Simply Having a Wonderful Congress-time
POPVOX Foundation’s “Future-Proofing Congress” is a newsletter created for the busy Congressional staffer to keep you updated (and inspired!) about operational improvements and new resources on and off the Hill. Learn more and subscribe here.
Gratitude for the year almost behind us and the innovation ahead
It’s hard to believe, but we have (almost) made it through another year. I know the holiday season on the Hill is crunch time, between the end-of-year wrap-ups, last-minute bill-drops, and festive holiday parties that keep us out too late.
As the holidays approach, one of the things I look forward to every year is my Spotify Wrapped, which inevitably reminds me that I really should branch out from my usual list (I was in the top .7% of The Weeknd’s listeners worldwide, and I take great pride in this achievement). This year, POPVOX Foundation dropped our own “Wrapped.” A few highlights included:
Helping to advance the implementation of three Congressional modernization recommendations
Collaborating with legislatures and civil society organizations from 20 countries
Testifying before Congress — twice!
If we had a chance to meet at an event or in a Hill meeting this year, thanks for working with our team and for helping to make our work to support Congress truly worthwhile! We hope that you have some downtime planned with a holiday movie marathon and a pile of cookies big enough for the abominable snowman.
In this month’s edition, we will talk about:
The Pebble and the Boulder, and how it relates to the “pacing problem”
The CAO’s legacy of leadership and the opportunities ahead
A major AI mission from The White House, and developments to read up on before 2026
New campus highlights, including digital wayfinding signs
The NORAD Santa Tracker
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year,
Danielle Stewart
Advisor for Congressional Initiatives
POPVOX Foundation
A Moment of Gratitude and Connection During a Busy Season
If you joined us on December 3 for coffee and donuts before a busy work day, it was great to see you! Our POPVOX Foundation team brought treats and some much-needed morning positivity to more than 100 Congressional staffers. We were joined by partners from CapitolStrong, and it was our small way of thanking you and your coworkers, who show up through long shutdowns, packed schedules, and everything in between, to keep Congress running.
The real star of the morning was Teddy the therapy dog, who provided snuggles and a calming presence to kick off everyone’s day. Teddy and his owner Debbie are volunteers with the Maryland chapter of Pet Partners, a nationwide organization that participates in millions of therapy animal visits annually. If you missed us, do not worry: we are already working on getting Teddy back for a return visit!
The Congressional Management Foundation, CNCT, HillClimbers, and the Ashley Julyan Group joined us to provide helpful materials and support. We are looking forward to connecting with you again soon!
Five Scenarios for How AI Could Reshape Legislative Work (aka “The Pebble and the Boulder”)
POPVOX Foundation Executive Director and Cofounder Marci Harris joined Foundation Fellow Beatriz Rey in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at a conference on the future of responsible AI in legislatures. Hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Malaysian Parliament, 235 parliamentarians and staff from 65 countries attended the event.
Marci moderated the first session focused on how AI might reshape legislative work in the coming years, and introduced five scenarios for discussion. She shared a parable from Vint Cerf (the “Father of the Internet”): imagine a giant boulder threatening to roll down a mountain and destroy your village. You can’t stop it once it starts rolling, but if you place a small pebble in just the right spot before it moves, you can change its entire path.
That boulder illustrates the “Pacing Problem” — the growing gap between rapidly advancing technology and our slower-moving democratic institutions. For legislatures, this is not just one challenge but three:
understanding how fast society is changing (external),
keeping up with the Executive branch (inter-branch), and
deploying technology for legislative operations (internal).
Five potential scenarios shared during the conference, seen below, were developed in coordination with the IPU and POPVOX Foundation. As Beatriz notes in her recent ModParl recap, “One member of parliament from Jordan put it perfectly. ‘These scenarios make us confront a key question: are we shaping AI, or is AI shaping us?’”
On the last day of the conference, participants adopted a preliminary resolution outlining twelve recommendations for how parliaments can responsibly integrate AI into their operations.
To read more from Marci about these scenarios and why our legislatures should be paying attention to these global conversations, you can check out her post here.
Connecting Constituents with Community Resources
In case you missed it, the House Committee on House Administration recently took action to modernize its communication standards guidance. Offices can now officially share Community Resource Lists for constituent services. This move acknowledges what most staff (especially caseworkers!) already knew: in an era of complicated government programs and stretched social services, a critical function Congressional offices play is helping constituents discover and best use local services and resources that can fill gaps and address emergencies.
This is a meaningful step forward in recognizing the reality of how Congressional offices serve constituents. This new guidance is based on a recommendation made by the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress to provide Member offices with greater flexibility. By connecting constituents with services or assistance that the federal government does not offer, offices can continue to serve a helping hand and remain a trusted source of information in their communities.
For caseworkers looking to stay updated on agency news, policy changes, and tools to level up your constituent service work, subscribe to POPVOX Foundation’s Casework Navigator newsletter, written by Anne Meeker, POPVOX Foundation Managing Director and a former constituent services staffer.
The Path Forward: Continuing the CAO’s Legacy of Leadership
When Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Catherine Szpindor announced she would be retiring from the House at the end of the month, our team highlighted her legacy and took a moment to recognize the importance of this upcoming transition for the House. For our Senate-based readers who might be unfamiliar or those who don’t work closely with the CAO’s office, the CAO oversees everything from information technology and cybersecurity to human resources, procurement, and operational support in the House. The office determines which technologies Congress can access, how quickly innovative tools and practices can be adopted, and whether you have access to tools comparable to those in the Executive branch and private sector. In other words, the CAO shapes how Members can fulfill their constitutional responsibilities in new and impactful ways in a world where information moves at machine speed.
