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    "localId": "6713612",
    "label": "The Unelected Representatives on Capitol Hill",
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    "id": "6713612",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "The Unelected Representatives on Capitol Hill",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6713612",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford's Material from the Writing of \"A Time to Heal\"",
        "Interviews and Subject Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Legislative branch",
        "Presidential personal matters"
    ],
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    "naId": 6713612,
    "coverageEndDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1978-12-31",
        "year": 1978
    },
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        "dateQualifier": "ca.",
        "logicalDate": "1977-01-01",
        "year": 1977
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    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/12/7136/6713612/content/library/document/0065/atth-unelected.pdf",
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    "ocrText": "President Gerald R. Ford's handwritten reflections, 1977 or 1978\nScanned from the collection Gerald R. Ford: Materials from the writing of A Time\nTo Heal at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nWhile writing his autobiography, A Time to Heal (New York: Harper & Row, 1979), President\nGerald R. Ford composed a series of personal reflections on twenty-seven topics. What makes\nthese documents so unusual is not only their introspection but also their form. President Ford\nrecorded these observations by hand, writing in blue ball point on his favored yellow writing\ntablets. He did not expend time and energy to polish and edit his writing, apparently planning to\ndo so when incorporating them into the book. Therefore occasional spelling or grammatical\nerrors or incomplete thoughts appear.\nFor each reflection the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library has scanned President Ford's\nhandwritten document and added a Library-produced transcription below to aid in reading the\nreflection.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald R. Ford donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nthe unelected representatives on Capital Hill\nhave about 1960 an anmensely powerful\nof + women have been requilly uphanding\nin per & influence on Capital Ichill. mut of\nthis hard Guel are being lright, well iducated\nand hard writing. They work for musters of There\nHouse of Senate, fither in the Thes ofthe\non on The committee staff. Because of their specific\nexpertise They have a towendons smpket on the thinking\n+ dramn making of their respective losso,\nIn 1949 as a freshmen member of the House fny.\nhas been\n2 was allowed a staff of 3 tarth a salary allowmer of\nA. Today a House member is allowed 15 with a salary allowmer\nIn the 1950's Committee were finited in number,\na\nusually under the control 7 the charoman with some countries\nstate for M.S.\nto the minority vantaing member. Today on both the Home\n4 Smith side there has been a proliferation of sub-commettes\n& now with sub - committee channen of memority manking member\namount without\nhave one or more staff assestants. as a consequence The number\nof committee staff complayes has grown like typy. The note\nfrowth is for quarter than the growth in CNP + for speed\nthe growth in employees working in the executive branch\nthis group prepares memos for on their important borth used and\nconsequently directly affect The decisions made by the cleared\nrepresentatives. more ftem than not these individuals do not\nLome from The constitution of Their bossio of Therefore do not\nrepresent the views of The notals but home.\nBecause The Singless has been in control of one\npotitional party 28 out of the last 30 years smil 1949\nthem has been very lettle tumover in steff personnel or at\nleast in staff idealogy-\nThe net result is that many of the crucal\ndecisions made in The upolative branch are in effect\nmade by undected industrials who are immunizal\nfrom voter control. This is certainly not the contemplation\nof the framers the Constation\nalmittedly the domestic of from polices 7th 4.5\nare more complicated now than in 1949. Centernly The Compens\nshould be adequating staffed to challenge witness from the\nexecutive branch & effents from outside. yes, each Senstor of\nHouse member has more constituents than 30 yours ago,\nBut, the public must verye for their own good, that\nfor Them at their chopense of without much water intool as\nthere is a 4th branch of got that is making many deceives\nlong to you have virtually me party control 7th legative\nbranch of the federal government\nThe Unelected Representatives on Capitol Hill\nSince about 1960 an immensely powerful group of men & women have been rapidly\n[unrecognized word] in numbers & influence on Capitol Hill. Most of this newer breed are very\nbright, well educated, and hard working. They work for members of those House & Senate,\neither in the offices of the legislator or on the committee staffs. Because of their specific\nexpertise they have a tremendous impact on the thinking & decision making of their respective\nbosses.\nIn 1949 as a freshman member of the House of Rep., I was allowed a staff of 3 with a salary\nallowance of\n. Today a House member is allowed 15 with a salary allowance of\n.\n[written in margin: \"There has been a similar burgeoning of staff members for U.S.\nSenators.\" In the 1950's committee were limited in number, usually under the control of the\nchairman with some courtesies to the minority ranking member. Today on both the House &\nSenate side there has been a proliferation of sub-committees & now almost without exception\neach sub-committee chairman & minority ranking member have one or more staff assistants. As\na consequence the number of committee staff employees have grown like topsy. The rate of\ngrowth is far greater than the growth in GNP & far exceeds the growth in employees working in\nthe executive branch.\nThis group prepares memos for their bosses on important issues and consequently directly affect\nthe decisions made by the elected representatives. More often than not these individuals do not\ncome from the constituency of their bosses & therefore do not represent the views of the voters\nback home.\nBecause the Congress has been in control of one political party 28 out of the last 30 years since\n1949 there has been very little turnover in staff personnel or at least in staff ideology.\nThe net result is that many of the crucial decisions made in the legislative branch are in effect\nmade by unelected individuals who are immunized from voter control. This is certainly not the\ncontemplation of the framers of the Constitution.\nAdmittedly the domestic & foreign policies of the U.S. are more complicated now than in 1949.\nCertainly the Congress should be adequately staffed to challenge witnesses from the executive\nbranch & experts from outside. Yes, each Senator & House member has more constituents than\n30 years ago.\nBut, the public must realize, for their own good, that there is a 4th branch of govt that is making\nmany decisions for them at their expense & without much voter control as long as you have\nvirtually one party control of the legislative branch of the federal government."
}