Yes, Congress Is Getting Less Smart. No, It’s Not Trump’s Fault.

Lee Drutman was quoted in a Washington Post Wonkblog article about how Congress's lack of resources and staff affects policy: 

The shift, according to interviews with current and former legislators, their aides and political scientists, has left lawmakers short on expertise, preparation and know-how. They have been forced to rely on lobbyists and party leaders to guide them through the legislative process, and many rank-and-file members are effectively sidelined.

A lack of emphasis on knowledgeable staff is “one of the weaknesses of the Congress in the modern era,” said former congressman Jim Leach (R-Iowa.). “The more complicated society has become, the more complicated government becomes, and the more important it is to have professional expertise.”

“Almost everybody that you will talk to on the Hill will say something like, ‘We don't have the expertise that we need,’ ” said Lee Drutman, a political scientist at the New America Foundation in Washington.