Topic: Ep. 247 – How Does The Committee System in Congress Really Work?
When: Tuesday 3/18/2025 at 2:00 pm ET
Join us as we continue our discussion on how a bill becomes a law! This week we explore the Committee system in Congress! What are congressional committees? How many are there, and what powers do they possess? We are joined by special guest Cyrus Artz, former staff director the House Education and Workforce Committee, and current Senior Policy Advisor for U.S. House Speaker Johnson.
Constitutional Chats are hosted by Janine Turner, Cathy Gillespie, student ambassadors, and experts who join us weekly to discuss hot-topic issues! The audience is not on camera, but you may ask questions!
Special Guest: Cyrus Artz, Former Staff Director, House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Cyrus Artz is Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to this, he served as Staff Director for the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee, at the direction of Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05). The committee has jurisdiction over all levels of education and workforce development and federal laws governing employer-employee relationships, including compensation, benefits, unions, and workplace safety. Cyrus oversaw the committee’s policy, communications, and operations staff to ensure that the committee advances legislation and a conservative message that reflect the views of its majority members.
Prior to leading the committee’s staff, Cyrus was Chief of Staff to Rep. Foxx and Parliamentarian for the committee. He previously served as Rep. Foxx’s Legislative Director and principal advisor on trade, tax, banking, budget, transportation, parliamentary, and other issues. He began his work on Capitol Hill as Professional Policy Staff for the Republican Study Committee (RSC), the caucus of conservatives in the U.S. House. Before coming to Capitol Hill, he worked for the Hudson Institute and completed several internships around Washington, D.C. He also served seven years with the D.C. Army National Guard and completed a deployment to Afghanistan in 2012. Originally from Fargo, ND, he graduated from Christendom College in Front Royal, VA with a political science degree.