weakeness of legislative process

• can cause potential gridlocks

  The increased use of filibuster in senate now means that legislation needs 60 votes to pass in the senate

  • Increased partisanship has caused gridlock, leading to government shutdowns in 2013 and 2018.
  • This gridlock resulted in a low output of legislation, with the 112th Congress passing only 283 bills, the lowest in history.
• Gridlock is when political parties or branches of government can't agree, causing a no win or no progress situation and preventing progress or decision-making.
• • Committee chairs are argued to have too much power over legislation.
  • Pork barrelling involves Congress members securing federal money for local projects, often serving only local interests.
  • Pork barrelling is frequently attached to other bills to help secure passage.
  • During the conference stage, parts of the bill may be removed as compromises to ensure passage.
• Pork barrelling is when lawmakers secure government money for local projects that benefit their own constituents, often to gain political support.