Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Women, Congress, and the Shutdown
This week, the New York Times reported on the role of women’s efforts in the ongoing budget problems. The concessions and deals that form the backbone of today’s bipartisan bill, which if passed, would reopen the federal government, were agreed on by a group of women from both parties. Most notably, three out of the four Republican women in Congress came together with Democrats to strike a deal. Female senators head the powerful Budgets and Appropriations Committees, and have been instrumental in supporting a deal.
In a climate of party-based polarization, women senators have been known to gather and debate across party lines, even more so than their male counterparts. The Republican women involved in this deal were especially willing to risk deviating from party lines for the sake of freeing the nation from this political deadlock. As the percentage of women in Congress to continues to grow, we can hope to see more collaboration and progress in the future.
Evan Vucci/Associated Press
Read the article here:
