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When Joe Biden returns from his vacation in the Caribbean, he will find a very different Congress than the one he managed during his first two years as president. With both chambers no longer under his control, he will have to deal with a Republican speaker in the lower house and will enjoy his first real majority in the Senate. With these ingredients on the table, Biden will have the complex task of translating his agenda into law.
The 118th Congress will reflect the new majorities elected by the people, who chose to split one chamber for each party. Therefore, if Biden or the Republicans intend to pass legislation through Congress, they will have no choice but to negotiate with the opposite side of the aisle.
What was left out: immigration and crime
Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) tried very hard to pass their immigration reform before the start of 2023. Such an attempt was thwarted. The bipartisan effort was a traditional quid pro quo, in which both parties gave in to some request from their counterpart.
As reported by The Washington Post, the deal involved a path to citizenship for 2 million dreamers, billions extra for border security, and an extension of Title 42, a Trump administration policy that allows for the immediate removal of illegal immigrants at the southern border. This was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court indefinitely, by a 5-4 ruling.
With more than 300 days to go, the Republican and Independent senators will reintroduce legislation, this time with one House painted blue and the other red.
Another key legislation involves crime, and Senator Sinema is also involved. The Project Safe Neighborhood program seeks to identify and address the most pressing crime problems in the various communities.
According to the Arizonan’s own website, her project “empowers local leaders to collaborate with federal partners to address crime and foster safer neighborhoods, while maintaining long-term reductions in violent crime in their communities.”
The legislation has bipartisan support from John Cornyn (R-TX), Gary Peters (D-Mich), Chuck Grassley (R-IO), Thom Tillis (R- NC), Diane Feinstein (D-CA), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Military aid to Ukraine
It’s no secret to anyone that both parties see aid to Ukraine as a legislative priority. Mitch McConnell himself made this clear at the end of 2022, leaving the door more than open to further infusions of money to Zelensky’s military.
While some Republicans have already publicly called for cutting off the flow of money to Ukraine, a majority of lawmakers see this as an “investment” in the future to reduce Russia’s war power.
According to The Washington Post, Ukraine needs about $55 billion in foreign aid next year just to pay its bills, to which must be added another $2 billion a month earmarked for war and civilian infrastructure.
Congress recently approved $45 billion in aid to Ukraine for next year, accounting for a grand total of $68 billion, which the U.S. has provided since February.
Improving online privacy
This new bipartisan effort seeks to establish new protections for Americans’ online privacy. Specifically, it would create a new requirement for companies to establish a “reasonably necessary and proportionate” standard that limits the data to be collected about individuals, how they use it, and with whom they share it.
If passed by Congress, it would take it out of the hands of consumers to have to sift through privacy policies. It is a fact that few (hopefully) people take the time to carefully read and understand privacy policies when just trying to use a new application.
The legislation introduces a novel approach to the issue. If passed, companies that handle data would be required to handle it responsibly.
The American Data Protection and Privacy Act (ADPPA) passed the House committee by a 53-2 vote. Now, the new Congress will be tasked with reviewing it and deciding its fate.
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]