A Productive, (Mostly) Amicable Day in the House

The US House today defied its reputation for divisiveness, protracted debate, and razor-thin victory margins with a remarkably productive legislative session marked by moments of bipartisanship.

The House managed to pass some 13 pieces of legislation on a wide range of issues, ranging from data-mining protections to medical device availability to responses to Chinese surveillance balloons. Nearly all of the bills were passed on voice votes. 

Rep. Bice

One hard-fought compromise involved a set of competing bills by Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Oklahoma) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) over making feminine hygiene products more affordable. While Bush's original bill likely would have been further-reaching in terms of providing free menstrual products, the two were able to come to terms and put forward a bipartisan Bice-Bush Act. (One of the session's more divisive votes occurred over the naming of the act.) The bill passed on a voice vote.

Rep. Massie

Republicans were also able to pass a longstanding goal for some conservatives -- an act to audit the Federal Reserve Board. Its author, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), argued that it is "long overdue that we lift back the curtain of the Federal Reserve for the American people." Although a number of Democrats raised concerns, resistance to the bill softened with Rep. Ruben Gallego's (D-Arizona) amendment that the bill require reauthorization every four years.

Perhaps the most partisan fight occurred over Majority Leader Tom Emmer's (R-Minnesota) proposal to eliminate all taxes -- including state and local taxes -- on small businesses. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) and other Republicans emphasized that these cuts were for smaller businesspeople, such as "the baker that wakes up at 3AM." Democrats raised numerous objections over the definition of small business and the enforceability and constitutionality of the measure. It nonetheless passed on a party-line roll call vote right before adjournment. It was not clear whether President Biden would sign the measure into law.