Author: McKinley Corbley / Source: Good News Network
As a means of closing the political divide between Democrats and Republicans in Congress, a unique program is flying federal lawmakers to each others’ hometowns so they become closer friends and colleagues.
The American Congressional Exchange (ACE) flies members of Congress from across the political spectrum to the districts of opposing party members, where they spend the next 48 hours learning about each other’s personal lives and their communities.
It was all started back in 2016 by public affairs consultant Jonathan Perman in order to bring bipartisanship back to Capitol Hill.Some of the most successful pieces of legislation in history, he says, were driven by bipartisan efforts, such as the Civil Rights Act, the Social Security Act, and the Federal Highway Act.
“Forty or fifty years ago, legislators lived in Washington,” Perman told Macalester University. “They got to know each other, their spouses, their children. Now the constant pressure to raise money for reelection forces them to return to their districts nearly…
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