Chuck Schumer comes out swinging
It’s morning again in America, as Donald Trump leaves for Mar-a-Lago and we’ll get not only a new president and vice president who are both highly qualified, but new leadership in the U.S. Senate as well, to enact some pretty significant and much needed legislation. The new Democratic government will have a unique duty that goes beyond the traditional expectations of these institutions as well: Renew the faith of the American people in their own institutions by governing.
The good news, however, is that Senate Democrats, led by the newly appointed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will waste no time at making this a reality. The first bill they plan to take up in the Senate will be For the People Act, a much overdue bill that will strengthen democracy with the expansion of voting rights – something the GOP has spent much of the past eight years attacking and obstructing at every turn, despite the question of its legality.
Not only does the new bill deal with an expansion of early voting and vote by mail, while cracking down on voter intimidation, it also modernizes the voter registration system, to make things like routine purges considerably more difficult for states to do. The new bill would allow for new voters to register to vote online, allow voters to register on the same day of federal elections, and it provides election security funds to implement the new reforms.
With the slight majority that Democrats have in the Senate, the fight over this bill could get contentious – but it could be difficult for Republicans to come up with creative ways to oppose this bill – particularly since a number of them fought to cancel out the votes of their own constituents when Congress convened on January 6 to certify the Electoral College results.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making