In this story, we tell you why US legislation may now come to a dead end.
Votes for the midterm elections are currently being counted in the United States. Americans have voted in numerous small elections in the states, but the most visible part is the federal congressional elections.
Congress, or the “parliament” of the United States, consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, i.e. the lower and upper houses of the parliament.
We summarized how the chambers differ from each other, and what might result from the change of power.
The House of Representatives is like the “voice of the people” – the Senate, on the other hand, ensures that even the little ones have a chance to be heard
Legislative initiatives must be approved by both chambers.
In the House of Representatives that is, there are 435 representatives in the lower house. They are selected from each state in proportion to population. The House of Representatives is said to reflect the current opinion of the people.
In the Senate that is, the upper house consists of one hundred members, two senators from each state without regard to population. The Senate has been thought to be a counterweight to the “people’s upheaval”.
The Senate also ensures that even small states have a say. This is because representatives in the House of Representatives are elected based on population, and small states could become the tyranny of larger ones.
For example, the country’s largest state, California, has 52 representatives in the federal house of representatives, Alaska has only one.
The senator’s term lasts six years. Elections are held every two years, and about a third of the senators are elected at once.
The President of the Senate is the Vice President, who only votes in the event of a tie in the Senate. Because the Vice President is currently a Democrat Terrible Harristhe Democrats gain control of the Senate with 50 senators, while the Republicans need 51 senators to win.
The legislative initiative must receive the approval of both chambers in order for it to proceed to be confirmed by the president.
In the United States, the president signs laws and plays a prominent role in legislative changes. The president leads the legislative work and the vision of which direction the country should be taken.
Legislation becomes more difficult, as part of the power changes
Now it looks like the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, the Senate seat is still open. This slows down the legislation.
The counting of votes in the United States will probably take days, but The New York Times, for example, predicts that the Republicans will have a majority in the House of Representatives.
Right now it looks like the Senate result is very even and may not be known until December. The result is still open in three states, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia. In Georgia, the vote goes to the second round in December.
In order for new laws to be enacted in the United States, both houses must approve the laws, but the president also has a say.
The president has the right to veto laws, and the president Joe Biden is a democrat. Biden can therefore prevent the creation of laws pushed by Republicans.
Even if only the House of Representatives goes to the Republicans, legislation would be significantly more difficult. It would be very difficult for President Biden to persuade the Republican majority to vote in favor of his bills.
If the Senate also ends up in the hands of the Republicans, it will also become difficult for Biden to push for judicial and official appointments. Supreme Court justices in particular have a huge influence on how the laws of the United States are interpreted.
Agreeing on the budget is also very difficult, because it also requires the approval of both chambers. The federal government has sometimes had to suspend the payment of wages to its employees when Congress has not been able to agree on a budget in time.
For laws to emerge, Republicans and Democrats should make compromises. The country is politically very divided, and compromises do not necessarily want to be made right now.
You can discuss the topic on 10.11. until 11 p.m.
In the Maa maila paupuu video podcast, journalists Jenny Matikainen and Iida Tikka think about what happens if people who want to destroy democracy come to power.