Background You will write a 10-12 page research paper (2,500 to 3,000 words) on a significant aspect of the executive-legislative branch relationship, subject to my approval. Topics should relate to a legislative, programmatic, regulatory, or public policy issue in which there is a substantial joint interest between the Congress and the president and/or executive branch agency. The issue selected should be examined as a case study in the executive-legislative branch relationship and apply the concepts described in our readings, lectures and discussions. You have broad flexibility in choosing your subject matter, but I do ask that any topic you choose be relevant to the modern relationship between the two branches. While historical background and context will likely be necessary to explain your subject matter, this should not be a history paper. Topic Understanding President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation: How Congress finally came to pass the infrastructure bill I will examine the executive branch’s interaction with the legislative branch regarding domestic issues like infrastructure investment. I will specifically assess the Biden administration and its relationship with Congress specifically during the passing Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and assess the effects of party politics in the House and Senate. Professors Comments: The bipartisan infrastructure act is that rare legislative animal -- passed through something like "regular order" with a bipartisan supermajority in the Senate, with cooperation between the executive and legislative branches in developing the bill's provisions. So I think it stands as a counter to those who argue that nothing significant can be accomplished on a bipartisan basis - see also the CHIPS and Science Act. However, it is notable that both the infrastructure bill and the CHIPS Act both involve large amounts of spending and not a lot of tough policy choices. Some things to think about while writing:
- What authorities or executive orders enabled the president with the Bipartisan Infrastructure law
-What was the act that the president used to make congress react
- Go through case studies -Look at what congress specified in law -Look at an antagonist
It is impossible to govern any democracy
without compromise. As such, the United States (US) governance is founded on
compromise, and its constitution is a result of and a producer of compromise.
It establishes a complex power division that forces the country’s leaders to
find cooperation from various independent actors, each with their bases of
formal authority and political power. Consequently, the leaders must have
exceptional conciliation and negotiation skills. Party polarization in the US
has made compromise challenging in modern governance and impacted policy
outcomes. The exploration of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and its
enaction process will highlight the challenges polarization creates in passing
policies, the executive and legislative branches’ roles, and bipartisan laws’
cons, underpinning the role of compromise in governance.