Bipartisan lawmakers discuss Capitol Hill safety, toxic culture, and retirements

Bipartisan concern over safety and burnout on Capitol Hill is sharpening into a larger warning about who stays in Congress and who leaves. Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell and New York Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis sat down with Ryan Nobles to discuss a work environment shaped by threats, harassment fears, punishing travel demands and the constant pressure to raise money, all of which can make public service less sustainable for experienced lawmakers.

The backdrop is stark. The U.S. Capitol Police said its Threat Assessment Section investigated 9,474 concerning statements and direct threats against members of Congress, including their families and staff, in 2024. It was the second straight yearly increase, and Capitol Police have said threats often rise during election years. The threats arrive by mail, email, telephone, social media and the internet, creating a relentless security burden that reaches far beyond the House and Senate floor.

The pressure is not limited to elected officials. The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights says the Congressional Accountability Act applies workplace protections to more than 30,000 legislative branch employees, underscoring how safety and culture problems affect the staff who keep Congress functioning day to day. A Congressional Management Foundation survey of 138 senior congressional staffers found broad frustration with civility, functionality and capacity in the 118th Congress, with respondents pointing to toxic culture, leadership problems and safety concerns.

That dysfunction has consequences for governance. When veteran lawmakers decide not to run again, or leave before they planned to, their districts lose people who know how to navigate a chamber built on relationships, committee memory and hard-won procedural knowledge. The result is often more turnover, less stability and a Congress that is slower to solve problems that require sustained attention, from healthcare access to workplace protections and public safety.

The culture issues have also collided with harassment complaints. Congress still lacked a central place to report workplace harassment, and some female lawmakers created informal channels to hear from staffers who did not know where else to turn. The absence of a clear reporting system has become another sign of institutional strain, one that can drive away aides and lawmakers alike.

For Dingell, Malliotakis and other members trying to keep Congress functional, the challenge is no longer just partisan division. It is whether the institution can protect the people inside it well enough to keep enough of them there.