Cross-Agency Initiative — Public Trust, Representation & Congressional Cost Efficiency

Campaign Briefing: Public Trust

Foundations

September 29, 2025

When we talk about trust in government, what we’re really talking about is the fundamental relationship between the people of this country and the institutions they’ve built to serve them. For years now, that trust has been stretched thin, worn down by overlapping agencies, by politicians making promises they can’t keep, and by a Congress that too often seems more concerned with its own partisan maneuvers than with representing the folks back home.

And if there’s one thing this candidacy stands on, it is the understanding that government doesn’t belong to any candidate. It doesn’t belong to Congress. It certainly doesn’t belong to lobbyists or party machines. It belongs to the people. Always has. Always will.

What we’re doing in this campaign is calling attention to serious inefficiencies and problems in the way your government — especially the executive branch — operates. We’re saying, here are hurdles that waste your money, that slow down your services, that let needs slip through cracks that shouldn’t exist. And alongside that, we’re offering proposed solutions. If entrusted with running the executive branch, yes, these are the kinds of improvements we’d work to implement. Because we believe every tax dollar saved from duplicate leases or redundant staff contracts can be put right back into improving services — into better broadband for small towns, into modernized clinics for veterans, into faster, simpler systems so people don’t get lost in bureaucratic mazes. That’s how you drive up quality and drive down cost at the same time.

But what we are not doing — what this candidacy will never do — is stand here and tell you, “Vote for us and we’ll promise to make Congress pass this or that.” That’s not how our system works. That’s not how it should ever work. Because members of Congress are not executives. They are not presidents-in-waiting. They are representatives. They’re supposed to take their direction from you — not the other way around. In fact, each member of the House is just one vote out of roughly 700,000 in their district. Each Senator is one vote out of millions in their state. Their power is no greater than yours. They don’t set the tone. You do.

Which brings us to a particular problem we’ve noticed, one we think is worth spotlighting.

Today, when a citizen needs help from Congress, they often walk into an office that only represents half the story. They visit their district office for their House member and hear, “That’s actually a matter for the Senate.” Or they contact a Senate staffer who tells them, “You really ought to take that up with your Representative.” Meanwhile, your tax dollars are paying for two entirely separate sets of offices, leases, security contracts, power bills, and back-end administrative overhead — all right there in your town, or nearby.

So we’re putting forward a recommendation. Not a command, not a declaration of what we alone will do, but a solution that we think addresses both cost and accountability. We propose that every House district office provide workspace for staff from both of the state’s Senators. And that every in-state Senate office, in turn, provide room for that district’s Representative’s staff. Imagine how that changes the experience for a constituent. No more chasing multiple offices or getting bounced between jurisdictions. Walk through one door, speak to one combined team, and get answers right there.

Financially, it’s a straightforward win. By merging leases, consolidating utilities, and pooling administrative contracts, we can free up hundreds of millions over the coming years. Money that can flow straight back to citizens — to new local clinics, infrastructure upgrades, paying down debts instead of piling them on.

But more than dollars, this is about renewing the simple truth of representation. When congressional staff from both chambers hear the same concerns from the same constituent, they can’t hide behind bureaucratic handoffs. They have to work together. And that means you, the ultimate shareholder in this enterprise called the United States, get a clearer, faster, more honest response.

We know some might ask, “But what power do we have to make this happen?” That’s the wrong question. The better question is, “What power do they have to refuse you?” Because in this nation, it is the people who hire their Representatives and Senators. Not the other way around. When candidates come around, shaking hands at town halls, telling you how they’ll vote on this or that, maybe stop and remind them: that’s not actually the job. The job is to listen. The job is to represent. The job is to take your concerns to Washington, work with colleagues from every other state, and find the best solutions — whether those ideas come from this campaign or from a neighbor you spoke to in a grocery line.

So if this shared office model sounds like a better way to cut costs, improve service, and get your Senators and House member truly working together under one roof, then make that part of their job description. Tell every candidate who wants your vote that this is the standard you expect. That by running for the privilege of representing you, they’re agreeing to these terms. And if they don’t follow through, well, that contract comes up for renewal every two or six years.

Because ultimately, this isn’t about candidates – prospective employees –telling you what to do. It’s about you telling all of us — those of us seeking to administer the executive branch, those who want to join the next Congress — exactly what you expect from your employees.

That’s what a representative republic means. You’re the employer. You set the expectations. And if your public servants forget that, then you remind them the simplest way possible: at the ballot box.

So let’s be clear, for every citizen listening: “If you want your government to share costs, share offices, and most importantly share responsibility for hearing your needs, then make that the contract your next Congress signs before they ever take the oath.”