senior secretary

intern

United States Senate

I worked as a fully integrated member of the legislative staff of the PSI, led by then ranking member, Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), currently Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.  Gained experience in politics and legislative organizing, teamwork and independent initiative.  During my tenure, I conducted assignments such as lobbying congressional staff and research projects to database management and membership mailings.  The PSI conducted investigations into the role of professional accountants, lawyers, and financial professionals in the US tax shelter industry, particularly the activities of two of the “Big Four” accounting firms in the US.  The investigation revealed misconduct on the part of the firms in violation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in establishing bogus tax shelters of for the purpose of mitigating income tax liabilities of the firm’s high-income audit clients.  In conjunction with PSI Chief Counsel and other investigative attorneys, I conducted numerous interviews of key executives, performed critical analyses and computations of questioned corporate SEC filings as well as thousands of pages of other documentary evidence subpoenaed by the subcommittee.  I consulted with federal and state agencies and various accounting and tax financial experts, including US Treasury, US IRS, PCAOB, and the Senate Committee on Finance.  I briefed the Senator on violations uncovered during the investigation, as well as participated in prepping for formal hearings.  I wrote memorandums, press releases, and drafted questions for the formal hearings for the Congressman and other significant Congressional staff.  I attended and reported on hearings and committee meetings, and worked with staff of other Congressional offices to advance the Congressman’s legislative priorities.  I monitored legislative developments within the Subcommittee and on the Senate Floor on issues related to the investigation. I assisted in drafting and proposed legislation, now known as the Auditor Independence and Tax Shelters Act, which place tighter restrictions on accounting firms who audit clients for which they also provide other services such as tax havens.

The U.S. Senate opens a world of exposure to and immersion into the legislative arena, where you learn not only the parameters of your job/tasks/oversight...but the workings of the Congress and the legislative process.

My experience there led me not only into interacting with staff, management and the Senator, but also and more importantly the constituents we served. From typing legislative material and correspondence, to the people of the state represented, to organizing major Senatorial Coalition lunches and other special events - my days were never routine. 

In truth, there were no hardest parts of the job. Every opportunity was available to rise to meet needs per specific projects or assignments, where I volunarily met a given need successfully. In the Congress, if they notice you have a talent or aptitude for a task outside your parameters, they will give it to you. The challenge of meeting the need was the height I enjoyed most because in those rivers, I found out I CAN SWIM! You will discover what's IN you.

There are learning points and learning curves to every aspect of public service in the Senate, and your connectivity to the constituents of that Senator's State he/she represents makes you feel that you are, indeed, working for the public good and you are a real part of that process.

As Director of Operations, my typical day is centered around maintaining efficiency, structure, and adaptability. Success in this role requires keeping pace with the demands of a fast-moving environment, documenting key information, taking detailed notes, staying organized, and most importantly, balancing a multifaceted workload. These principles are vital not only for my personal productivity but also for supporting the overall functionality of the office and the effectiveness of my supervisor.

A significant portion of my responsibilities includes continuously updating my supervisor’s calendar and ensuring the office runs smoothly. I manage logistical needs, making certain that staff are equipped with the tools necessary to perform their duties. Additionally, I oversee the accounting functions within the office, further contributing to operational stability and financial accuracy.

The most challenging aspect of the role is managing the constant motion of multiple moving parts. However, with strong organizational skills, I am able to anticipate, adapt, and overcome these challenges effectively. The workplace culture is fast-paced and ever-changing, requiring the flexibility to respond quickly to shifting priorities and new developments.

What I find most fulfilling is the opportunity to contribute toward meaningful outcomes—delivering results that positively impact constituents, clients, and the broader community. This sense of purpose drives my commitment and makes the work truly rewarding.

Working at the U.S. Senate, I have been lucky to play a part in big changes to national security. At the core of the legislative process is people. The Congress is naturally a matrixed organization and the work can have a lot of ambiguities. In addition, often the pace of things is at the speed of the news cycle and it can feel like you are drinking from the fire hose. 

One minute, I could be writing an Op-Ed on defense strategy, and the next working with military leaders to improve the performance of a technology program. My day can be spent negotiating the details of legislation on the Senate floor, others I am traveling with the Senator to far-flung locations. However, the most rewarding challenges are ones you can solve for a constituent (our customers) such as helping a veteran get benefits or helping explain a policy to someone in the Senator's home state.

Well, the United States Senate doesn't pay its interns (aside from one particular Senator, but not mine). Working in the Senator's home office, rather than the Washington office, means you'll hear from constituents...a lot. Some have legitimate issues that you can resolve, but most just want to yell about politics for 40 minutes, and you aren't allowed to hang up on them, no matter how irate or unreasonable they become. The whole no-pay thing ensures that most of your fellow interns will be rich kids whose parents bankroll their entire lives. Make of that what you will. An interesting job if you'd like to see how the U.S. government sausage is made, but avoid if you'd like to be compensated fairly (ahem, at all) for your work.

I worked 6 years for the Senate and an additional 6 years in the House of Representatives.    I loved working with federal/state agencies on behalf of constituents. I also loved the townhall meetings and other events hosted by the Member for the public to discuss their views and ask questions.  Politics can sometimes get in the way of doing what is best for all parties.  However, it helps if your Member prides themselves as being bi-partisan overall.  I felt very secure in my job and became family with the staff. This was one of the best jobs of my life.  Sorry the member's term ended even after all of our efforts especially on behalf of Veterans and Opioid use.

I would not trade my years on Capital Hill.  It was a unique environment, intellectually challenging and inspiring.  I worked for a member of the Senate who was straight up, probably the most intelligent and honest member of the Senate at that time.  He took no money from lobbyists, demanded top performance of his staff, and yet, promoted a "family" environment.  I worked with some of the best and brightest!  I researched, wrote and collaborated on important issues of that time.  The hardest part of the job was time management as all issues were important to all constituents.

Reviewing case files and reading letters asking for assistance with various government agencies.  How to work with people and to be organized because sometimes we could have several dozen cases open at once.  The management, unfortunately, was poor more often than not.  Only had one decent boss the whole time I worked there.  My co-workers, on the other hand, were pretty wonderful.  The hardest part of the job was telling someone there was nothing more we could do to assist them.  That was often sad.  The most enjoyable part was having a positive outcome to a case.  Also, meeting people in the community.

The Senate was so fast paced and a great experience. I truly enjoyed every minute of it. There were times though that I felt trapped in the flow of everything. From Monday to Friday it was non-stop. The other interns in my section and I used to joke that Newton's laws about motion because we were constantly in motion. There were however perks of the job, getting to see new laws of the Senate set forth in motion, and seeing a new Supreme court justice benched. For a political science major it was so enticing and every day was a new dream, it never really felt like a job.

The US Senate is a great place to work. If you are interested in learning how our government is really ran, then this is the place for you.
There are numerous opportunities to improve your general knowlege and skills through weekly educational series offered by the Senate.

Government savings plans, wide ranging health care options, and good pay makes working for the Senate a great choice.

There are job vacancies posted every week just to give employees first opportunities to take jobs before they are posted outside of the company. So career advancement is a given.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Senior secretary 1 salary reported	$35,132 per year
Intern 1 salary reported	$1,250 per month

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