Stephen Smith is the House Republican Conference’s new press secretary, working with Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.). He was previously communications director for Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.). Stephen is a 2010 graduate from the University of Indiana, Bloomington, with a BS in business.
Screen shot from Facebook.
Got a scheduling question involving Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV)? Ronald Mak is who you want to see, as he is the new scheduler in that office. Ronald was previously a policy fellow working on the House Financial Services Committee for the panel’s chairman, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). Ronald earned an MPA/MA in economics in 2017 from Syracuse University, and a BA in economics and political science from the University of Redlands in 2015. Continue reading “STAFF MOVES: Look Who’s Getting Promoted On The Hill”
Kate Gould is the new senior policy adviser to Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), following a stint as a foreign policy fellow at the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center. She is a 2007 graduate
Kate Gould (Screenshot from Facebook)
of Western Washington University with a BA in international development, political science and international relations. Gould was formerly a registered lobbyist for the Friends Committee on National Legislation.
Speaking of new faces, Jonathan Arias is now the senior defense policy adviser on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. The committee is chaired by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Arias has worked for the Florida senator since 2011. He lists as his hobby running triathlons. Continue reading “STAFF MOVES: Look Who Is Getting Promoted On The Hill”
Data compiled by Legistorm finds three Senate Republican freshmen among the top 10 best-paying solons in the upper chamber of Congress, according to a report published just before the Christmas break.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)
“Among the top ten highest paying Senate offices, three first-term senators made the list: Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) with a median office salary of $81,823, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) with a median of $75,728 and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) with a median of $75,275,” according to Legistorm.
Just outside the top 10 in the 11 spot came another GOP freshman, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), with a median average salary of $73,259.
Here’s hoping you had an absolutely wonderful holiday and that you are revved up about being back on Capitol Hill “tanned, rested and ready” for the second session of the 116th Congress in 2020.
Here’s what you can expect to find on HillFaith in coming months:
First, what they didn’t tell you in college about Jesus Christ, including the intellectually challenging multitude of facts, evidence and logic from history, science, archeology, medicine and personal experience. Give it a fair hearing and then decide for yourself what it means for you. He changed my life and He can yours, too.
Second, when I say “been there, done that, let’s talk,” it’s a humbly sincere invitation. I’ve spent four great years on a congressional staff and another three decades covering Congress and the rest of the federal government as a journalist. I love the Hill and have profound respect for the people who work here. And I just might have some insights that haven’t occurred to you. And always off-the-record!
Finally, working on the Hill is tough, exciting, frustrating, rewarding and valuable. There are moves afoot aimed at making working for a senator, representative, committee or congressional agency more fulfilling, effective and perhaps even lucrative. You’ll find news about these developments, too, plus regular looks at who is moving up and who is moving out.
There’s no other web site in the world like HillFaith, so enjoy it and let’s all together work to make America a better place for everybody here.
If this post looks familiar, that’s because it appeared on the site a couple of days ago when yours truly forgot to change “2019” to “2020” on the WordPress publication scheduling function. Don’t worry, it’s still 2020, not 2021! 🙂
There are times when, no matter what the evidence shows, the conclusion to which it points is, for whatever reason, so difficult to wrap our minds around, or so contrary to what we have long believed, that we simply refuse to accept it.
Screen shot from “One-Minute Apologist.”
That description undoubtedly fits a lot of folks working on Capitol Hill when the issue at hand is whether or not God exists. Probably no other issue in life is more subject to rationalization, avoidance and intellectual blinders.
When there are multiple factors pointing to a common causal conclusion, that’s significant but not necessarily decisive. When there are multiple factors from multiple categories of evidence that point to a common causal conclusion, that’s decisive.
J. Warner Wallace, NBC “Dateline” Cold-Case Detective, explains why in this video with “One-Minute Apologist Bobby Conway:
There’s a maxim from the 60s that says “everybody gets 15 minutes of fame” and maybe that explains why Russell Dye made the Style pages of The New York Times earlier this week.
Screen shot from NYT.
Whatever the reason, the reality is Dye, a Republican communications aide to Rep. Jim Jordan on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, wore a striking mint-green blazer and bow tie during one of the impeachment hearings and people noticed.
Dye is not alone, as another Jordan committee aide, Charli Huddleston, was seen on a stairway above a group of protesting Republican House members. The light was just right and it made her appear to either about to be beamed back to the USS Enterprise or taken up into heaven ala the prophet Elijah.
And don’t ask Janae Frazier, press secretary for Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) about that pizza incident that made Twitter and then a bunch of other places, too! “I was like, ‘WHAT? All this for being hungry?’” Frazier told the Times Katherine Rosman.
Rosman also talked to several former Hill aides who shared some revealing stories about themselves and their experiences working in Congress.
You can read Rosman’s excellent story on these Hill aides who suddenly and unexpectedly found themselves in the spotlight by clicking here. Enjoy!
There’s a new deputy chief of staff for Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.)and the name is Jefferson Deming. Deming is moving up from the legislative director slot in the same office. He’s a 2012 Vanderbilt University graduate in political science and government.
Jefferson Deming (Screen shot from his Facebook page).
As the accompanying photo from his Facebook page shows, Deming is seriously into moving up. Be nice to him, too, because he lists among his former jobs being a summer roustabout on an off-shore drilling rig. That’s no job for the faint-hearted!
Heather Sager (Screen shot from her Facebook page).
Heather Sager is the new communications director for Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.). Heather got her law degree in 2010 from the University of Indiana School of Law and her BA in philosophy and international studies from Saint John’s University in 2007. This is her first Hill position, so welcome, Heather!
