Congress has long been a punching bag for American dissatisfaction with their government or with the direction of the country. But its unpopularity keeps plumbing new depths, even as the major party polarization has strengthened. In short, Congress—the central democratic institution in the country—is hanging on by a thread. But its biggest liability might be its inability to reform itself. 

Maya Kornberg, a senior research fellow at the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program, has explored the ways that Congress has become increasingly inhospitable to change. The "Watergate babies" of 1974, the Contract with America conservatives of 1994, and the historic 2018 class fueled by backlash to Donald Trump all represent younger, more diverse, and less entrenched members who arrived in the capital energized and idealistic. Today, Kornberg says political violence, astronomical campaign costs, relentless fundraising demands, shrinking staff, and centralized party leadership all constrain the ability of new members to legislate and represent their constituents. Social media, while offering new platforms for political expression, has also heightened harassment and fed a performative culture that rewards spectacle over substance. 

Kornberg talked with dozens of individuals, examined congressional records, and heard from lawmakers past and present—including Henry Waxman, Toby Moffett, Phil English, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Lauren Underwood. She presents her findings in her new book Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress. In it, she chronicles the efforts of congressional reformers over the last 50 years and documents the mounting forces that have kept their reforms from creating meaningful change. Come hear her talk about the sobering portrait that emerged of a legislative body paralyzed by its own internal dynamics.