Learn more about our January 2025 Congressional Fellowships by listening to a recording of one of our info sessions.
We’re looking for up to 16 engineers, computer scientists, and other technologists to join us as fellows in January 2025.
We award $500 to someone who refers a veteran or transitioning service member, underrepresented person of color, woman, or nonbinary individual to the fellowship.
We are excited to highlight our June 2023 Fellows and their placements in Congress!
I joined TechCongress because I want to help shape a safe, secure, and accessible future for all Americans, and grow while doing so. I've seen firsthand the ability that policy has to make or break services provided to the American people. I’m excited for the opportunity to learn in the first branch and can’t wait for what’s to come!
Alumni Mike Wacker authored an article for the Federalist about CSAM Laws.
In the leadup to the Communication Decency Act of 1996, America was concerned about the Internet exposing children to pornography. The July 1995 cover of Time magazine, titled “Cyberporn,” depicted a child staring at a computer with this caption: “Exclusive: A new study shows how pervasive and wild it really is. Can we protect our kids — and free speech?”
Today, our biggest problem is not children who are exposed to pornography. It’s children who are involved in pornography or child sexual abuse material — CSAM, as it’s known. When victims of CSAM seek justice in the courts, however, section 230 of the Communication Decency Act — a law that protects digital platforms from liability for third-party content— often blocks their lawsuits.
For me, the Congressional Innovation Fellowship was a natural next step. And it’s part of my responsibility as an American to take my local government experience in Miami to the federal level. The same way that I’ve contributed my small grain of sand to make Miami a more resilient City, I will make Congress and our nation more resilient. Whether contributing my expertise in emerging technologies, leveraging data to measure the impact of policy making, or helping facilitate rocket launch and reentry licensing - I’m here to make sure our nation excels at being the beacon of freedom around the globe.
However, as I have gotten older and spent more time on the same sorts of problems over and over, I have become deeply dissatisfied focusing on the narrow scope of problems for which building technology is an actual solution, and I have seen the alarming effects that bad tech policy has had on vulnerable people everywhere. I have increasingly found that my ability to help people, even through innovative technology, has been hindered by the limitations of state and federal policy made by legislators far removed from the people affected by their decisions.
When the opportunity came around to apply to and join TechCongress, I knew that this was the opportunity. I want to dedicate my life to having a more direct impact on social change. From my experience in the Net Neutrality fight, I knew what it was like to change the minds of one company on one issue; what excites me about working in Congress is the ability to have more of a profound impact. My fellowship is just beginning, but I’m incredibly excited about the work I’ll do over the course of this year.
FedScoop announces the creation of the new House Digital Services (HDS) and mentions how TechCongress has contributed to its development:
The new service is tasked with building intuitive solutions that improve on member offices’ most significant challenges. It comes after nonprofit groups, like TechCongress and others, have for years looked to inject tech talent into Congress through digital service fellowships.
Since being placed, I’ve drafted bills, staffed hearings with Facebook, met with interest groups, and had countless other illuminating experiences about the legislative process that only working in the United States Senate can provide. It’s been very rewarding to combine my background in information privacy and emerging technology with the legal reasoning skills I developed from law school. There’s simply no other place quite like the halls of Congress, and no other place where I could apply my skillset in service of a goal as laudable as making sound policy decisions for the American people. This is just the beginning and I look forward to what the future holds.
As a Congressional Innovation Scholar, I have the opportunities to leverage my training and knowledge to help promote science-based regulation of AI and other technologies that can be used to disenfranchise and discriminate against minority groups, threaten democracy, and propagate disinformation. I am excited to grow and learn through the fellowship as I continue to support the pursuit of knowledge while also promoting a more equitable and better informed society.
During my short tenure on the Hill so far, I’ve become convinced that policy is only as good as its implementation, and that technology (along with good technologists who can build it) is one key to this implementation. Poor implementation means fewer people access the services they need and ultimately contributes to government distrust.
A few weeks ago, TechCongress’ founder, Travis Moore, spoke as a panelist with A BETTER TECH alongside representatives of the Ford Foundation and Schmidt Futures. The theme of the discussion was how philanthropy can be used to build an ecosystem for public interest technology.
Watch the full discussion below:
