Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch

Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch helps students understand the individual members who operate the pulls-and-levers of the branch to achieve their legislative goals. Instead of introducing Congress through abstract theories or a list of procedures and processes, Casey Burgat and Charles Hunt walk students through the inner workings of Congress and how its members have come to see their jobs as representatives. Beyond passing legislation, representation includes how members communicate with their constituents, act in their home districts, and reflect the people whom they are tasked to serve. Discussing member motivations, purposes, backgrounds, and constraints allows students to thoroughly engage with how Congress, government, and politics fulfill their core responsibilities to the American people.

Casey Burgat is an Assistant Professor and the director of the Legislative Affairs program at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. Prior to joining GWU, Dr. Burgat was a Senior Governance Fellow at the R Street Institute where his research focused on issues of congressional capacity and reform. Dr. Burgat writes regularly for both scholarly and journalistic publications, including CNN, the Washington Post, Politico, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and Congress and the Presidency. He regularly appears on a variety of television and radio outlets. 

Previously, Casey served as a staffer at the Congressional Research Service. There served in the Executive Branch Operations and the Congress & Judiciary sections. There, he was responsible for responding to congressional requests about federal rulemaking, issues of congressional reform, the president’s role in federal budgeting, federal advisory committees and congressional staffing.

Casey received a masters degree from George Washington University and his doctorate in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Sara and two children.

Charles Hunt is an Associate Professor of Political Science in Boise State University’s School of Public Service. He is also the author of Home Field Advantage: Roots, Reelection, and Representation in the Modern Congress, which assesses the local roots that members of Congress do (or do not) have in the local communities they represent, and the representational and electoral consequences of these roots.

He conducts research broadly on Congress, elections, representation, and political geography that has appeared in academic journals like the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and American Politics Research. His research has also been featured in journalistic outlets like The Washington Post, USA Today, US News and World Reports, and The Conversation.

Charlie received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Brown University before serving as Director of Public Affairs for a political consulting firm in Providence, Rhode Island. He then received his doctorate in Government & Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2019. Charlie lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife Keara and his dogs Rhody and Pennie.