Dr. Douglas Went to Washington

About 11 months ago I went to Washington, D.C. to be a Congressional fellow. And, about one week ago I had my last day working in the U.S. Senate on Capitol Hill. Then, after I finished packing all of my belongings into my car, I drove back home to Massachusetts. So far, I have been readjusting to life on the Powwow River, doing some much needed weeding, unpacking, sorting, purging, and reorganizing, visiting friends and family, and settling into my new work office. Oh...and I have made no fewer than three trips to Hodgie's Ice Cream since I returned.

So, what does a year in Washington look like as a Congressional fellow?

Over a hundred hours spent in "training" sessions. Our first two weeks consisted of sitting in a hotel ballroom for 8-9.5 hours a day, with 170 other people, freezing our fanny off, and having different speakers hourly who educated us about Congress, Washington life, the three branches of government, the federal budget, careers post-fellowship, and more.

More "happy hours" than I have ever encountered in my life, since almost all business can be conducted over alcohol. When alcohol isn't involved, there are coffee meetings. Dozens of coffee meetings. During our training we were told that "coffee meetings are serious business in Washington." Truer words were never said. I've never had a cup of coffee in my life and yet I had many, many coffee meetings - to meet people professionally, offer guidance to young professionals, to commiserate over fellowship woes, to talk about life in Congress, to make connections for after Washington life, and more. For a life-long New Englander who was trained to be stoic and to not engage too much, it required a whole new skill set and one that I hope I will carry with me.

Many new modes of transportation for this previous non-urban dweller, including bike shares, Car2Go, Lyft, and Uber. Miles and miles of city blocks walked. Washington is a walking city. As someone who never likes to waste an opportunity to burn a calorie (so I can replace it with chocolate calories), I loved being able to walk everywhere. What took more adjustment is traveling after dark... The constant negotiations of how to cheaply stay safe. Metro to Union Station and take a taxi from there? Share a Lyft with a friend? See if I can find a Car2Go?

Thousands of hours in close proximity to others. Congress is no place for privacy, for elected officials or for staffers. Office space is at a premium and dozens of well-qualified staffers are squished into small spaces. No one uses "indoor voices." Everyone uses whatever damn voice they want to use and they do it within whatever proximity they are to everyone else. No one gets a private bubble in Congress. All conversations are heard by everyone. There is almost constant banter from someone, somewhere in Senate offices. And, as a result, hours and hours of listening to Mozart's Gran Partita with headphones on, not to mention, tens of hours spent in old Senate phone booths-turned-closets maneuvering myself around cans of paint, chairs, dollies, and the like, trying to have private conversations and on one occasion, even a job interview!

Dozens of questions asked daily about procedures of the Senate, motions to proceed, unanimous consent, talk-athon, vote-a-rama, continuing resolution, Congressional Review Act, filibuster, and so, so much more. Suffice it to say that most staffers are happy to share their knowledge of Congress and thus, are only too pleased to answer questions. If one really wants to learn about the operations of Congress, just go! I am convinced that there is no other way to really understand it.

Too many hours to count of reading the news from inside the Senate. Believe it or not, as I already referenced, location really matters. The ability to use Senate resources, to get emails from the Senate floor, and to ask questions, look up terms and concepts - it's invaluable.

Observing the endless "wow" factor on Capitol Hill by everyone. Regardless of how many years staffers have worked on the Hill, everyone is still in awe of the place around them, the significance of the work that they and others do, and the daily chance to see someone "important." Weekly, I heard stories about the presence of the Secret Service outside the Senate Office Buildings, law enforcement in the hallways, protesters being arrested in Senate offices, and stories about individual members of Congress. My favorite came from a relatively young staffer who happened to be getting coffee in the Senate cafeteria and spotted Senator Bernie Sanders. "Wow - that's Bernie!!! Play it cool man, play it cool. Just get your coffee and keep on moving," he recounted to me. The young man then proceeded to spill his coffee all over the floor in front of the Senator. The inspiration that staffers feel from the U.S. Congress is almost palpable, even when they are complaining about their workloads or the tremendous bulls*** that can go on in Congress. When they are at their lowest, they are still honored to be where they are and doing what they do.

An immediate group of new colleagues and friends. Everyone in my fellowship cohort was from "away." Like most Washingtonians, we were all transplants and didn't have many friends or family nearby. The early training sessions almost force bonding with other fellows. Our group breakfasts, lunches, and near-nightly happy hours left everyone with friends. I was lucky that the social/behavioral scientists and a few other folks almost immediately formed a social network and I formed friendships that I am sure --or at least I hope -- will last a lifetime.