Szpindor oversaw the implementation of more than 100 of the Select Committee on Modernization of Congress’ 202 bipartisan recommendations. Her accomplishments include creating the House Digital Service, establishing the CAO Coach Program, guaranteeing WiFi for flagship district offices, institutionalizing the House Intern Resource Office and House HR Hub, and leading the House to be one of the first legislative bodies in the world to issue AI guidance for staff.
The next person who fills this role will determine whether the House has the operational foundation to meet this moment or continues operating with 20th-century infrastructure in a 21st-century world.
POPVOX Foundation Director of Global Initiatives Aubrey Wilson and Program Associate Cailin McNally published a comprehensive piece examining Szpindor’s legacy and outlining what modern CAO leadership demands in this moment.
Campus Highlights
When the Capitol Looks Good Enough to Eat
Have you seen this year’s Capitol gingerbread replica? It is made of 144 cups of flour, 24 cups of brown sugar and 28 pounds of powdered sugar. Sweet! This recipe is prepared so the cookie Capitol can stay on display for 45 days, so please do not actually try to take a bite.
Wayfinding in the House
The Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation has recommended Modernization Initiatives Account (MIA) funding for a Digital Signage and Wayfinding Initiative. If approved, the project would install dynamic digital signage at nine public entrances in Rayburn, Cannon, and Longworth, displaying daily committee schedules, Member office listings, turn-by-turn directions, and real-time information for visitors and staff. A big thanks to the subcommittee for their leadership on this much-needed navigation!
The Future of Constituent Engagement
On December 17, the Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation hosted a hearing focused on “The Future of Constituent Engagement with Congress.” POPVOX Foundation’s Aubrey Wilson testified to share her expertise on global approaches to constituent engagement in parliaments around the world, and what that says about the future of Congress.
Congressional Data Task Force Updates
During the most recent Congressional Data Task Force meeting, the Government Printing Office announced it was launching a Model Context Protocol server for AI tools to have access to official GPO documents. This server will help tools access the most up-to-date and accurate reporting information. A roundup of task force updates, including the Legislative Branch Data Map and the Congressional Video Project, can be seen here.
Give your brain a break (holiday edition!)
NORAD Santa Tracker
A tradition that started after an adorable accident in 1955, NORAD’s Santa Tracker is live again, complete with real-time “flight paths,” games, and educational content.
Auld Lang Syne
Did you know that the earliest recorded New Year’s celebration dates back 4,000 years to ancient Babylon? Making resolutions to start the new year began with the Babylonians, who made promises to earn favors with the gods. Learn more while you get ready to watch the ball drop, here.
Coming Soon to Your Mailbox
Even Santa could use some logistics help before the big day arrives! Did you know that the US Postal Service has already accepted more than SEVEN BILLION packages this holiday season? Check out their live package tracker.
“Santa! I Know Him!”
When you’re ready to take a break from your inbox, check out Rotten Tomatoes’ 100 Best Christmas Movies of All Time list (and yes, Die Hard is on the list).
The Future is Now
Introducing The Genesis Mission
ICYMI, The White House announced the “Genesis Mission,” a whole-of-government initiative connecting the Department of Energy’s 17 national laboratories with AI computing resources and private partners (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA) to drive scientific breakthroughs in areas like advanced manufacturing, nuclear energy, and quantum computing. This was established by executive order, without Congressional approval or insight, raising questions about what Congress’ role will be in oversight and budgeting for these critical developments. The order also aims to create “one rulebook,” preempting state laws and seeking to limit state-based regulation. As we head into 2026, expect lots of continued chatter and interest about this massive project. As Marci shared in a special edition of Future Proofing Congress last month, “The future won’t slow down, but Congress can get ready.”
Agentic AI at DOT
The Department of Transportation announced it will deploy agentic AI capabilities, which are systems that go beyond chatbots to actually take actions and complete tasks. According to DOT Chief Information Officer Pavan Pidugu, the agency is making “a strategic shift to deliver on our mission: adding AI at the core of everything we’re doing.”
The Agentic AI Foundation
Block, OpenAI, and Anthropic are launching the Agentic AI Foundation, a new fund for open source agentic AI. The goal is provide a neutral, open space to ensure agentic AI evolves transparently and collaboratively.
Gemini at the Pentagon
The Defense Department announced they will be rolling out Google’s Gemini for Government through the new GenAI.mil platform. Defense employees at home and abroad will be able to use Gemini on unclassified work.
A New DeepMind Lab in the UK
The United Kingdom and Google DeepMind announced a partnership, which will see the AI company opening its first automated research lab in the UK in 2026. The lab will be built to be fully integrated with Gemini.
33 Years of Texting
The first text message was sent 33 years ago on December 3, 1992. 22-year-old engineer Neil Papworth used his computer to text “Merry Christmas” to a colleague’s cellphone on the Vodafone network.
About POPVOX Foundation
POPVOX Foundation is a nonpartisan nonprofit that helps democratic institutions keep pace with a rapidly changing world. Through publications, events, prototypes and technical assistance, the organization helps public servants and elected officials better serve their constituents and make better policy.