The US House of Representatives has passed the “Protecting our Democracy Act” in its bid to protect the democratic institutions of the United States.
It will help the country in seeing fewer abuses of presidential power, empowering the law to curb the abuse of power by the president and vice president, and reinstating Congressional ability for the power of the purse of the United States, a provision which has been diluted due to the abundance of executive actions.
Presidential pardon has often been considered an abusive practice by the president. However, as this practice is constitutional and requires a constitutional amendment to get reformed, only a congressional act could have controlled this presidential outreach.
The act is a combination of reforms that are intended to reshape the country’s electorate by banning the measures that undermine it.
The newly approved set of reforms includes the bipartisan Honest Ads Act, which has widespread support from Congress.
The Honest Ads Act, which was introduced by Congressman Kilmer, evinces that foreign intervention in the US election should remain limited while the uncontrolled digital political advertisement must be looked at.
Protecting our Democracy Act: An All-inclusive Framework for Democratic Freedom
Thus, the Federal Election Commission would be empowered, an institution that is part and parcel of democracy. An election free from any discrepancy is necessary as even the baseless voter rhetoric after the 2020 elections helped Republicans in destroying democracy in the January 6 episode.
All in all, the act will help the country in the following regimes.
- Reducing presidential power abuse.
- Suspending federal crimes statute of limitations by the president and the vice president.
- Caping off-service profit opportunities for federal officials.
- Empowering elected officials to make federal officials accountable.
- Limiting presidential powers in reducing Congressional ability of the power of the purse.
- Making the Department of Justice free from political interference.
- Protecting police from unnecessary political intervention and making the removal of the IG documented to avoid political transfers.
- Encouraging whistleblowers who expose the corrupt elements in the power structure.
- Making American elections free from foreign intervention.
If closely reviewed, this act touches every aspect of the current power structure, which is enough to control the abuse of power.
Presidential power, for instance, has been decreased over the years, but their political clout remains high. Trump, for instance, issued 143 pardons, much fewer than earlier presidents, but the people who were given these pardons remain top-level military and civil were entertained under this.
Measures along these lines will help the country in seeing democracy from a near view.
Politicizing Federal Departments will be Lessened Under New Act
Secondly, politicizing the Department of Justice has also been a persistent challenge for the Biden administration.
The school board memo of the Biden administration threatened many Republicans as they encouraged parents to attack the boards for political purposes.
Hence as Republicans are anti-woke, they do not want to see that curriculum explored, which is helping them politicize the department.
Foreign intervention in the United States elections is also a big concern for the country. Russia’s involvement in subsequent elections and their attempt to hack the EVMs are a matter of great concern for the Biden administration.
However, these sorts of legislations require bipartisan consensus as Republicans still count on Russia for winning the election, especially in the current political landscape.
Final Thoughts
The political advertisement industry is also getting out of control with the latest changes, including the new targeted algorithms, which will limit a campaign’s outreach.
Then comes the inclusion of dark money in a political advertisement, which politicians use in order to channel their funds collected through objectionable means. Curbing this money will help the country in launching a new era of political advertisement revolution in the country.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.