What Works Caucus: improving government effectiveness

SALT LAKE CITY — We live in an era dominated by divisive headlines and partisan politics. Two members of Congress (from different sides of the aisle) are quietly working together. They are working on an initiative that focuses on improving government effectiveness.

Representative Blake Moore from Utah’s First Congressional District and Representative Greg Landsman, a Democrat from Ohio representing Ohio’s First Congressional District, have launched the “What Works Caucus.”

What is the “What Works Caucus”?

“The crux of it,” Says Congressman Moore, “we do a lot of programs and a lot of legislation that leverages and uses a lot of taxpayer money. We need to make sure that the work that we’re doing is effective, and we have to monitor and research that better.”

The caucus aims to promote evidence-driven decision-making in government. This will emphasize the need for programs and policies that deliver tangible results. Representative Moore, a former data consultant, brings his expertise to the table, hoping to find important data-driven analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of legislation and government programs.

“There’s so much work that goes into building legislation. Once it’s implemented, we don’t do enough good work to analyze and evaluate its effectiveness,” says Moore. 

In short, the “What Works Caucus” addresses the longstanding issue of lack of accountability in government spending. It also addresses the need to measure efficacy of already passed legislation. 

Every year, the government spends billions of dollars of taxpayer money without making sure it actually works. This bipartisan effort aims to change that by fostering a culture of accountability in Congress.

“I believe the majority of Americans don’t mind investments, so long as it works,” said Congressman Landsman. Additionally, he then went on to say that the actual impact of many of these programs is simply unknown. 

Representative Landsman, a new congressman, sees the potential for real change in Washington. He believes most Congress members want to work nonpartisanly, and this plan aligns with that.

“Let’s get an equal number of Democrats and Republicans working together on this to start to change the culture,” Said Congressman Landsman.

The caucus will ensure wise spending of taxpayer dollars by focusing on program outcomes.

The “What Works Caucus” will prioritize accountability and results to bring about meaningful change in Congress’s culture.

Mariah Maynes contributed to this story.