The latest congressional news and analysis from political experts and historians.
A Surprise Revival of Bipartisanship – August 24, 2021
Bipartisanship has left the House of Representatives, and virtually every vote shows this, with the blue House majority barely edging the Republicans by a handful of votes. The House is where the extreme wing and the extreme left wing dwell, more so than the Senate, so this house of Congress does not meet in the middle. Over on the Senate side, members often speak of “common ground” more often than they find it. In early 2021, seven Senate Republicans broke away and voted to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. In the months that followed, more signs of true bipartisanship arose, in small groups and factions, culminating in the major infrastructure win this summer. On both sides of 50–50, senators seemed to awaken to the 60-vote filibuster rule’s reality. To get anything passed and done, they really have no choice but to seek and achieve bipartisanship. In this Congress Report, congressional expert and Washington journalist Jamie Stiehm, discusses the recent and rare show of bipartisanship on the impactful infrastructure bill.