Even if the political branches of the federal government are dysfunctional or counterproductive on most big, public issues, Congress actually is making bipartisan progress on a surprising array of less-prominent subjects.
Where the media spotlight is low enough, the incentives for partisan grandstanding are lessened. With less partisan grandstanding, members of Congress show that the system actually can work. That’s an important lesson.
To take a nearly random sample, consider the status of the following, crucially bipartisan initiatives. (This is not an endorsement of these initiatives but a listing of some at least worth considering.)
The S.T.A.N.D. with Taiwan Act of 2024. Granted, this was just introduced on July 26, so it hasn’t gone anywhere yet. But word is that its prospects are bright. Sponsored by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Tammy Duckworth (D-WI), it is designed to “impose devastating, comprehensive economic, energy, financial, and other sanctions on China in the event that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) initiates military aggression against Taiwan.”
The Federal Contractor Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act of 2024. Again, this one was newly introduced on Aug. 9, but it seems poised to move with dispatch through both legislative chambers. It would require that federal contractors use vulnerability disclosure policies according to guidelines promulgated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology “to receive unsolicited reports of vulnerabilities within their software so that they can be patched before an attack takes place.” In other words, it’s an early warning sign for tech breaches. Its main sponsors are Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and James Lankford (R-OK).
The Americas Act . Also early in the legislative process but enjoying bipartisan support in both chambers and the backing of the Biden administration , this bill would vastly expand free-trade agreements throughout Latin America, specifically with the purpose of displacing China’s growing influence and boosting production in the Western Hemisphere rather than China. Spearheaded by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), its main co-sponsors are Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), and Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL).
Meanwhile, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) has made quite a habit of bipartisan initiatives. She successfully secured more funding in the Appropriations Committee for the NIH IMPROVE Initiative , which works to lessen mortality related to pregnancy and childbirth, and has introduced the NIH IMPROVE Act with Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) to provide a more permanent funding stream. With Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), she introduced the tax credit-heavy Child Care Availability and Affordability Act.
And with Cassidy and Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), she aims to solve a little-known problem that nonetheless is quite important to a small but productive class of employees. Right now, workers for nonprofit organizations have more limited retirement-investment options than private sector workers. The Retirement Fairness for Charities and Educational Institutions Act would allow hospital workers, charity-group employees, and church employees (among others), to choose a stable, lower-cost investment option for which right now their retirement plans don’t provide.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Again, that’s just a sampling. My press release inbox is full of notices of other encouraging, bipartisan efforts — from Warnock and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on military housing, from Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) to extend a “ hospital care at home ” program, and so on.
As leaders of the House and Senate jockey for advantage on more high-profile issues, they should make time on legislative calendars to pass such solid, smaller, bipartisan bills. That’s how the system is supposed to work, and that’s how it can work if the leaders stop playing political games.
Most Popular
Comments / 0