Elizabeth, Emerald, Angelique, and me. I dubbed us the "vowel social scientists." This picture was taken before we went to "prom," which was the subject of a previous blog post. 

Dozens of hours meeting with stakeholders and constituents about all-matters on child welfare - people from professional societies, advocacy groups, and more. Hundreds of hours spent listening and learning how messages are crafted, how needs and desires are expressed, questions are asked, and American social welfare policy is explained in common language to those in attendance (and not by me!).

Over a hundred hours in staff meetings where I learned about the activities for each week in the personal office of the Senator for whom I worked and the same for the Senate Finance Committee.

More lunches and dinners out than I have had than in the previous five years of my life combined. Washington is a place where everyone eats out. Staffers rarely ever bring "home cooked" meals into the office. There are so many food options within the Capitol grounds and everyone takes full advantage of this. They even have soft serve ice cream, fresh-popped popcorn, and candy that is sold in bulk. I mean, com'on!! So, in other words, I ate well this past year and there are no complaints from me!

Attending dozens of briefings and the occasional hearing. Briefing are when interested parties, advocacy groups, professional societies, or others with a vested interest come to Capitol Hill and sponsor a 60-90 minute session on a given topic. I mostly attended briefings with regarding to all-things social welfare policy-related child welfare, foster care, mental illness, social justice, Medicaid, sex trafficking, and so forth. I also attended one hearing, when then-Representative Tom Price was being vetted to be Secretary for Health and Human Services. This was especially noteworthy because I broke ranks with the unspoken Washington dress code of black, gray, and navy blue, by wearing a fuchsia sports coat.

Visiting the Senate floor and being given "floor privileges," which really means that I had permission to visit the floor for either my own interests or on official business - such as staffing the senator while he spoke, delivering a message to the floor (since no electronic devices are allowed on the floor) and the like. Even more exciting - this granting of privileges was recorded in the Congressional Record.

Dozens of trips to Smithsonians and monuments. As best as I could, I visited museums and monuments. I believe that I made it to: American Portrait Gallery, American Gallery of Art, American Art Museum, Natural History Museum, Museum of American History (my favorite), Museum of African American History and Culture (my second favorite), National Museum of the American Indian, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Air and Space Museum, Anacostia Community Museum, the Postal Museum, S. Dillon Ripley Center, Sackler Museum, Smithsonian Castle, and the Holocaust Museum. (I cannot hyperlink all of those museums because I am feeling lazy, but my readers can click here to visit the website of the Smithsonians.) And, for monuments? I made it to see the Washington monument, Lincoln, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Jefferson, FDR, MLK, and more. Click here to read more about monuments in Washington.

Countless hours looking for the best airfares to fly home as often as I could and countless hours on airplanes and C & J Trailways actually getting home. Perhaps most important, millions of hours in "dog years" waiting for Emily to come home. 

Finally, Drake: Emily is home. 

There was so, so much more: running four times a week on the National Mall, visiting John Phillip Sousa's grave in the Congressional Cemetery, hearing the Marine band perform, visiting the Strathmore concert hall and hearing the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra perform, passing Senators King, Collins, Warren, Brown, and so many more in the hallways, participating in planned and impromptu protests, and on and on. Most important of all, perhaps, is that my understanding of Congress and how it works has fundamentally changed. And, I say this as someone who has a PhD in public policy. I'm not sure what I thought it was a year ago before I left. But, whatever I thought, it was inaccurate. Congress is so much bigger and more procedural and is like a machine that just keeps churning - even when it ceases to produce any widgets, it is still churning. Further, the role of staffers is never to be underestimated. Elected officials lay down broad parameters of values and priorities and the staffers jump in to do everything possible within those parameters. I was privileged to be a part of a Congressional team and to work within some of those parameters during my time on the Hill. I am so happy to be home, but like the staffers I encountered, I am in awe of Congress and how it works. In fact, I am more in awe of it than before I left. And, that my friends, is a pretty good place to be.

My welcome home team - our neighbor, Richard, and my old man, Neil

* A special thank you to everyone who followed my adventures and who mentioned to me - privately or publicly - that you enjoyed reading about my adventures on the Hill. Your comments kept me engaged and wanting to blog about my experiences. I'm sure I will enjoy revisiting these posts in the years to come.*