Congressional Interns Don't Have a Support Office. Congress Has a Chance to Change This.

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Congress would come to a standstill without interns. 

They’re an essential part of the Capitol Hill workforce, increasing the capacity of resource-strapped offices on everything from legislative analysis and casework to providing support for constituent services, press coordination, and everything in between. In addition, their hard work helps support staff to focus on the critical priorities of the moment. 

We both know from first-hand experience just how valuable congressional internships can be. We benefited greatly from our time in Congress, building experiences for our resumes, and developing the professional skills and networks which have helped us prepare for our past and current positions in the government and private sector.

And we’re not alone. Considering that on average, Capitol Hill has thousands of interns each year, it seems pretty clear that interns are the backbone of Congress, and by proxy, our democracy, in a way which is essential to daily operations.

So why don’t congressional interns have a dedicated support office? 

In a 2021 report by the Washington D.C.-based non-profit Pay Our Interns, the report highlighted not only continued diversity challenges on the Hill (76% of the reported congressional interns from April to September of 2019 were white), but a startling omission: Currently, there's no centralized institution or support office that keeps records on who interns for Congress. 

Let us put this another way: There is currently no dedicated office that keeps track of how many paid internship opportunities are available, whether those opportunities are equitably distributed, and if the compensation is sufficient, especially for the many students who work and live in Washington, D.C. Gathering facts and data around these internships is nearly impossible at present, and requires outside organizations to do most of the work instead of Congress. 

This lack of centralization and tracking makes it impossible to understand how Congress needs to improve its outreach, representation, and best practices — which further limits access to non-traditional applicants and weakens the diversity pipeline. It also puts the onus on individual member offices to provide outreach, onboarding, and training to its intern classes, a practice which doesn’t guarantee a uniform baseline for each intern. This archaic system needs to change. 

Here’s how we do it. 

In the latest congressional funding bill, Congress has included a provision to create the House Intern Resource Office. The Office would be responsible for a range of responsibilities, including: advertising internships, reaching out to underrepresented communities, providing guidance, training, and support to interns regarding their work environment, and gathering demographic and other data about interns employed. The launch of the House Intern Resource Office would create new employment opportunities for lower income and other underrepresented young workers, and better equip House offices with the tools to administer successful internship programs. 

With the formation of the Intern Resource Office, Congress could not only support incoming interns, but also provide more resources for current congressional staffers managing intern programs. This type of support would ensure the institution can better ensure a quality internship experience for all. 

As the two of us know well: Capitol Hill internships can be tough to navigate, with each office using a different orientation process. While we were lucky to have offices with strong internship programs, this isn’t always true across the board. The current system enables many interns to fall through the cracks; not because congressional offices choose it to be this way, but because the institution hasn't done enough to invest in this pipeline. Congress has a very real opportunity to not only strengthen and professionalize their current internship program, but to set up young staffers for future success in public service — something very clearly needed. 

With the upcoming midterm elections signaling a potential change in party leadership in the House, there is a significant likelihood the federal budgeting process will fall victim to politicking over the next two years, preventing Congress from funding new programs or offices. This is why Congress must act now to ensure the House Intern Resource Office is enacted. 

An internship in government is the first step toward a career in public service. 

An enhanced level of support will open doors for countless prospective interns, further diversifying the talent and experience pool for generations to come. 

Taylor J. Swift is a policy advisor with Demand Progress, focusing on Congressional transparency, efficiency, capacity, and modernization.

Habiba Mohamed is the federal affairs manager with Pay Our Interns, working to end unpaid internships in the public and private sector. 



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