In Washington D.C., you are constantly hearing the phrase “how the sausage is made” to describe the political process. Capitol Hill, where most people think the sausage is made, draws all the attention. Everyone’s fixation is on the most pressing legislation, the congressional press releases, and what Congress accomplishes while in session. But what happens after Congress passes a vast stimulus package or omnibus bill? Where does that hot-topic piece of legislation go after the congressional process? The answer is the Executive Branch, which enforces these laws within the administrative state. While much of the political process focuses on the legislative process, it is essential to know about the regulatory process and how regulations affect the art of governing.

First, it is critical to understand the roles of a congressional law and a regulation issued by an agency. Laws go through the bill process before becoming established as a law. Like School House Rock exhibited, the theory of passing a bill is simple, pass an identical bill through the House and Senate and then get the president to sign it into law. In reality, the process is anything but simple. Just like sausage, the actual process is extremely messy. Members of each house have to introduce the bills for its first reading, committees have to have hearings and amendments on the legislation, then floor debates on the second reading, and a final vote is then necessary. After all this, it must go through the same process in the second chamber. Eventually, if everything works ideally, the bill will go to the president’s desk for signature.

After the president signs legislation into law, the Executive Branch departments and agencies must implement it. This passover to the Executive Branch is where the regulatory process goes into full effect. A regulation is a statement issued by a federal agency with the force and effect of law. A governmental agency creates a regulation, often to actually implement a given law. These rules specify the requirements necessary to fulfill and enforce legislation passed by Congress.

Unlike a bill, the rule-making process does not go through the legislative process. Within the rule-making process, the general idea is that an agency holds a public hearing on a given rule and then decides to adopt, change, or decline a rule. Just like the passage of a bill, the rule-making process can break down into smaller parts. First, the rule-making process can be spurred by agency initiatives – regulations under the agency’s statutory authority, or by statutory mandates – regulations stemming from the passage of a law. Next, these agencies publish proposed rules in the Federal Register and allow the public to provide comments. Finally, the Federal Register publishes the final rule with an implementation date.

The legislative and regulatory processes are mammoths, each with different branches of government in mind. Like sausages, some argue that the laws and rules should never be watched made. However, it is essential to know how these two processes govern the laws and authorities of the federal government to lobby for changes within the policy process.

 

Clayton Elbel
The Fertilizer Institute
Washington, D.C. | Summer 2021

Coming to D.C. for an internship is daunting but thrilling. Especially, when like me, you arrive in a big city you’ve never been to before and will be living with people you have never met. Little did I know that the girls of 434 would soon become lifelong friends almost instantaneously. The directors of the program, Erin and Stephanie, said before coming to D.C. that they had great luck in the past with assigning roommates. I can say that they hit the pot of gold with their assignments this summer. Devin, Ryleigh, Payton, and I have become inseparable in the big city. As a cherry on top, Devin and I have the exact same birthday, the odds being the same as becoming best friends with your randomly assigned roommates…These girls have become not only my biggest support system but also a piece of home while being 1,425 miles from College Station. In just four weeks we have braved the metro system, explored the National Mall at night, and visited the Virginia beaches. Between endless laughter and sweet conversations, these girls have quickly become lifelong friends, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer holds for us! So if you’re nervous as I was about being away from home with new people, trust the process. Plus you never know, your future best friends may just be a few feet away!

Tori Teegarden
Office of Congressman Pete Sessions
Washington, D.C. | Summer 2021

 

The National Mall is centrally located in Washington, DC stretching over 2 miles from the Lincoln Memorial on the west end to the U.S. Capitol on the east end. The mall encompasses and is surrounded by museums, statues, historical landmarks, food trucks, people, animals, the list goes on. I may be the only one that did not know this, but for those who may not, you can play sports in, on, and around the National Mall. Yes, sports. Baseball, softball, soccer, flag football, track & field, wrestling, etc. People get creative. You can go for a jog on the pebble-like track around the grass, make snow or grass angels, take your dog for a walk, or anything you can think of (that is legal, of course). The craziest part about it, is that you can casually walk to a spot and claim your area. Of course, this would be easier to do with a group of people, so let me tell you how to do it if you are new to town.

The Hill is full of young people who love to play sports. Many of the staffers are already involved in something. This season in my office, it is softball. I personally would have never known this if I did not make it a point to strategically implement a conversation in the office to the right people. We work long hours, must commute, network, and typically sports end at dusk. Every office is different, and you may be invited on the first day or not at all if you do not try. Talk to the staff members and tell them what you like to do. If it is a sport that the National Mall physically does not support, such as swimming, they will be able to tell you where to go or who to talk to. If you engage with the staff and it is a failed attempt, casually bring it up to the head honcho in the office, or someone very close to him/her. Who you work for will more than likely be interested in what you do or at least want to leave you with a good impression to send back home. Talk to them, network, and tell them what you are interested in. Sports is an amazing way to get to know people outside of the office, triple your Hill network base, and make friends.

