The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our society in the most profound ways, particularly in terms of the kind of direct, personal contact most of us have taken for granted. This change has been profoundly felt in how Americans interact with their government and how the government itself functions—or doesn’t—during this unprecedented crisis. Congress watchers have called on the House and Senate to resume most operations remotely, but can they? What are the practical, technological, and political obstacles to congressional remote operations? How can effective oversight be conducted from a distance? Join us as an expert panel examines these and other issues impacting the U.S. government’s “first branch.”

The direction of public policy is far less clear than usual after an election. Almost a full year into President Trump’s new administration, we still don’t know what kind of policy will be enacted in several areas. At the Cato Institute, we stand firmly on the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution — on the bedrock American values of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Throughout our 40 years, we have been willing to criticize officials of both parties when they sought to take the country in another direction. The 8th Edition of the Cato Handbook for Policymakers gives concrete advice on how to promote those American values and restore government to its proper role.