In line with Cato’s mission to provide an influential voice for liberty in the nation’s capital, dozens of congressional staffers are participating in two topical seminar series this year as part of Cato’s congressional fellowship program.

Open to all Capitol Hill policy staff, both from individual members’ offices and on committees, each fellowship consists of weekly networking receptions and intimate discussions featuring Cato’s nationally recognized subject‐​matter experts. To encourage robust discourse and participation across the aisle, all discussions in the fellowship are collegial, nonpartisan, and off the record.

The summer 2022 fellowship, consisting of eight weekly meetings in June and July, is focused on international relations. The topics covered include trends in global freedom as covered in the Human Freedom Index, the history of U.S. foreign policy, economic diplomacy and the benefits of free trade, reclaiming Congress’s constitutional powers over war and arms sales, building a modern military with a sensible budget in light of geopolitical realities, global migration and the foreign policy implications of U.S. immigration policy, and the case for reviving the principle of restraint in foreign affairs.

Overall, the international relations fellowship promises to offer congressional staffers at all levels and in both parties the opportunity to understand “an American foreign policy of peace, commerce, and honest friendship, as described in President Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address.”

The second congressional fellowship program in 2022 will operate on a similar schedule and process, running for eight weeks from late September to early November, “for congressional policy staff who are interested in the philosophical roots and practical applications of constitutional law from a libertarian perspective.”

The topics addressed include first principles about the American theory of government and written constitutions, separation of powers, the role of the judiciary and recent developments at the Supreme Court, the Constitution’s neglected vision for the criminal justice system, the First Amendment and free speech, the perils of unconstitutional mass surveillance, and how to understand a constitutional theory that places personal freedom first and foremost.

The value in these programs is not only in the important policy and philosophy lessons imparted. Emphasis is also placed on the “fellowship.” Through these regular gatherings, congressional staffers can forge lifelong relationships, with both Cato and each other. In an increasingly polarized Washington, DC, few events provide this sort of opportunity for cross-partisan and cross-ideological connections.