Not interested in sports? The advice still applies. You have an interest. At this point, you should know at the very least that you are interested in policy. Learn the positions of the office staffers and employees. Ask them to go on a coffee break, catch them in the break room, or message them on teams if they seem intimidating or too busy for a chat. Only one person in my office read my resume, which is the same person that hired me. Do not walk into the office and assume people know who you are, what you do, where you go or went to school, what you are interested in, or literally anything about you. If people do not know you, they will treat you as a stranger. If you say you are interested and are given a task on that interest, put your heart and soul into that project. People will start to love to work with you, send you more projects, talk to you more, introduce you more, and again, the list goes on. Work hard, play hard. Everything you do on the Hill will leave an impression with someone. How do you want to be remembered?

Meghan McGowan
Office of Congressman August Pfluger
Washington, D.C. | Summer 2021

While interning in D.C., I’ve learned many lessons — the unspoken rules of the Metro, how to fit a dodge truck into a relatively small parking garage, and how to attempt to budget during weekend trips. While I could certainly write more than a few blog posts on all of those lessons and more, I wanted to share the lessons I’ve learned while interning in a congressional office on the Hill.

1. Be willing to learn. This is the first lesson for a reason. While interning on the Hill, you’ll be asked to do a variety of tasks. For example, answering phones, batching mail, running errands, and writing memos are all things you might be asked to do.  Some of these tasks may be fairly simple, while others might be outside of your comfort zone or something you’re completely unfamiliar with. Whatever the task is, being willing to learn how to do it to the best of your ability will take you far in your internship. Also, you may find you’re learning skills that will be valuable for years to come.
2. Make friends and build a network. Like Texas A&M University, the Capitol seems huge… until you realize how easy it is to run into people you know. While interning, get to know as many people as you can, whether they’re fellow Aggies outside of the program, other interns in your office, or just people you meet along the way. You’ll be building a professional network, and you’ll find your work week is much more enjoyable when you have friends to run into in the halls and at lunch.
3. Share your passions and your interests. As said above, you’ll be asked to do a variety of tasks for your office. However, if you share with your office staff what you’re interested in they are more likely to give you tasks in your interest area. For example, you may be asked to write a memo in a policy area you’re interested in if you discuss that with your legislative aides. Or, if you’re interested in photography, you might work with your office press secretary. Either way, your office won’t know what you’re interested in if you don’t communicate that.
4. Do your best always. No matter what you’re working on, do your best and give your all. Your office will take note of your hard work and may assign you bigger projects. Additionally, you’ll be building your reputation and learning skills you’ll carry with you into your future career opportunities.

These are the four main lessons that have served me while interning in a Congressman’s office. In the short month I’ve been here, I’ve learned so much and I’m looking forward to learning so much more. I hope if you’re considering or pursuing an ANRP Internship, this has been helpful. So, which lesson do you think will be most important to your success?

Payton Ramsey
Office of Congressman Michael Cloud and Office of Congressman Louie Gohmert
Washington, D.C. | Summer 2021

Working in a congressional office can be hectic. However, there are times when the office gets slow, and you start to think about your lunch, but it is only 10. Even worse, you think about the chicken parmesan you are cooking at home that night and then realize it’s only 3:15. Luckily, since the district you work for has a Mars Bars Factory, you can run over to the kitchen and grab something to hold you over. However, the best part is the small-scale trade wars that are occurring throughout the day when an office gets slow and people are craving something to snack on. Below are the tricks of the trad(ing) that have helped our office.

1. Do not cold call offices for trades.

Cold calling an office shows weakness and a little bit of desperation. By doing so, they immediately get the upper hand and then hold all the cards. On the flip side of that, if someone else cold calls, let them tell you everything their office has. Beware though, if someone is cold calling, its usually because they are either trying to trade a perishable or something that is expired. The best way to bring up trade so far that I have noticed is casually mentioning a snack you recently had.

1. If you are not getting the right snacks, you do not have to trade.

This one is relatively straightforward; if they are trying to trade something that you do not want, there is no obligation for you to do so. Someone might try to make it sound like that through an email or over the phone, but it is not true.

1. Always go to their office to trade and bring another intern.

This part can be tricky. Speaking from experience, it can get dicey, and an ambush is very possible. However, if you bring another intern, the odds of a failed trade go down significantly. While there you can always see if they will throw anything extra in to sweeten the deal.

ADVANCED LEVEL ONLY:

1. Show up with less than agreed upon. Or at least make it seem that way.

If you show up into the office with less than agreed upon and your office is far away, more often than not, they will still want to make a trade and you might be able to get more per case of Dr. Pepper than you would have with two. The best part about this is you can always leave one out the door. That way if they become hesitant, but your office still wants to make the trade, all bets are not off yet.

If you are willing to stick to this advice before you know it, the LA who covers trade policy in your office might become quite impressed. Now, does a snickers sound good or what?

Below is the Washington Nationals baseball game we went to; the snacks here were not as easy to acquire.

Ryan Rakowitz
Office of Congressman Kevin Brady
Washington, D.C. | Summer 2021