What does Congress in the US need to do to improve?

 What Congress Can and Should Do to Get More Done for the American People

Congress is currently one of the least effective and least trusted institutions in America. To genuinely serve the people better, it needs structural, procedural, and cultural changes — not just more bills or bigger spending.

Here is a clear, prioritized list of what Congress can and should do, ranked by potential impact:

1. Return to Regular Order and Fix the Legislative Process (Highest Impact)

• Stop governing by massive omnibus bills and last-minute CRs (continuing resolutions).
• Require single-subject bills with proper committee hearings, markups, and debate.
• Restore the regular appropriations process instead of kicking the can down the road.
• Result: Better laws, less corruption, more accountability, fewer hidden special-interest giveaways.

2. Dramatically Reduce the Scope of Federal Government

Congress should focus on its core constitutional duties and devolve or eliminate everything else:

• National defense and foreign policy
• Interstate commerce (narrowly defined)
• Rule of law, immigration enforcement, and border security
• Currency and basic economic framework

Cut or sunset departments and programs that are unconstitutional or failed (Education, Energy, HUD, large parts of HHS, etc.). This would free up resources and reduce bureaucratic drag.

3. Pass Structural Reforms (High Leverage)

Congress can pass (or start the process for):

• Term limits for Congress (constitutional amendment)
• Balanced Budget Amendment or strict spending caps
• Regulatory reform (e.g., REINS Act — major regulations must be approved by Congress)
• Sunset clauses on all major legislation (automatic expiration unless renewed)
• Budget process reform to end baseline budgeting
• Congressional stock trading ban with real enforcement

4. Focus on High-Impact, Bipartisan Priorities

Instead of endless culture-war theater, prioritize:

• Border security + merit-based immigration reform
• Entitlement reform (Social Security, Medicare) — the biggest long-term drivers of debt
• Tax simplification and pro-growth tax policy
• Energy dominance (all-of-the-above, including nuclear)
• Criminal justice reform focused on violent crime
• Basic infrastructure that actually builds things (not green pork)

5. Improve Accountability and Transparency

• Ban earmarks or require full public disclosure with strict limits.
• Real-time public tracking of all spending.
• Stronger ethics enforcement with independent oversight.
• Limit lobbying by former members (much longer cooling-off period).

Realistic Constraints

Congress cannot:

• Fix culture, family breakdown, or education quality by itself.
• Pass perfect laws in a polarized country.
• Override the Executive or Judiciary without proper constitutional process.

The biggest barrier is incentive structure — members are rewarded for raising money, media appearances, and blaming the other side, not for passing good policy.

SPOTM / A-Score Perspective

Most of what Congress currently does scores poorly on the A-Score (high statism, collectivism, short-term emotionalism). The reforms above would push scores much higher by:

• Increasing Freedom and Individualism
• Reducing Compelled Altruism and Statism
• Improving Reality and Reason in lawmaking

Bottom line: Congress doesn’t need to “do more.” It needs to do less, better — protect rights, enforce laws, secure borders, maintain a stable currency and defense, and get out of the way of the American people.

In addition:

Here’s more depth and additional ideas on how Congress can become more effective for the American people.

Additional High-Impact Reforms

6. Budget and Debt Control Mechanisms

• Enforce a debt ceiling that actually works — tie it to automatic spending cuts if breached.
• Adopt zero-based budgeting for agencies (justify every dollar annually instead of automatic increases).
• Create a Bipartisan Fiscal Commission with fast-track voting (like Base Realignment and Closure commissions) to force hard choices on entitlements.

7. Congressional Capacity & Staff Reform

• Reduce the size and power of personal and committee staff (many act as unelected legislators).
• Ban the revolving door more effectively (former members/staff cannot lobby for 5–10 years).
• Require members to spend more time in their districts instead of Washington.

8. Voting and Procedure Changes

• End the filibuster for budget and appropriations only (keep it for major legislation).
• Require recorded votes on all major amendments instead of voice votes.
• Limit the number of bills any member can sponsor per session to force prioritization.

9. Federalism Revival

• Pass laws that actively return power to states (block grants with fewer strings, repeal outdated federal mandates).
• Use the Commerce Clause more narrowly — stop regulating purely intrastate activity.

Historical Lessons

• The most productive recent Congresses (e.g., 1995–1996 under Gingrich/Clinton) succeeded through welfare reform, budget deals, and regular order.
• Major failures (e.g., 2010s–2020s) often involved massive omnibus bills and emergency declarations that bypassed normal debate.
• Eisenhower and Reagan eras showed that steady, principled leadership with limited but focused government produced better long-term outcomes than activist expansions (Great Society, Build Back Better, etc.).

Data Points on Current Dysfunction

• Congress passes fewer standalone bills than in previous decades.
• Over 80–90% of major legislation now comes via omnibus or must-pass bills with little debate.
• Public approval of Congress often hovers between 10–20%.
• The national debt has exploded partly because of Congress’s inability to make trade-offs.

What Individual Members Can Do Right Now

Even without majority control, members can:

• Co-sponsor and push structural reform bills (term limits, balanced budget amendment, REINS Act).
• Use the power of the purse aggressively during appropriations.
• Publicly expose wasteful spending and broken processes.
• Form cross-aisle working groups on narrow, high-value issues.

SPOTM Bottom Line

The single biggest thing Congress can do is shrink its own footprint and refocus on its constitutional role. When Congress tries to solve every problem through legislation, it usually makes things worse (unintended consequences, bureaucracy, debt, division). Real prosperity and problem-solving come from a free people operating under stable, limited, predictable rules.