There is greater accountability for those who engage in threatening and abusive behavior toward Congressional offices.
Why This Matters
Threats received by Members and their Congressional offices have substantially increased throughout the 2020s. Prior to 2023, if an aggressive caller was connected to an office through the Capitol switchboard, caller ID information would be dropped in the transfer. This limited an office's ability to track and record threats. In discussing the security risks and challenges associated with this data transfer issue, ModCom made recommendation #190, to encourage the inclusion of caller ID information to be transferred with an individual’s call.
How It Happened
In addition to ModCom recommendation #190, Members and staff continued to raise issues of not being able to collect information of threatening and abusive callers to the Committee on House Administration.
In April 2024, CHA announced enhancements enabling Member offices to identify the phone numbers of callers connected through the switchboard. This improvement will significantly bolster the US Capitol Police's capabilities in identifying and investigating individuals who make threatening or harassing calls to Member offices. Additionally, it will provide staff with a contact number to use when following up with constituents.
The Impact
With threats against Members of Congress, their family members, and staff at record highs, the ability for staff to collect and report the caller ID information of threatening and abuse calls to the US Capitol Police is essential to mitigating threatening interactions, increasing accountability, and improving Member, family, and staff safety.
Glossary
ADA = Americans with Disabilities Act
AOC = Architect of the Capitol
CHA = Committee on House Administration
CAO = House Chief Administrative Officer
CDTF = Congressional Data Task Force
COLA = Cost-of-Living Adjustment
CPF = Community Project Funding
CR = Continuing Resolution
GAO = Government Accountability Office
GAO STAA = The Government Accountability Office’s Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics team
GenAI = Generative Artificial Intelligence
HIRO = House Intern Resource Office
HDS = House Digital Service
LIS = Legislative Information Service
LLM = Large Language Model
MIA = Modernization Initiatives Account
ModCom = The House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress
ModSub = Subcommittee on Modernization (ModSub) within the Committee on House Administration
MOU = Memorandum of Understanding
NMO = New Member Orientation
OCWR = Office of Congressional Workplace Rights
