The Congressional Research Service and the Government Accountability Office are examples of

The U.S. Congress is responsible for approving new laws and revising existing laws dealing with homeland security. Congressional committees are responsible for funding federal agency programs and overseeing the management performance of these programs. These committees and congressional support organizations issue a variety of reports and statistics on federal homeland security programs. Examples include:

  • Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

    The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) provides the Congress with objective, nonpartisan, and timely information, analyses, and estimates related to federal economic and budgetary decisions.

  • Congressional Record

    Contains text of congressional debate, bills, and recorded votes on legislation. Issues cost estimates for legislation reported by congressional committees.

  • Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

    The Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service (CRS) presents unbiased reports on various public policy issues for members of Congress, their staff, and the American public.

  • Government Accountability Office (GAO)

    Evaluates management performance of government programs.

  • House Appropriations Committee

    The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Committee regulate expenditures of money by the government of the United States.

  • House Committee on Un-American Activities

    Hearings and documents by this controversial mid-20th century U.S. congressional committee.

  • House Homeland Security Committee

    The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Its responsibilities include U.S. security legislation and oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.

  • House Oversight & Government Reform Committee

    The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It has authority to investigate the subjects within the Committee’s legislative jurisdiction as well as "any matter" within the jurisdiction of the other standing House Committees.

  • United States Senate Appropriations Committee

    The United States Senate Committee on Appropriations is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee is the largest committee in the U.S. Senate, with 30 members in the 117th Congress.

  • Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee

    Committee responsible for confirming presidential appointments such as the Secretary of Homeland Security and overseeing the Department of Homeland Security.

The House works closely with a variety of partners including the Senate, Library of Congress, Architect of the Capitol, Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Service, Government Printing Office and Government Accountability Office. These agencies provide assistance to and support services for Congress.

Civics refresher, here we come. The legislative branch is composed of two bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the agencies that support members of Congress, such as the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office.

Review of Congress

The House, sometimes referred to as “the people’s house” has 435 voting representatives, with each state’s number of representatives based on its population. Since population numbers are based on the decennial census count, the number of representatives for a state could change every 10 years. Each rep‘s term is two years and, since you’re here because you’re interested in a job, you should know that House offices tend to have fewer employees than Senate offices.

The District of Columbia is represented by a delegate, as are the U.S. territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The person representing Puerto Rico, the fifth U.S. territory, is called a resident commissioner but plays the same role as a delegate. None of these elected officials has full voting rights in the House, meaning they can only cast votes in committees and in some House floor proceedings, but still function as other members of the House in providing services to constituents.

The Senate has 100 senators—two per state no matter the population—each of whom serves for a six-year term. But those terms are staggered, every two years, a third of the senators are up for election. As for nonvoting members, no such thing here.

Working for Congress

When you look for work in Congress, you’ll find options to work either in a member’s Washington, D.C., office or in the home state office. Other places you could find jobs are in the congressional committees in D.C.; with congressional caucuses—formed by groups of members who coalesce around common goals and interests; for the offices of House and Senate party leaders; or for internal support offices such as the House or Senate Sergeant at Arms, or the Legislative Counsel.

Committee staff members are usually hired to work in policy areas that fall within the committee’s role—and prepare committee members for hearings, meetings and votes. For example, staff members on the House Veterans Affairs Committee work on issues related to veterans’ benefits, access to care and ensuring the Department of Veterans Affairs can best fulfill its responsibilities.

Congressional offices set their hiring procedures and qualifications independently from one another, although they do share some things, including resume banks. With that in mind, you should dig into the details about the offices you plan to apply to. Find info on vacancies and resume banks here for the House of Representatives and here for the Senate. In addition, House Republicans and Democrats maintain separate party-based resume banks at the GOP Resume Bank and Democrats Resume Bank.

Congressional Agencies

Members of Congress and their staffs count on support from several nonpartisan legislative agencies you might consider:

  • The Government Accountability Office does oversight, evaluations, investigations and audits of federal programs, to help improve government services and save taxpayer dollars. Learn more about GAO careers here.
  • The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, and Congress’ main research arm. It’s home to the Congressional Research Service, whose task it is to provide authoritative, objective and nonpartisan analysis to lawmakers and their staffs. Learn more about CRS careers here.
  • Positions at both the Government Accountability Office and Library of Congress can also be found on USAJOBS, the federal government’s official employment website.
  • The Congressional Budget Office does independent budget and economic analyses of federal programs and proposed legislation. Learn more about CBO careers here.

What to Know About Congressional Internships

Congressional internships offer a unique opportunity to learn about the legislative branch and the lawmaking process, and they’re an excellent way to prepare for careers in government.

What to Know About Congressional Jobs

What is the purpose of the congressional research Services?

The Congressional Research Service serves the Congress throughout the legislative process by providing comprehensive and reliable legislative research and analysis that are timely, objective, authoritative, and confidential, thereby contributing to an informed national legislature.

What does Government Accountability Office do quizlet?

-Creation of Government Accountability Office (GAO) which reviews and audits the federal budget.

Is the Congressional Research Service?

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation.

What is an important function for the Congressional Research Service quizlet?

What is the role of the Congressional Research Service (CRS)? To respond to congressional requests for information and provide members with nonpartisan studies.