Methodology & Data Sources
Capitol Pulse uses only official government data sources. This page documents exactly what data we have, how we classify it, and current limitations in our coverage.
📊 Current Data Coverage
✓ Data Sources: Bills from Congress.gov API. Statements from Congressional Record. Press release integration is in development. Words vs Actions analysis uses available data.
01Data Sources
✅ Currently Integrated
- •Congress.gov API
Member roster, bill text, subjects, sponsors, cosponsors, and status.api.congress.gov →
- •Biographical Directory
Official member information and bioguide IDs.bioguide.congress.gov →
✅ Currently Integrated (continued)
- •Congressional Record
Floor speeches and remarks from Congress.gov. We filter for tech-related content using keyword matching and topic classification.
🔄 In Development
- •Press Releases
Official communications from member .gov websites (house.gov, senate.gov domains only). Coverage varies by member—not all official sites are structured the same.
- •Roll-Call Votes
Tech-related votes from House Clerk (clerk.house.gov) and Senate (senate.gov).
❌ Not Included (By Design)
- •Social media posts (Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
- •Campaign materials or fundraising communications
- •News articles or third-party reporting
- •Interview transcripts or unofficial statements
Why official sources only? By limiting to official government communications, we ensure verifiability—you can always click through to the original source.
02Words vs Actions: Definitions
Capitol Pulse tracks the relationship between what members say about tech policy (Words/Attention) and what they do (Actions).
📢 Words (Attention)
- • Press releases from official .gov sites
- • Floor remarks from Congressional Record
- • Committee hearing statements
🔧 Actions
- • Bills sponsored (weighted higher)
- • Bills cosponsored
- • Roll-call votes on tech legislation
Gap Labels
📢 All Talk (High Attention, Low Action)
Member discusses this topic frequently but has limited legislative activity.
🔧 Quiet Doer (Low Attention, High Action)
Member takes legislative action without much public commentary.
⚖️ Aligned
Member's public statements and legislative activity are balanced.
Interpretation warning: "All Talk" doesn't mean hypocrisy—a member may be in the minority party, on different committees, or building coalitions. Always click through to the evidence.
03Topic Classification
Each item is classified into one or more of 9 technology policy topics using:
- Keyword matching against curated topic lexicons
- Congress.gov subject area tags
- Named entity recognition for tech companies and agencies
Tagging Transparency: Every item shows a "Why Tagged" explanation showing the exact keywords or subjects that triggered its classification.
04Plain-English Bill Explainers
Each bill detail page includes a plain-English explainer section. These are generated only from official sources:
- Official bill summary from Congress.gov
- Bill text (when available)
- Subject tags assigned by the Library of Congress
No hallucinations: We do NOT generate explanations when the official summary is unavailable. You'll see "Explainer unavailable" rather than guesswork.
Limitations: "Arguments for/against" sections are general policy framings, not actual stakeholder positions. Always verify with the official sources linked on each page.
05Known Limitations
Press Release Coverage Gaps
Not all official member websites are structured the same way. Some members may have fewer indexed statements due to website format differences. The dashboard shows coverage counts to be transparent about this.
Classification Errors
Automated classification will sometimes misinterpret sarcasm, context, or nuanced positions. We aim for accuracy, not perfection. Click "Why Tagged" to see why something was classified.
Missing Context
We can't capture private negotiations, amendment strategies, or committee dynamics that don't appear in public records.
Minority Party Disadvantage
Members in the minority party have fewer legislative options. Low "Action" scores may reflect institutional constraints, not lack of effort.
How to Use This Data Responsibly
✓Do: Click through to source URLs to verify claims and read full context.
✓Do: Check "Why Tagged" explanations to understand classifications.
✓Do: Consider why a member might have certain gap labels (minority party, committee assignment, etc.).
✗Don't: Use gap labels as proof of a member's character or integrity.
✗Don't: Cite scores without acknowledging data coverage limitations.
✗Don't: Assume zero statements means a member doesn't discuss a topic—coverage varies.
06Evidence-Backed Numbers
Every count shown in Capitol Pulse is clickable and links to the underlying evidence in the Evidence Explorer. You can always verify what's behind a number.
Example: If a member shows "5 Actions" on AI, clicking that number opens a search filtered to show exactly those 5 bills—not a summary, the actual records.
Questions about our methodology or found an error?
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