Capitol Hill staff diversity issue requires institutional change, says researcher

While the membership of Congress is getting more diverse, the senior staff making the most important policy decisions is still predominantly white and male. Additionally, multiple Black staffers have left the White House in recent months.

• LaShonda Brenson, senior researcher at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, said the diversity problem among Capitol Hill staff is bipartisan and needs to be addressed institutionally.
• Her organization’s recent report found that Black Americans and people of color as a whole make up a higher percentage of the U.S. population than of senior staff in the Senate and House.
• She said solutions include raising the pay of Congressional staffers, improving support when they get to the Hill and increasing investment.

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