Part of the mission of the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is to explain how Congress REALLY works, often dispelling myths that endlessly emerge in the media. Recently I appeared on CSPAN's "Washington Journal" and had the opportunity to tear down some of these myths. To learn more, please watch the video or read some excerpts.

EXCERPTS

ON PERKS - "Most of the perks that Congress have gotten over the decades have been whittled away by law and regulation and practice, and there are only a few left. Most of the things you've heard are not true."

ON HEALTH BENEFITS - "This is the frustrating thing when I talk about the perks. This information gets exaggerated and people want to portray them [Congress] getting special subsidies. It's just not that way. [Members of Congress and staff] are treated just like regular employees working for a large organization....The myth out that is that Members of Congress get all these extra benefits. It is just not true."

ON CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT WITH CONGRESS - "We have been studying citizen engagement for the last 15 years, looking at what works and what helps build better relationships between citizens and lawmakers. One the myths out there that CMF hopes to dispel is that citizen voices do not make a difference. We did a survey of congressional staff and asked this question, "If your member of Congress has not arrived at a firm decision on an issue, how much influence does the following advocacy strategies have on his or her decision. The number one answer, at 94%, was in-person visits from constituents. The one thing our research shows that people getting engaged is a good thing for our democracy."

ON RESOURCES FOR CONGRESS - "People think Congress has all these resources and staff. In fact Congress hasn't increased its resources since 1974, and the House of Representatives cut its budget by 20 percent since 2011 for each Member office."