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Daniel Schuman

@americalabs.org
15K followers 797 following 1.1K posts

Progressive institutionalist with an interest in modernizing Congress and strengthening our democracy. Bluesky is my penance for working at an org that once encouraged Congress to tweet. Like what you see? More at firstbranchforecast.substack.com

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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 23/09/2026
@ericm.cd has an excellent report for @npr.org on the extent to which Senate staff can use AI in their daily work. www.npr.org/2026/09/23/n...
npr.org
As Congress confronts AI, Senate lawmakers are shut off from its most advanced tools
While Senate offices have access to chatbots like ChatGPT, they are not authorized to use any of the more advanced tools that are at the center of regulatory talks and public debate about AI safety.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 21/09/2026
Congress, and Congress alone, should appoint the next GAO director. This is the opinion of two dozen bipartisan organizations that argue Congress should first fix the appointment process and then select the new Comptroller General. How? firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/congress-s...
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
Congress Should Appoint the Next GAO Leader
AGI’s letter on Comptroller General appointment; Democratic factions need to push back on proposed caucus rules changes
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 11/09/2026
The system is still blinking red. firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/the-system...
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
The System is Still Blinking Red
Twenty-five years after 9/11, time is running out
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 31/08/2026
This Wednesday, the Rules Committee will hear member testimony on reforming the House. It's no secret that Congress (and the House specifically) is in shambles. What I think--and what people generally don't understand--is that's because it's transforming into something else.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 24/08/2026
What will is really take to fix Washington and encourage Congress to check a democracy-threatening presidency? @napawash.bsky.social's Blockwood and I had a spicy conversation on their podcast. napawash.buzzsprout.com/1073332/epis...
napawash.buzzsprout.com
Rebalancing Power and Modernizing The First Branch of Government with Daniel Schuman of the American Governance Institute - Management Matters with James-Christian Blockwood
Daniel Schuman of the American Governance Institute joins Management Matters host James-Christian Blockwood this week!Are we in a “crisis point” for U.S. institutions driven by expanded presidential p...
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 17/08/2026
@politico.com's Owen Dahlkamp published an excellent article on AI's limits when drafting legislation in Congress, featuring interviews with the people who built & oversaw AI drafting and comparison technology for Congress.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 07/08/2026
For 81 years, a little-known investigative team inside House Appropriations dug into how the federal government spent taxpayer dollars. Then the team disappeared. Now there’s another problem: much of its extraordinary archive appears to be missing.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 06/08/2026
HSGAC's vote to hold Fauci in contempt has big implications for a strong Congress... and for holding Pres. Trump accountable in the future. How so, you might ask? firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/faucis-con...
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
Fauci’s Contempt Vote Has Big Implications for a Strong Congress
It sets a precedent for how Congress holds the Trump administration to account
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 29/07/2026
What's happening inside Congress to modernize its operations and make legislative data available to everyone? As it turns out, a lot! congressionaldata.org/legislative-...
congressionaldata.org
Legislative Data Update: July 29, 2026 | Congressional Data Coalition
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 23/07/2026
My chat with James Wallner start with "a magical, storied mountain, at the top of which are a group of people in robes." It cuts to pivotal moment where there's a flash of light, puff of smoke, and ascension of a mere senator to a committee, or perhaps even to committee chair.
static.klipy.com
DMT Ascension: Rainbow Stairway
ALT: DMT Ascension: Rainbow Stairway
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Reposted by Daniel Schuman
Chris Nehls @nehls.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
The threats made against Congress -- 15k last year alone -- are rising. To understand the problem better, @americalabs.org and I interviewed US Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan. He was open and thoughtful and we really appreciate the opportunity firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/interview-...
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
Interview: U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan
We discuss with the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police how the department investigates the thousands of threats against Congress and its continuing efforts at reform.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 15/06/2026
The Congressional Data Task Force is one of the legislative branch’s most important modernization forums. It began as a working group on releasing Congress.gov data & now brings together internal + external stakeholders to improve congressional data, tools & standards
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Chris Nehls @nehls.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
For our latest interview, @americalabs.org and I spoke with former Rep. Brian Baird, who is a defender of Congress, promoter of public service, and clinical psychologist, about member security and the toll of January 6. It's an audio and transcript interview for those who need more podcast
open.substack.com
Rep. Brian Baird
Former Rep. Brian Baird is also a clinical psychologist. We ask him how members and staff are dealing with the current threat environment
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 31/05/2026
Just a reminder that Ari Fleischer is a terrible human being.
Tweet from Ari Fleischer: 'The Democrats do a January 6th every day, every week. Their target is ICE.

J6 was a riot.

