A Divided Government, To Be or To Not Be

This month, on November 7th, 2020, America has elected a new President as well as the first Female Vice President in the History of the United States. Although many were seen celebrating the election of former Vice President Joe Biden, there were some Americans disappointed by this as well as some who believe that these results are fraudulent. Despite this, many are wondering if a presidency under Joe Biiden will result in a Divided Government and whether this “Divided Government” will benefit our government as well as our country. 

A divided government is defined as a type of government in presidential systems where the control of the executive and legislative branches are split between two parties. Currently the Democratic Party has control of the House of Representatives and the Republican party runs the Senate. Democrats are skeptical that with Mitch Mcconnell as the majority leader of the Senate, many fear that no progress will be made. They believe that with the two separate parties controlling the House and the Senate, Republicans will block the Democrats from passing bills that coincide with the goals that a Biden Presidency would like to fulfil such as climate change legislation, and policies on healthcare. NBC says that Democrats believe that Mcconnell will not want to cooperate. 

Some believe that this division in power between the Democrats and the Senate and the respective branches that they control, could be good for America. Harvard news says that the way that America has voted may indicate that Americans want a more constructive balance of power and cooperation in government.  Senator Mitch Mcconnell’s senior advisor Scott Jennings said that people believe we are more divided than ever however “maybe this election is exactly what voters demanded, with neither party having too much control. Maybe we’re actually more united, in that we want to see the two parties working together. Regardless of our battle scars, maybe this is a way to reshape what we’re doing.” Despite the fact that there are people that may side with one party, they may also support policies from another party. For example, “Florida could vote for Trump and approve raising the minimum wage to $15.”

 Whether or not this divided government truly will benefit the government as well as America as a whole is definitely up for debate however many people believe that this will be good for the economy, seeing markets react to this. Also with this divide everything will not be in the hands of one party and because of this there will be less pressure on investors.  

Despite the fact that there is a very good chance that with this upcoming Biden Harris presidency, there will be a divide in the government between the two parties, these next four years will unravel how America reacts to this divide as well as what government policies will come to light.

Article by Hallie Rozario of Springbrook High School

Article edited by News Editor Dhruv Pai

Graphic by Ha-Tien Nguyen of Winston Churchill High School