The Secret Congress paradox
If there's one thing every progressive pundit and activist knows with absolute certainty, it's that Congress is broken and the blame lies with Republicans and oblivious Democratic centrists (like Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema) who are indifferent to the urgency of passing the Biden agenda. But what if this account of the state of play in Congress is wrong and American democracy is functioning much the way it always has?
That's the provocative question posed by a thoughtful post on Slow Boring, Matthew Yglesias' consistently excellent Substack. In "The Rise and Importance of Secret Congress," Yglesias and his coauthor Simon Bazelon point out that, while high-profile bills dealing with voting rights, infrastructure, and gun control remain stalled by uniform Republican opposition, other significant bills have passed on a comfortably bipartisan basis. One was the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021, which passed in May, showing that not all infrastructure is a no-go in the 117th Congress. Another was the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which Biden also signed in May, and the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, which recently passed the Senate with 68 votes and looks likely to clear the House later this year.
As Yglesias and Bazelon note, Congress also passed important legislation in the supposedly gridlocked closing years of the Obama and Trump administrations. The secret of this legislative success? The very fact that the legislation was secret. Well, not literally secret. But definitely not pushed by the White House, and not aligning precisely with the ideological priorities of each party's activist cheerleaders in the media and on the sidelines. The trick, it seems, is for members of Congress to find unpredictable cross-party partners to work with on issues that cut across these divides and then for the president to stay out of it, since his involvement will usually guarantee staunch opposition by members of the other party.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If this is right, the last thing pundits, activists, and presidents should be doing is loudly demanding that Congress pass this or that bill, since doing so will often ensure that the other party will refuse to go along. The road to success, meanwhile, might involve quiet coalition-building and deal-making behind the scenes. Which, come to think of it, may be the way Congress has always tended to work — even if that clashes with what our most highly engaged partisans would prefer.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Damon Linker is a senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also a former contributing editor at The New Republic and the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test.
-
Why au pairs might become a thing of the past
Under The Radar Brexit and wage ruling are threatening the 'mutually beneficial arrangement'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Congress honors real-life Rosie the Riveters
Speed Read These American women reshaped the work force during World War II
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is it time to end arms sales to Israel?
Today's Big Question Democrats urge restrictions following World Kitchen convoy deaths
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Europe is now beginning to tackle its military to-do list'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Mississippi sheriffs wield a tremendous authority in the counties they police'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Biden's State of the Union gave Democrats hope but not much else
Talking Points The president was forceful and feisty in his address to congress — so why hasn't it moved the electoral needle?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Has the government simply become too big to manage?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published