THIS is an insurrection."
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 27/05/2026
It was very kind of the @opengovpartnership.org to write about my work to open up government (and use a photo from when I was much younger). Many people keep showing up, year after year, in support of U.S. government transparency, and I'm inspired by them. www.opengovpartnership.org/stories/thos...
opengovpartnership.org
Those Who Keep Showing Up - Open Government Partnership
In March 2026, at the OGP’s Washington D.C. offices a short distance from the US Capitol, I met Daniel Schuman, a man who had spent fifteen years quietly transforming how Congress shares information w...
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 26/05/2026
On Wednesday the House made fateful decisions regarding funding for the legislative branch. I was there until just before midnight watching the proceedings. Should GAO be cut? What about member security? Sexual harassment? Read about it here: firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/restarting...
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
Restarting the Legislative Branch Appropriations Game
Part one of our analysis of the institution-shaping package
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 23/05/2026
This is so much fun. Stephen Colbert, back on public access in Monroe... 11 years later. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJTX...
youtube.com
Only In Monroe --- May 22, 2026
YouTube video by Stephen Colbert
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 22/05/2026
Thank you @pkcapitol.bsky.social and @535news.bsky.social for giving me the opportunity to talk about spending on Congress and the recent court opinion on member pay. It's a fundamental truth that we get what we pay for -- and we deserve better. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W16...
youtube.com
052126 Thurs Interview PK Schuman
YouTube video by 535 News
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 21/05/2026
Whoah. As @hoyer.house.gov is arguing to member COLA, court issues opinion that says (cursory look) 27th amendment stops approps from varying pay in the way it has for 15 years. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 20/05/2026
In years' past I've live tweeted the House and Senate Legislative Branch Appropriations markups. I'm now in Rayburn 2359, the hearing starts at 11 (although it's unclear if energy & water or leg branch will go first). Anyone interested in a running commentary?
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 14/05/2026
The House Administration Committee just unanimously reported an important bill to update how the Librarian of Congress and GPO Director are appointed and removed. It will now be up to Congress. This is a big step forward for leg branch independence. @houseadmdems.bsky.social
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 14/05/2026
Congress's ethics and accountability system doesn't work. They must rethink and rebuild an entirely new system. In the meantime, today we published 5 steps the House can take right now to address its ethics crisis. They are:
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 11/05/2026
What if the problem with the House isn’t “chaos,” but that it isn’t chaotic enough? That the over-managed chamber is itself the problem? This runs against many veteran congressional observers, who see strong leadership control as the cure for dysfunction.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 04/05/2026
As part of our series of bad puns on star wars day that focus on Congress -- and in light of SCOTUS's decision in Calais -- we present to you ... the Umpire Strikes Back firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/do-or-do-not
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
The Umpire Strikes Back
THE PHANTOM MENACE: APPROPRIATIONS
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 29/04/2026
House Republican leadership has come up with an abysmal funding bill for Congress that would cut GAO by 20%, remove its impoundment power, and set legislative funding levels that appear to be an effort to lock in Congress's decline. firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/there-they...
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
There They Go Again: House Approps Proposes to Starve Congress
Funding levels imposed from above will compromise Congress's capacity
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 29/04/2026
Well, that's nonsense. House Republican Appropriators are once against trying to prevent GAO from litigating when the president has made an impoundment, which are (of course) illegal. H/T @nehls.bsky.social
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 29/04/2026
I'm starting to read the just released leg branch approps committee mark for the House, and it still has the antiquated "death gratuity." Life insurance now exists and this practice is no longer welcome.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 27/04/2026
Congress has an intelligence undersight problem. The fight over FISA renewal underscores how surveillance hawks have the upper hand when it comes to controlling the institution, and they use it to make Congress weak, not strong. firstbranchforecast.substack.com/i/195549748/...
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
Power Outages
Appropriators risk a surge of legislative branch problems with budget top line; Members struggle to overcome leaders' advantages in FISA Section 702 extension fight
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 12/04/2026
The Swalwell matter raises a lot of uncomfortable questions for Congress. So, of course, we dove right in. firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/a-crisis-i...
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
A Crisis in Ethics
The shocking allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell point to the institutional failures of Congress to police itself
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 12/04/2026
I apologize for asking a multi-part question on the operations of the House of Commons, @ruthfox.bsky.social @darcyxtip.bsky.social, so please accept my appreciation for your taking it on in your excellent podcast, Parliament Matters. Hearing your answer was a pleasant surprise on today's walk.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 22/03/2026
Was at the @archive.org last week and saw an old friend.
A photo of an Appel IIGs, including 3.5" hard drive.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 02/03/2026
There are few places today where Congress has a real opportunity to write laws. A big one is the appropriations process. That's why I'm so pleased to share with you our appropriations playbook for appropriations advocacy & our recs for what provisions Congress should adopt to strengthen itself.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 02/03/2026
The war started Friday. Congress is objecting — some Members threatening a War Powers Resolution, demanding briefings, asking for votes. That’s not meaningless. But it’s not sufficient. This week’s First Branch Forecast explains why.
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Chris Nehls @nehls.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
This is a fun one - @americalabs.org and I interviewed Steny Hoyer soon after he announced retirement. Too much to summarize here, check it out
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
Interview: Rep. Steny Hoyer
We interviewed Rep.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 12/02/2026
Should Republicans lose their majority in the House of Representatives mid-session, how exactly could Democrats assert control? We have the answer to that question from Max Spitzer, who previously served in the House Parliamentarian's Office.
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
Switching Party Control in the House Mid-Congress
Guest author Max Spitzer
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 04/02/2026
Announcing the replacement of the CIA Fact Book with the presidential vibe book. www.cia.gov/stories/stor...
cia.gov
Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell - CIA
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 04/02/2026
What has happened at the Washington Post is horrible.
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Jim Saksa @jimsaksa.com · 04/02/2026
So, the filibuster fiasco is going down precisely how @americalabs.org said it would: Facing demands from Luna to kill it, Thune was like "uh, we'll think about it" and that was enough for her www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
democracydocket.com
Will Republicans kill the filibuster to pass Trump’s voter suppression bill?
Trump can rail against Senators who vote ‘no’ on a bill, but he can’t threaten to primary them when there is no vote on a bill.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 31/01/2026
I just canceled my subscription to @wired.com, which is unfortunate. Their reporting is excellent and I want to encourage great journalism. But their website and access to it is awful, especially their app, and I'm so frustrating I'm giving up.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 28/01/2026
Statement on the U.S. Government's withdrawal from the Open Government Partnership. Also online here: americalabs.org/2026/01/28/s...
United States Quits Open Government Partnership
Civil society groups had pressed U.S. to meet transparency commitments

