Posted: Dec 1, 2021 14:41 GMT
Joe Biden began his presidency by announcing an ambitious immigration reform, but a year later that measure still does not translate into law.
Political obstacles to the US social spending bill, promoted by President Joe Biden, would leave 11 million undocumented immigrants homeless, even though the president promised a regularization program.
The initiative has already been approved by the House of Representatives of Congress and sent to the Senate for debate. Although the Democrats have a majority, the Republicans can paralyze it by using something known as ‘filibustering’ or ‘filibustering’.
Biden began his presidency by announcing a ambitious immigration reform, with a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented people. With a legislative arm of Democratic majority, many do not understand why measures like that are not even contemplated a year later.
What is filibusterism?
“Filibusterism is basically a legislative procedure designed to protect minority voices in a legislative assembly, “explains Cornell W. Clayton, Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington.” In the US Senate. [el filibusterismo] stems from a rule passed in 1807, which basically allows senators to talk all the time they want, on whatever topic they choose, without being interrupted. And by doing so, they can prevent the measures from being put to a vote and they can prevent legislation from being carried out, “he added.
Although the Democrats have the majority in the House of Representatives, in the Senate they are 50 to 50 with the Republicans. This assumes that the opposition party can use filibustering to prevent approval of certain laws. The only way to end filibuster is with a 60-vote majority or three-fifths of the Senate. A figure that seems impossible to get for Biden’s party.
“A legislative tool”
This has fueled the debate on the elimination of filibustering, something very controversial on both sides of the political spectrum. “In recent years it has been a legislative tool used mostly by the Republican Party to prevent progressive ideas advance in the Upper House. However, Democrats in the past have also used “this mechanism, recalls the Democratic strategist and international political consultant Luis Montes.
For his part, the political consultant and former Republican adviser Arturo Estopiñan, believes that the Democrats want to eliminate filibusterism in order to have their approvals relatively easy. left wing proposals, although “that’s not part of the US tradition.”
Filibusterism is not included in the Us constitution and in fact it has been reformed in the past. Legislation experts warn that in recent decades it has gone from being a mechanism to protect principles that concern the minority to a weapon to obstruct laws supported by the majority of the population.
Why not reform?
Keep in mind that the composition of the Senate already in origin is disproportionate. There are two senators for each state, regardless of their population. As an example, 15 territories that together have fewer inhabitants than California obtain 30 senators, compared to the two in that state. This supposes give extraordinary power to rural areas and normally conservative vote.
“All majorities could have eliminated or modified filibustering, but they did not and I think it is because in certain circumstances the majority when they do not want to do something they can blame the minority“says Gisela Sin, Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois.
Filibusterism has become the perfect excuse not to govern effectively on controversial but important issues. In addition to rights for migrants, the law on voting or against police violence are other examples of initiatives stuck in the Senate, despite having the support of the majority.
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