The President and Congress to Work Together?

Now that Congress is back in session for its last work days of the year, many Americans are speculating on what might be accomplished (or not). As you might know, the Republicans took control of the Senate in the midterm elections, which means that for the next two years, the political majority in Congress will be Republican, while the president remains a Democrat. Last year, failure to work together resulted in a temporary government shutdown. Both sides say they want to avoid another such incident.

Here are the current issues facing our lawmakers:

• Government Spending Bill This is the country’s annual budget, which is up for a vote on December 11. Last year, the big debate was over the funding of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). This year, it will be over how to fund new immigration policies. There is talk that Congress will attempt to exclude the Department of Homeland Security (where the budget for immigration currently lies) from government funding. There is also talk that the president would veto such an attempt.
• Immigration The president recently unveiled his plan to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation. This plan is made up of three parts–responsibly dealing with undocumented immigrants already living in the United States, improving border security, and promoting opportunities those who are highly-skilled. While Republicans as a whole disagree with how immigration should be handled, they also currently disagree with one another, which could make contesting the president a challenge.
• Tax Reform The way the United States collects revenue to fund itself is one of the fundamental differences in how Democrats and Republicans govern. The way our country taxes its citizens is based on laws passed by Congress. House Speaker John Boehner reportedly said, “Our tax code is terrible. Nobody understand it, not even the IRS.” One of the reported priorities of the upcoming year is to find a way to lessen the amount of money invested overseas in an effort to avoid high corporate taxes. Other proposed measures are to close loopholes, bring down rates for every American, and make it easier for everyone to file.

Dig Deeper Both Democrats and Republicans appear to want to avoid another government shutdown. Shutdowns are not popular with the public and both political parties are often blamed for the gridlock. Find out some specific strategies each side is hoping will eliminate a shutdown.