Throughout the current administration, legislation passed through the Senate and House received consistent support from both sides of the aisle. In 2021, nearly 93% of bills passed through the Senate with bipartisan support. In 2022, inter-party cooperation increased to well over 94% of legislation passed. And in 2023, almost 95% of bills passed received a “yes” vote from Democrat and Republican lawmakers. With that said, are bipartisan bills alive and well in 2023?
The state of bipartisan bills in Congress during the Biden Administration
Unfortunately, according to the McCourt School of Public Policy, bipartisanship in the 117th Congress dropped sharply from the 116th. During the Trump administration, bipartisan legislation amongst Republican Senators jumped well above average levels. Although cooperation across party lines fell slightly amongst Dems in the upper chamber, they remained consistently above the historical average. Sadly, throughout the first year of Biden’s presidency, inter-party relationships plummeted to historic lows.
However, a Roll Call opinion shows the 118th Congress could improve party relationships, especially in the upper house. The GOP retains an extremely slim majority with 49 Senators to the Dem’s 48 (three Senate members are independent). The narrow control makes cooperation between the two parties necessary for effective lawmaking. “If you don’t want to work on a bipartisan basis, [you’ll] never get anything done,” said Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). “People with fundamentally different beliefs can find common ground.”
In the wake of debt limit woes, President Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 on June 3, 2023. The debt limit bill passed with support from both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate and House. The legislation received significant Republican support in the House of Representatives, with 149 Republican legislators voting “yes” on the bill.
Where is there room to reach across the aisle?
Firstly, passing the debt limit bill and avoiding economic catastrophe was a crucial win for bipartisanship in the 118th Congress. According to Pew Research Center, Americans are still highly divided by party lines on issues such as gun policy and abortion. However, there are several key issues where Dems and the GOP have room for cooperation.
One increasingly bipartisan issue in 2023 is the legalization of marijuana. Legislators on both sides of the aisle, even in conservative states, show support for legal weed. In South Carolina, Republican Representatives cosponsored two medical cannabis bills. And the Texas House of Representatives passed a marijuana decriminalization law. Additionally, on the Federal level, House representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) reintroduced the PREPARE Act.
And the US Chamber of Commerce reports national and economic security is a top concern for both parties. In early March 2023, Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) introduced the bipartisan RESTRICT Act. The bill would address and assess national cybersecurity concerns from foreign telecommunications technology.
Big tech regulation is one of the fastest-growing issues for both GOP and Democrat lawmakers, especially focusing on child welfare. According to NY1, at least two bipartisan pieces of legislation are active on the Senate floor. One is the Kids Online Safety Act, cosponsored by Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The other bill is the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, cosponsored by two Democratic and two Republican lawmakers.
There are still several critical issues it seems Republicans and Democrats will never agree upon. However, after a rough few years of cooperation between parties, it seems bipartisanship is on the rise again.
