In shutdown deal, bipartisan legislating trumped party unity
Penn Washington Senior Fellow Steve Pearlstein’s new piece in Roll Call on the compromise that ended the government shutdown, part of our continuing “Fixing Congress” series.
Pearlstein argues that the eight Senate Democrats who broke ranks to end the federal shutdown should be celebrated for choosing bipartisan compromise over party unity. He contends that rigid party loyalty has made Congress dysfunctional, and members need the freedom to act as independent legislators rather than just following party orders.
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