January 28, 2026 — The United States has formally withdrawn from the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a voluntary international collaboration founded in 2011 by eight countries, including the United States, to advance government transparency, participation, and accountability in partnership with domestic civil society organizations.

In March 2025, eleven civil society organizations urged the Open Government Partnership to place the United States under review for "rolling back existing flagship commitments," and calling for U.S. suspension if the administration failed to work with civil society to advance meaningful transparency commitments. A July 2025 letter renewed the request, citing accelerating attacks on government transparency, across anti-corruption efforts, civic space, fiscal openness, justice, and the foundation of open government. 

A December 2025 OGP report found that "the second Trump administration revoked or replaced several executive orders that supported key commitments, including those related to equity, data transparency, and law enforcement accountability. It also disbanded the federal advisory committee in February 2025. These actions have undermined or halted the continuity and durability of reforms initiated during the action plan cycle."

The U.S. government withdrawal statement, signed by General Services Administration Administrator Edward Forst, was replete with misstatements and omits the fact the first Trump administration participated in the Open Government Partnership. The statement takes no responsibility for its dismantling of the domestic Open Government Federal Advisory Committee. Nor does it note the administration's increasing attacks on the press, the removal of data from government websites, the failure to collect and share information about government activities.

The following statement may be attributed to Daniel Schuman, executive director of the American Governance Institute and former chair of the Open Government Federal Advisory Committee:

"The Trump administration is not only the least transparent government in American history; its policies are antithetical to democracy, of which transparency is an essential element. Today's withdrawal from the Open Government Partnership is yet another data point in a broader pattern of opacity by this adminis…
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 26/01/2026
Something I've observed about "shut-down" politics in the Trump II era. The first calls for using the appropriations process to constrain Trumpism were for the FY25 appropriations bill in March 2025. The majority of Democrats & pundits rejected it out of hand, saying it would politically backfire.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 25/01/2026
Which algorithm did I piss off to get Asha in my feed? JFC, last time I interacted with her she was arguing why the USG need the power to surveil Americans without a warrant.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 25/01/2026
Soon from the Senate.... > The Department of Imperial Affairs is building a "Death Star." - We are. > Scary weapon. You've used it against civilian ships. My constituents are pissed. Don't do it again. We'll fund DIA, but attach a rider preventing you from using it vs the planet Hoth. - It's a deal.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 25/01/2026
Why would any Democrat or Republican vote to fund an agency that has used violence against American citizens and, if it receives continued funding, will continue to escalate that violence for the foreseeable future? What possible legislative limit on their behavior would you trust they'd follow?
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 25/01/2026
It appears Schumer has seen where his caucus members are going and is running to get ahead of them.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 24/01/2026
There's only one way out.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 24/01/2026
Children shouting "let us out, let us out" so loud you can hear it from the parking lot.
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 24/01/2026
The House moved from a strong committee chair system to a caucus system so the party and its leaders could impose policy uniformity on key issues. Cuellar is ranking member on the approps committee overseeing ICE and he voted to fund them. Why are Dems keeping him in that job?
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Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 21/01/2026
The Center for American Progress's nonstop promotion of Rahm Emanuel on Twitter says everything you need to know.
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