- "value":"The most capable, principled, energized would-be staffers are often bewildered by the process of landing employment on Capitol Hill. Those interested in congressional positions have traditionally had to deal with the [uncertainty of joining a political campaign](https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/10/05/congress-is-a-dysfunctional-mess-heres-why-you-should-want-to-work-here-anyway/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f17573a66313) or the [excessive costs of taking on an unpaid internship or fellowship](https://wamu.org/story/17/07/20/whats-like-unpaid-intern-capitol-hill/). These are practically the only ways that people can land employment in Congress currently. \n\nWhile working in Congress is one of the most strategic ways to impact policy-making and shape the national political discourse, progressives who are committed to advancing the public interest have an easier time initiating their careers in the nonprofit, academic or the private sectors.\n\nThe absence of onramps makes it difficult to recruit the talented,qualified, and committed staffers needed to drive change.\n\nWe want Congress to be staffed with people who look like America so that we can ensure that the people helping make federal policy authentically understand and can effectively respond to the needs of communities and causes that can’t afford high-priced lobbyists.\n\nGiven the insularity of Hill hiring and the lack of open onramps into legislative branch service, communities of color often face the most significant hurdles. Last year, for the first time ever, Senate Democrats [reported on demographics for staff](https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/democratic-senate-staffers-are-mostly-white-and-women-new-report-says/2017/06/30/1cdcf5d6-5db2-11e7-a9f6-7c3296387341_story.html?utm_term=.f7b54a7f4e5d), and the numbers were startling. There are only three Black chiefs of staff in the entire Senate (and two serve in Republican offices).\n\n**A new Progressive Talent Pipeline can help solve these challenges.** A coalition of respected organizations, led by the new Progressive Caucus Center, is seeking to implement this solution. The initiative is working to:\n\n(1) Identify a talented and diverse pool of progressives from around the country through educational, organizing, and advocacy networks.\n\n(2) Recruit these individuals to apply to be part of an endorsed group of candidates.\n\n(3) Provide these endorsed candidates with training on how to succeed in a Congressional office.\n\n(4) Present newly-elected progressive Members of Congress with the slate of endorsed candidates, and provide opportunities for these incoming lawmakers to meet with the candidates prior to the start of the new Congress.\n\n(5) Provide continuous training and support for staffers once placed in Congressional offices, including skill-development, research assistance, and strategy meetings with allies and experts.\n\n(6) Maintain a roster of exceptional vetted candidates for Hill positions, track new openings in Congressional offices, and seek to ensure placement of qualified candidates.\n\nConservatives got the message about the importance of Congressional staff capacity decades ago. Today, there’s a large network of capacity-building programs on the right, including the Heritage Foundation’s Young Leaders Program, the Charles Koch Institute’s Hill-focused professional development programs, the Federalist Society’s multifaceted pipeline for right-wing legal talent, Capitol Hill staff programs from the conservative Tax Foundation and Mercatus Center, and multiple talent development programs from neoconservative groups like the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Foreign Policy Initiative. Well-staffed strategy platforms like the Republican Study Committee have long been essential to GOP policy development, coordination, and communication. \n\nAs Senator Elizabeth Warren is fond of saying: “[personnel is policy.](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/opinion/elizabeth-warren-one-way-to-rebuild-our-institutions.html)” If Democrats want to restore a trustworthy and capable government and design and implement a successful long-term policy agenda, it’s essential to start focusing on people.\n\n **Advisory Board**\n\n**Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)** | Congressional Progressive Caucus\n\n**Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)** | Congressional Progressive Caucus\n\n**Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)** | Congressional Progressive Caucus\n\n**Thea Lee** | Economic Policy Institute\n\n**Richard Parker** | Harvard University - Kennedy School of Government\n\n**Zinelle October** | American Constitution Society\n\n**Mike Sozan** | Center for American Progress\n\n",
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