Popular is not enough to turn a bill into a law
Critical Analysis
According to the data from the graph above, what portion of all voters support the monitoring of domestic terrorism by DHS (Department of Homeland Security), DOJ (Department of Justice), and FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)?
According to the data from the graph above, what portion of all voters support the prosecution of domestic terrorism by DHS (Department of Homeland Security), DOJ (Department of Justice), and FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)?
The domestic terrorism bill 7 major policy initiatives listed in the graph above. In general, how would you describe American support for this bill?
In general, just from looking at the overview of the 7 policy initiatives in this bill, would you personally support this bill?
Despite the bill’s popularity, when the anti-domestic terrorism legislation came up for a vote in the House, just one Republican, retiring Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, voted with 221 Democrats to send the measure to the Senate. The bill is expected to die in the Senate. What about the legislative process makes it generally harder for legislation to pass the Senate than the House?
It is likely that this bill will die in the Senate. Describe one way the Senate could change their rules to make this (and other legislation) easier to pass the upper chamber.
A representative democracy is supposed to, more or less, mirror the will of the people. What does the imminent demise of this highly popular (to all voters) bill say about how representative our government is?
Generally, it would be presumed that a party that blocked popular legislation like this would suffer in the upcoming midterm election. But as Morning Consult reports, “though the bill is popular, it’s not clear Republicans will pay a political penalty for opposing it. The party’s members on Capitol Hill have regularly opposed, with near unanimity, Democrats’ Biden administration-era policy objectives that are broadly popular with the public, and there’s little evidence to suggest that it’s going to hinder their efforts to retake control of the House, if not also the Senate.“ What about our political system keeps one party from suffering for opposing a popular bill?
For whom is this bill’s defeat a victory, and for whom is it a defeat?
How does the anti-domestic terrorism bill illustrate the concept of checks and balances?
Learning Extension
Read this analysis from Morning Consult about why this bill will likely fail.
Action Extension
Contact your U.S. Senator and tell them your opinion of how they should vote on this piece of legislation.