Supporting and Sustaining Remote Capitol Hill Internships in the Covid-19 Era
by: Marci Harris and Ananda Bhatia
A version of this article first appeared in The Fulcrum
Remote work is changing Congressional internships and that’s not all bad news. Remote internships are expanding opportunity and scaling the traditional gulf between DC and the district, though they can be tough for offices — and interns — to navigate. Several organizations are stepping up to provide resources and support to ensure that offices are able to continue their internship programs in these exceptional times.
In a recent webinar on managing successful remote internships in the era of Covid-19, hosted by College to Congress, Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) and the Modernization Staff Association, speakers shared new data on the prevalence of remote internships — and a few surprising benefits. CMF’s Bradley Sinkaus noted remote work is eliminating the traditional wall between DC offices and their district counterparts. According to CMF’s research, remote work has “leveled the playing field” and helped make interns and full time staff in the district feel more connected to the policy work occurring in DC.
A recent survey of Hill office found that 27.8% of respondents did not have any interns at all over the summer and 22.6% were not planning to have interns in the fall.
Today’s interns are tomorrow’s staffers and it is essential that these positions remain available — even remotely — both for the help they provide to offices and for the important opportunity for young people to learn about Congress. Last year, the House of Representatives took a significant step to expand the internship pipeline by authorizing $25,000 per office per year for paid interns. These stipends make it easier for students from a variety of backgrounds and economic situations to spend a summer or semester in DC. Recently, the Committee on House Administration updated guidelines to allow offices to spend up to $10,000 to compensate interns working in district offices.
In the Covid-19 era, however, most interns are limited to remote work, a development that may actually expand opportunities for students around the country to (virtually) experience Capitol Hill. In an example that may be applicable to Congress, NPR received 20,000+ applications for its internships this year — a tenfold increase over the year before that it attributed to the potential for remote interns to work from anywhere. As one producer tweeted, it’s “almost like our industry’s reliance on NYC- and DC-based jobs is reducing our potential talent pool.”
Carlos Mark Vera, Executive Director of Pay Our Interns, explains, “The vast majority of internship opportunities are concentrated in five cities across the country — Washington, New York City, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles. That puts working class youth who cannot afford to relocate at a severe disadvantage and limits their opportunities. Capitol Hill internships are no different. Remote Congressional internships can level the playing field by taking relocation and housing costs out of the equation, but it is still important for offices to pay interns. While those working remotely do not have the same expenses as an in person internship, many still have to pay bills.”
Hiring and managing remote interns can be challenging, however, and some Congressional offices have chosen to reduce or even suspend internship programs over the summer. “Offices are definitely feeling the effects of not being able to hire remote interns,” CMF’s Sinkhaus said. “The lack of interns has increased the workload of staff, particularly the constituent services team. One office mentioned that interns ‘are invaluable in rural districts’ and offices miss having interns to mentor and train.
One significant complication unique to remote work is the limitation on technology access for unpaid interns in the House. Paid interns can be provided with official devices and remote access to the office network. Unpaid interns, on the other hand, are not allowed to access personal constituent information — like correspondence or casework — while they are working from home.
Offices are getting inventive with intern assignments, however. Modernization Staff Association founder, Ananda Bhatia, a staffer in the Office of Rep. Moulton [D, MA], shared a list of the kinds of tasks that remote interns — paid and unpaid — are taking on: compiling press clips, drafting responses to form letters (that are then sent through the office system by a staffer), drafting one minute speeches, suggesting social media posts, and taking meeting, hearing and briefing notes. “Instead of cancelling internship programs out of fear that working from home won’t be a meaningful experience, offices should think about what they can do to create substantive remote programs that will benefit both the interns and the office,” Ananda said.
To support offices hosting remote interns, several groups have begun to provide intern-specific resources. College to Congress, which provides training, mentoring, and financial support for Hill interns, recently announced that its online curriculum “C2C-U” will be available for free to all Congressional interns for the rest of the year. C2C-U’s training modules span the gamut from the legislative process to writing constituent letters, and can help lighten the load for intern coordinators within Congressional offices. Founder and CEO Audrey Henson said, “C2C-U is the perfect tool for any student interested in public service and interning in Congress. All of our online resources apply to both in-person and remote working positions. One of my biggest hopes is for more offices to take advantage of this opportunity to hire from a wider range of backgrounds since remote working has eliminated some of the large, prohibitive expenses.”
Additionally, the Modernization Staff Association recently released a new version of its “Capitol Hill Work From Home Guide” with tips for junior staffers and intern coordinators. The Congressional Management Foundation maintains guidance for a successful internship program. And POPVOX LegiDash is sharing a weekly “Intern Update” newsletter to keep Hill interns connected and informed — even when operating remotely.
Not surprisingly, many of the people spearheading these efforts to support interns during the Covid era are former interns themselves. We know that Hill internships open doors and change lives, and that Capitol Hill is better for the energy and perspective that these young (and sometimes not-so-young) people bring. As Congressional offices begin to make their plans for the fall, we strongly encourage them to offer internships and to tap into available resources to make these internships a success.
Marci Harris is a former House aide (and intern!), and co founder and CEO of POPVOX, an information and resources platform for civic engagement and legislating.
The “Virtual Intern Project” is a collaborative effort by Advocacy Blueprints, College to Congress, Congressional Management Foundation, Democracy Fund, Modernization Staff Association, and Pay Our Interns, POPVOX LegiDash, and TourTrackr.
