Summary:
In
their article “Congressional talks on Zika, government funding inch forward,”
Ted Barrett and Deirdre Walsh discuss the ongoing debate in Congress over the
Zika bill that would fund the fight against the Zika virus that is currently
spreading in the U.S. Congress is having difficulty passing this crucial bill
due to partisan polarization. The Democrats recently blocked the bill from
passing because the Republicans added a provision prohibiting funds in the bill
from going to Planned Parenthood. Other interest groups and agencies also want
to add their own provisions to the bill that would address their interests; for
example, environmental groups are concerned about damage caused by the
pesticides that are used to kill Zika-carrying mosquitos. Other non-Zika
related issues, such as gun control and abortion, are being brought up in the
debate over the Zika bill, thus causing greater gridlock. Regardless, it is
crucial that Congress comes to a decision soon or else the federal government
could shut down.
Connection:
The
long-lasting debate and stalemate over the Zika bill in Congress reflects the
strong partisan polarization in the U.S. today. This polarization is leading to
an increase in policy gridlock, thus rendering Congress ineffective in dealing
with extremely important and urgent issues.
Questions:
1. Is Congress effective?
2. Does Congress’s actions accurately
reflect the interests of the majority?
3. Who does Congress represent?
The Zika outbreak is a prime example of partisan politics causing what would otherwise be near-universally accepted legislation to be turned into another cause of political gridlock. Most all American citizens support disease control, yet Congress has failed this basic requests and has instead let the Zika outbreak fester in the name of playing the game of politics.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Battatmobile– Congress is letting other interests and conflicts get in the way of passing this very necessary bill regarding Zika. Congress couldn't be more ineffective in its role of lawmaking, as its interest in winning other conflicts bring a halt to the time sensitive issue of fighting Zika. While Cornyn and others seem optimistic that Congress will make progress and pass the bill in the near future, it is clear that politics has prolonged it enough.
DeleteThis article and Congress's lack of action exemplifies how Congress represents their interest groups rather than the people. Instead of taking action against Zika, both parties are trying to sneak in provisions that have to do with other issues, issues that interest groups are concerned over. This has lead to a gridlock and once again Congress cannot represent the people or get anything done.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dylan. I think candidates are letting other interests influence their positions too much. They let interest groups influence their positions instead of listening to the majority vote. They can be persuaded to do things not based on their own opinions, but based on what will bring them the most amount of money. Like Dylan said, this can lead to gridlock.
DeleteCongress has not been able to pass bills in a timely matter. Congress has been stuck in policy gridlock has has not been able to get preventative kits to areas of need. Congress's inability to act in a timely fashion has resulted in children being born with birth defects. Congress needs to be more effective and if they remain in policy gridlock it can lead to the birth of many more children being born with health defects.
ReplyDeleteI believe that although currently congress is seemingly in a constant state of gridlock, it is less the ineffectiveness of congress that is to blame but rather the failure of the executive branch to communicate with congress. For example, filibusters were hardly a thing with an example from Mark Kellman who states that even during debates such as the civil rights act no more than 7 filibusters were made to halt congress from creating bills. Admittedly party polarization has been in great effect this past decade, which is largely due to the fact of a failing congress, it is not the structure that needs to be re-addressed as it is known to work with different incumbents.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have criticized Obama for not being able to work with the legislative branch. However, I have children and recognize when they are recalcitrant. See link:
Deletehttps://mic.com/articles/22662/5-ways-obama-tries-to-work-with-republicans-and-is-rejected#.QiyJlPML7
Congress' inability to pass a bill addressing the zika virus in a reasonable amount of time highlights the member's inability to act as trustees of their constituents. It seems obvious that the current outbreak should be handled as a non-partisan issue with solutions beneficial to all Americans. I agree that party polarization is highly detrimental to the governmental process, and also believe that the practice of adding superfluous and unrelated riders, like the one involving Planned Parenthood funding with this bill, is absurd.
ReplyDelete(Kate Jenkins)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe Zika policy gridlock exemplifies yet another instance where American politics get in the way of assisting constituents at the expense of the people the government should protect. As a government by the people and for the people, it is shameful that passing policy to prevent severe birth defects is circumvented for partisan policy intricacies.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that it is shameful how passing policy to prevent birth defects is not prioritized. I do not think that Congress is effective because of the increasing party polarization leading to gridlock. As Dylan said in the comment above, Congress in representing interest groups rather than the people.
DeleteI think that part of the reason for the stalemate is the influence interest groups hold over Congress. I see this kind of behavior as a sort of Congressional sabotage, where groups try to slide some pieces into a bill that would benefit them when they maybe aren't as for a bill as they may seem. This practice also isn't new. When Washington, D.C.'s representative was trying to gain the ability to vote in Congress, the bill passed, but it had a fun little attachment that repealed all gun control laws in the city, which was a way of the opposition indirectly saying no to the bill.
ReplyDeleteCongress originally represented the American people when it was first created. However, it has broken away from its role. It now represents their own individual ideology and the vision of their party. No longer are the people truly in control on Congress and this needs to be addressed. How? I truly do not know due to my lack of research, yet it should be looked into.
ReplyDelete