By: Brady Noble

The wheels of American democracy began flowing this morning with bipartisan legislation regarding the use of federal money in disaster prevention, and post-disaster support for victims. There were several possible solutions discussed, including one spearheaded by GOP congressman Sam Graves (MO-06). Graves noted that forests should be cleared out to prevent the spread of wildfires. This was met with some pushback from the Democrats, who believed that this would lead to the destruction of several ecosystems and overall do more harm than good. Nevertheless, solutions were being proposed, and Representatives were working reaching across the aisle to come to a compromise. With newly found bipartisanship, Republican representative Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) noted that “it is inspiring to see Republicans and Democrats working together, too bad it's not the same in the real world”. This optimism was short lived, and it was not long before partisan bickering came to the forefront. Rep. Frank Lucas (OK-3) made a statement, “I hope that the democrats are quick ensuring flood insurance and pre-disaster mitigation. The Republicans have done their job, it is time for the Democrats to step up.

After a few party caucuses, another solution came to fruition. Rep. John Louis (GA-5) challenged Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-7) for her seat as Speaker of the House. When asked why he would make a better speaker than Pressley, he cited his work in creating support for bipartisan legislation. “Some of my legislation almost passed both chambers,'' he noted. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes (NY-14) soon followed in challenging Pressley’s seat. Ocasio-Cortes stunned the chamber when she stated that she regretted her previous work with Pressley. Finally, Steny Hoyer (MD-5) jumped on, challenging Pressley. The voting began and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes was subsequently named Speaker of The House. 

Continuing with the theme, Republican Thomas Massie (KY-4) challenged incumbent House Minority Leader, Kelly Armstrong (R-ND At-large). Massie believed that he would better because, Armstrong “succumbed to the wishes of the Democrats”. He continued to state that he will consider more perspectives from both sides of the aisle.