday through Friday schedule, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, with three weeks on, followed by one week off.

The new schedule would allow more time for debate and systematic scheduling of votes, he said. Ornstein also argued the new schedule would encourage more Congressmen to move their families to Washington with more social interaction between colleagues, which might lead to more-friendly relations between the two political parties.

Political Analysis: Intuitively, one can sense how a Monday through Friday schedule, with one week at the end of each month for the home district/state, could increase Congress' productivity.

Less certain, however, is whether that new schedule alone could bridge the partisan divide. The current political culture is the most polarized since the cultural divide that grew out of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and it's due to the fact that the Democratic and Republican parties differ substantially regarding the role of government in U.S. society and the economy, and in particular the role the federal government plays. Until that gap has been bridged (if you view compromise as the solution) or until that party battle has been decided (if you view the overwhelming triumph of the liberal or conservative ideology as the solution), it's hard to see a Congressional schedule change altering Washington's climate.

--

Joseph Lazzaro is writing a book on the U.S. presidency and the U.S. economy.

Tags: Congress, productivity

Print this

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-15-2010 @ 7:21PM

R Dillard said...

what good would that do just a couple more days of doing nouthing , I say get rid of them all and star over

3-15-2010 @ 7:39PM

Dave said...

Where is my confirmation link? ... AIM is pathetic

3-15-2010 @ 7:57PM

Dave said...

Take One ... AGAIN ...
The only way that Congress will ever be more productive is if we link their pay to their approval rating.
IE ... if their approval rating is 30% ... no way they should receive 100% pay.
Same goes for the President.
If I had a 30% approval rating from my customers ... I would be unemployed. Voted Out ... so to speak.
These "BOZOs" ... my apologies to real clowns ... cannot agree on ... what they agree on.
Both Parties.
They are a bad joke.
It is not about what is best for the USA ... us.
It is about what is best for them ... IE bribes from Lobbyist ... called campaign contributions when they are not flat out bribes ... and what is best for their Party.
However, that is NOT the biggest crime. The real crime is that WE ... are mindless wonders that send them back there term after term.
The first three steps to straightening out Congress is ...
1) Get rid of professional politicians.
Let them work real jobs like the rest of US. Where their performance dictates their ability to stay employed.
2) Outlaw Lobbyist, whose sole purpose is to undermine the Democratic Process. Put a "Bounty" on these Traitors.
3) Make Congress subject to the same laws they vote in for US ... you and me.
Congress votes in two sets of laws ... One for US ... IE ... Social Security and Medicare ... and different laws for themselves ... their own "special retirement and medical plans."
Just my opinion ... which I can still share ... for NOW.

3-15-2010 @ 9:01PM

Dan Barnett said...

The first problem is that the "weekends spent at home" could equally be described as "listening to constituents".

Equally Dave, one man's "Lobbyist" is another man's "Advocate for America".

While Dave might be advocating some sort of Parliamentary representation, the idea of fixing pay to popularity has a number of flaws. Whose Poll? Pollster.com shows that polls can be all over the place over time. Will pay vary as well? Then there is, say the 30%, that will never approve. It's called the minority party and it's tough to get them to agree that today is Monday, much less anything important.

3-15-2010 @ 9:04PM

crhalt said...

3 days a week. That is part time work with BEYOND full time benifits . Its no wonder they never want to retire.
Hire wall st. fatcat ceo pay him 50 million a year to trim the fat. They should be treated like Wall Mart workers
for a year or two...6 days a week 7 hours a day and no benifits. VOTE THEM OUT PEOPLE.

3-15-2010 @ 9:08PM

Bill said...

Make them work in their home districts at a desk facing a glass window exposed to the street. That way they would have to face the people that elected them.

They will be more influenced by voters than party leadersip.

Also, it will be convienient for the constituents who want to shoot the finger at them.

3-15-2010 @ 9:21PM

Dave said...

Lobbyist are only there to get their ... minority opinions ... though Congress.
If they were representative of the Majority ... they would NOT be needed.
They are Traitors, and should be ... hanged?

3-15-2010 @ 9:27PM

Dave said...

Shoot ... I will agree that 70% approval equals 100% pay ... who qualifies?

3-15-2010 @ 9:33PM

Dave said...

Not a single one of these BOZOs

3-15-2010 @ 9:44PM

Dave said...

Be happy that my last 2 comments did not post ... they were not flattering to those that think Govt is their God.

3-16-2010 @ 3:49PM

MyKisa said...

....it was better before airconditioning....they stayed out of DC more than they were there.......pull the plug

3-16-2010 @ 8:08AM

Dan Barnett said...

Dave,

You've missed the point. Our "Advocates" aren't lobbying. They are merely informing the Congress of a need for the benefit of the entire country. Of course we are the majority, because all right thinking Americans are with us. Of course the programs we endorse will benefit all Americans and (preserve/create) jobs, jump start the economy, and make life easier for everyone.

The OTHER guys are Lobbyists trying to bilk the government.

The problem is that everyone feels this way. It's only the other guy who's the Lobbyist. Our programs are vital. What is wasteful spending to me, may be local jobs to you. Or vice versa.

It's why Congress can have such lousy poll numbers & yet return a vast majority of incumbents every year.

Clearly you are angry. But at what?

3-16-2010 @ 8:31AM

Jim said...

Do you really want to infringe on these hard working, caring people's free time???? They do so much for us. They listen to our wants and needs. They ALWAYS do what is best for us!! I think that 3 1/2 days per week is just too much, therefore I am going to vote to give them off forever because of the wonderful job they are doing