Congressional Gridlock
Congressional gridlock has become a term that has flooded nearly all common news outlets such as the evening news, radio stations, social media and more. The causation stems from Congress’s inability to effectively pass public policy. “In the United States, gridlock occurs when the Senate and the House of Representatives are controlled by different parties. In the senate, gridlock may also occur when no party has a filibuster-proof majority. Gridlocks may occur when no major political party has the minimum numbers in the lower house to form a government or when a party controls the upper house's majority votes.” (“What is Gridlock In Government?”). The consequences of congressional gridlock include loss of pay for federal …show more content…
Once a congress member is elected, for the most part they have secured their salary and benefits as a Congressman. Essentially, there isn’t much need to please the public, because they have already ensured their salary for the length of their term. Most American jobs and their respective salaries are performanced based. If Congress members were required to meet certain goals set forth by their campaign or even simply reach a specific approval rating, then they would focus more on meeting public needs than staying complacent until their next election nears. Congress members should be held responsible for complying with the desires of the public. This would have a major impact on the frequency of gridlocking. Congress members would soon understand that if people are without work or having their checks withheld due to a gridlock that they created, their ratings would plummet along with their …show more content…
The gridlock began when Democrats refused to make any movement over policies that would have a tremendous impact on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, more commonly referred to as DACA, budget deals, defense spending and Children’s Health Insurance Program. The gridlock began on January 20, 2018 and lasted until January 22, 2018. “The Senate floor became a staging ground for dueling speeches early Saturday morning, and lawmakers of both parties—as well as the White House and political-activist groups—flooded the inboxes of reporters with prewritten statements castigating one side or the other.” (Berman). Another recent government gridlock occured in 2013. In comparison to the most recent congressional gridlock, the gridlock that occurred in 2013 was long. The gridlock began on October 1, 2013 and did not end until October 17, 2013. This specific gridlock was caused by conflicting ideas between both parties regarding the funding for the upcoming fiscal year. Aside from its length, what makes this congressional gridlock so notorious is the twenty-one hour long filibuster speech delivered by Ted Cruz September 24, 2013- September 25, 2013 that expressed Republicans’ opposition to Obamacare and encouraged a gridlock unless Democrats were willing to make compromises on the healthcare budget. Several days later on October 16, 2013, the Senate Majority and Minority leaders announced their plan to stop
Congressional gridlock has become a term that has flooded nearly all common news outlets such as the evening news, radio stations, social media and more. The causation stems from Congress’s inability to effectively pass public policy. “In the United States, gridlock occurs when the Senate and the House of Representatives are controlled by different parties. In the senate, gridlock may also occur when no party has a filibuster-proof majority. Gridlocks may occur when no major political party has the minimum numbers in the lower house to form a government or when a party controls the upper house's majority votes.” (“What is Gridlock In Government?”). The consequences of congressional gridlock include loss of pay for federal …show more content…
Once a congress member is elected, for the most part they have secured their salary and benefits as a Congressman. Essentially, there isn’t much need to please the public, because they have already ensured their salary for the length of their term. Most American jobs and their respective salaries are performanced based. If Congress members were required to meet certain goals set forth by their campaign or even simply reach a specific approval rating, then they would focus more on meeting public needs than staying complacent until their next election nears. Congress members should be held responsible for complying with the desires of the public. This would have a major impact on the frequency of gridlocking. Congress members would soon understand that if people are without work or having their checks withheld due to a gridlock that they created, their ratings would plummet along with their …show more content…
The gridlock began when Democrats refused to make any movement over policies that would have a tremendous impact on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, more commonly referred to as DACA, budget deals, defense spending and Children’s Health Insurance Program. The gridlock began on January 20, 2018 and lasted until January 22, 2018. “The Senate floor became a staging ground for dueling speeches early Saturday morning, and lawmakers of both parties—as well as the White House and political-activist groups—flooded the inboxes of reporters with prewritten statements castigating one side or the other.” (Berman). Another recent government gridlock occured in 2013. In comparison to the most recent congressional gridlock, the gridlock that occurred in 2013 was long. The gridlock began on October 1, 2013 and did not end until October 17, 2013. This specific gridlock was caused by conflicting ideas between both parties regarding the funding for the upcoming fiscal year. Aside from its length, what makes this congressional gridlock so notorious is the twenty-one hour long filibuster speech delivered by Ted Cruz September 24, 2013- September 25, 2013 that expressed Republicans’ opposition to Obamacare and encouraged a gridlock unless Democrats were willing to make compromises on the healthcare budget. Several days later on October 16, 2013, the Senate Majority and Minority leaders announced their plan to stop