Magaziner Calls for Reforms to Fix Congress and Encourage Bipartisanship
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02) joined 16 Members of Congress from both parties in urging the House Committee on Rules to enact reforms that will encourage bipartisan cooperation in the United States House of Representatives.
“Bipartisan cooperation is becoming increasingly rare in Congress, and it’s the American people who suffer when we cannot work together,” said Rep. Magaziner. “These reforms will encourage us to find common ground so that we can heal as a country and deliver results for the American people.”
The letter to the Rules Committee proposes four key rule changes for the 119th Congress aimed at fostering bipartisanship and enhancing legislative efficiency. The proposed reforms include:
- Holding a biennial bipartisan retreat for all members at the beginning of each Congress. This retreat would create a unique opportunity for members to build relationships across party lines outside the political pressures of Washington, D.C., facilitating a foundation for collaboration and understanding.
- Requiring each congressional committee to hold a bipartisan agenda-setting retreat at the start of each session. This would allow members from both parties within each committee to discuss shared goals, identify areas of common interest, and set a collaborative agenda, even when specific policy agreements may not be reached.
- Changing House Rules to allow members from opposing parties to jointly sponsor legislation. This rule change would support bipartisan authorship, allowing bills to more accurately reflect contributions from both sides and encouraging cooperation from the very start of the legislative process.
- Establishing a Joint Committee on Legislative Processes, which would work to streamline the consideration of bills that pass one chamber with wide bipartisan support but often stall before receiving due consideration in the other.
The current 118th Congress is on track to be the least productive in modern history. In 2023, Congress passed 27 bills — the fewest number of bills since the Great Depression. Even in other years with a divided government — such as in 2013, when Republicans controlled the House and Democrats controlled the Senate — 72 bills were passed.
Representative Magaziner is committed to working with anyone, from either party, to deliver for working Rhode Islanders. A record of legislation he has introduced with bipartisan support can be found here.
Full text of the letter is below. A PDF copy of the letter is available HERE.
Dear Chairman Burgess and Ranking Member McGovern,
We write to you today as Members of the Fix Congress Caucus and respectfully request you consider the proposed Rules changes for the 119th Congress outlined in our letter. Our caucus was established at the beginning of this Congress to serve as a bipartisan forum for Members of Congress to discuss issues affecting Congress’ effectiveness and to propose ideas for improving it, building on the past work of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.
First, we ask that you institute a biennial bipartisan retreat for Members of Congress at the start of each Congress. Members have few opportunities to interact across party lines, away from Washington, D.C. This lack of interaction across party lines discourages Members from getting to know their colleagues and from working collaboratively and building bipartisan coalitions.
Second, we propose you amend House Rules to require that each committee hold a bipartisan agenda-setting retreat at the beginning of each session of Congress. While Members will not agree on everything, such a retreat will provide an opportunity to identify and plan for policy action on issues of mutual agreement for Members serving on Congressional committees.
Third, we recommend House Rules allow two Members of opposing parties to jointly sponsor legislation, similar to H.Res. 668, the BUDS Resolution. We believe this will encourage bipartisan cooperation, while more accurately and fairly reflecting situations where Members have contributed equally to legislation.
Finally, we suggest the 119th Congress House Rules package establish a new Joint Committee on Legislative Processes, to be tasked with identifying ways to expedite the consideration of legislation that passed in its originating chamber with wide bipartisan support, as outlined in H.Con.Res. 8. This will allow better coordination between the House and Senate so that broadly bipartisan, vetted pieces of legislation do not unnecessarily fail to receive due consideration in the other chamber.
Our caucus appreciates that your committee and House Rules have significant impact on House operations and our legislative work. We feel the five recommendations listed above have considerable bipartisan support from our caucus Members and would positively contribute to the 119th Congress House Rules package and on our effectiveness as a body. We appreciate the opportunity to share our Rules recommendations with you and look forward to working with you as you develop the 119th Congress House Rules package.
Sincerely,
The signatories of the letter include Representatives. Seth Magaziner, Don Bacon, Troy A. Carter, Sr., Emanuel Cleaver, II, Ben Cline, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Josh Gottheimer, Chrissy Houlahan, Derek Kilmer, Young Kim, Susie Lee, Mike Levin, Kathy Manning, Scott H. Peters, Eric Sorensen, William R. Timmons, IV, Marc A. Veasey, and Nikema Williams.