Congressional accomplishments such as the passage and enactment of legislation in an election year begin to wane as the campaign season ramps up.
As May begins, the people in Washington are focused on the conventions: Republican on July 15–18 in Milwaukee and Democratic on August 19–22 in Chicago.
Current work on Capitol Hill mostly falls under the “messaging” category.
Despite the realities of a campaign year and the politicking that goes along with it, the Flexible Packaging Association’s advocacy work on Capitol Hill continues in earnest.
In keeping with the theme of this FlexPack VOICE® issue of breakthroughs and awards, the only award the 118th Congress appears to be vying for is one for the least number of legislative accomplishments.
According to Congress.gov, 34 bills passed through both chambers and became law in 2023. For this year, which is the second session, Congress is on track to barely meet that number or may see an even lower count.
Whether that is an award for notoriety or merit is a personal opinion.
Deviating from procedure
Under the topic of breakthroughs, this Congress—specifically the U.S. House—found a way to pass bipartisan legislation in critical times by deviating from the regular procedure and using the suspension process.
While this is not new, “suspension of the rules” is generally a procedural step used to quickly pass noncontroversial legislation in the House such as bills that name post offices or codify National Hot Dog Day.
“Under suspension, floor debate is limited, all floor amendments are prohibited, points of order against the bill are waived, and final passage requires a two-thirds majority vote,” according to the Congressional Budget Office at cbo.gov/publication/59554.
Given the extreme polarity and tight voting margins in the House, just a few members who oppose a bill can strangle its advancement through regular order.
The breakthrough of using suspension has allowed the House to pass various measures, including continuing resolutions for funding to avert federal shutdowns and the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, and provide short-term reauthorizations of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The true breakthrough is that this approach requires bipartisan support to get to the two-thirds majority vote, a rarity in Washington these days.
Despite the realities of a campaign year and the politicking that goes along with it, the Flexible Packaging Association’s advocacy work on Capitol Hill continues in earnest.
Our efforts to educate members and their staff on the merits of flexible packaging and the regulatory and legislative threats to our industry continue. And we are laying the groundwork for the next Congress and administration, whatever the results of the elections in November.