The US Constitution established a system in which it granted strong powers to the executive and legislative institutions, and made them participate in decision-making and implementation through the principle of separation of powers.
In light of the widespread polarization between the Republican and Democratic parties, the control of either party over the legislative and executive institutions gives the opportunity to effect broad changes so that the dominant party does not care about the opinion or position of the other party.
And when American voters cast their ballots on Tuesday, November 3, they will not only choose a president, but they will also elect 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 senators.
The Republicans currently hold the majority in the Senate with 53 members compared to 47 for the Democrats, while the Democrats control the House of Representatives with a majority of 230 deputies, and any party needs 218 deputies to ensure that it controls the majority in the House of Representatives.
Although attention has focused on the presidential elections, the congressional elections remain so important that their results result in a legislature that can hinder or support the policies of the next president.
The importance of the 2020 congressional elections also increases the possibility that the House of Representatives itself will play a major role in deciding the selection of the new president if the election results are announced with a clear victory for one of the candidates due to legal and political disputes related to postal voting and the slow process of counting and sorting ballot papers.
The congressional elections are witnessing unprecedented enthusiasm due to the increase in the number of participants in the vote compared to the rates witnessed in past years, due to the expansion of voting by mail and early voting for reasons related to fears of transmitting the Corona virus infection.
The 2020 elections may be similar to the 2008 elections that gave the White House and both houses of Congress majorities to the Democratic Party.
The average polls give Democrats an 87% chance to win the presidency, 73% to win the Senate, and a 95% chance to win the House of Representatives.
Thus it seems that there is an opportunity to see in January 2021 Washington as a city and capital whose political institutions are controlled by one party with the power to make laws and implement policies.
Obama (left) with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in a previous interview (Reuters)
The question remains: What does the Democrats' control of Congress and the White House mean?
Cancel the right to disable
Democrats will do everything in their power to amend or cancel the most important laws adopted by President Donald Trump's administration, and for that, there is no alternative for Democrats to start abolishing the right of suspension in the Senate.
The "Filibuster Right" allows the majority party to suspend parliament’s consideration of any legislation it does not like with the exception of the president’s appointments of judges, ministers, and federal budget legislation.
It also allows the minority party to ask to speak for hours and days without interruption as a way to block consideration of legislation that it does not like, and stopping the suspension requires a 60% majority of the vote.
The Democrats ’victory gives the Senate the ability to amend its bylaws, and stopping the suspension requires only a simple majority (50 + 1), and with the House agreeing with the House of Representatives and the White House, the Democrats will be able to pass a package of basic laws to erase the effects of the years and laws of President Trump’s term, the
most important of which is :
(1) Expanding the Supreme Court and increasing the number of its judges
The Republicans were determined to appoint conservative Judge Amy Conner Barrett quickly and not wait for the presidential elections to end for the new president to choose the Supreme Court judge. This is a precedent that disrupted the Supreme Court's balance so that there are 6 conservatives versus 3 liberals for the first time in conservative history.
This prompted many Democrats to put forward the idea of the need to increase the number of Supreme Court justices (requiring only a law of Congress approved by the president) in order to strike a balance between its conservative and liberal wings so that the right to abortion is not threatened, the health care programs known as Obama Care cancel, or the right to marry Homosexuals (homosexuals).
The idea of adding 4 judges to the Supreme Court, bringing the total of its judges to 13 judges instead of 9, is one of the most popular ideas in this context.
(2) Tax reform
Amendment of the tax reform bill passed by Republicans in 2017 to increase taxes on corporations, the business sector, and the highest income segment of the American people.
(3) Reforming health care programs
Passing the Health Care Programs Amendment Act to allow government health programs to compete with programs offered by private health insurance companies within the Obama Care system, and to reduce age to obtain free government health insurance.
(4) Granting state status to Washington DC and Puerto Rico
Some Democratic Party leaders have spoken of the need to use control of the White House and Congress to grant state status to Washington and Puerto Rico (one of the territories of the United States).
The Democrats enjoy a large majority of more than 85%, and granting them the status of the state would make each of them two members of the Senate, which ensures that the Democrats continue to control the House easily.
Another satiated agenda
A number of senators have proposed ideas to pass laws that address various issues, including reforming the police and adjusting the way their financial allocations are spent, environmental and climate change policies, immigration policies, laws that limit the influence of money on politics, expanding the right to vote, and amending laws. Right to own firearms, banning automatic offensive weapons, and reform of the federal judicial appointments system.
The desire of the Democrats will depend on changing what Trump did based on the proportions and margin of their victory. If their triple victory was sweeping, we will see broad changes that continue without stopping, but if the victory is limited, limited changes will follow as well.