The seminar “Representation and Dynamics in the New Congress,” was hosted in conjunction between Union College’s Political Science Department and Francesca Callahan, one of Union’s Chief Diversity Officers. The panelists at the event were Professors Zoe Oxley who spoke on representation in Congress, and Clifford Brown, who spoke on the probable policy initiatives of this Congress.

The seminar, part of the Constructive Engagement series, was hosted by Union’s Chief Diversity Officers. The Constructive Engagement series has hosted discussions and seminars on contentious issues, including abortion, white supremacy, and others. As President Harris, who briefly introduced the event said, the Constructive Engagement series is designed to create a free speech environment, enhance an understanding of democratic principles, and create democratic spaces.

The topic of Congress is of course highly relevant to the idea of understanding democratic principles. From the political science department, Clifford Brown, the Robert Porter Patterson Professor of Government, and Professor Zoe Oxley, Professor of Political Science, two of Union’s professors on American politics, gave their opinions on the state of Congress.

Representation:
Professor Oxley’s presentation on the state of representation in the new Congress indicated a level of representation simultaneously positive and negative. In absolute terms, Congress is not evenly representative of the American populace. Along racial and gender lines, Congress fails to provide accurate representation. The 117th Congress, which served 2021 to 2022, was
the most diverse of all congresses historically.124 of 540 members of Congress identified as being Black, Latino, Asian American, or Native American. Ten percent of that Congress was Black (59 people) which compared to 16 percent of the American population, was a large margin. Gender misrepresentation is worse. America has been predominantly resistant to trends in other parliamentary democracies that have seen a sharp increase in the number of women in national legislatures. America lags behind, though the reason why is unclear. 153 women serve in the current Congress, only 28 percent, compared to the 50 percent that would indicate perfect representation. The failure of improvements for representation for class and age are particularly important. From the audience at the seminar, a question regarding the class representation of the new Congress was asked; the response was not optimistic. Few members have had to punch a timecard, a glaring issue at a time when 40 percent of Americans can’t reliably produce $400 at will. The issue of representation also extends to the parties. The Republican Party noticeably has few White women in its congressional caucus. The difference in racial demographics in smaller or larger states is also an issue, with the Democratic Party more popular in urban areas leading to changes in representation in the Senate.

Dynamics:
Professor Brown spoke on what the 118th Congress is likely to accomplish. The simple answer is since Congress is divided between a Democratic Senate and Republican House, it is less likely to pass a large slew of legislation. The 117th Congress, which had a Democratic majority in both houses, was extremely effective, and passed a good deal of significant legislation. However, with a split Congress, the effectiveness drops significantly, and the increase of political polarization is unlikely to help.

Polarization is a real issue. While the extreme left of the Democratic Party has become involved in necessary compromises in Congress, the extreme wing of the Republican Party risks becoming increasingly ideological. This means that they are more likely to pass symbolic legislation unlikely to pass in the Senate (for instance Senator Josh Hawley’s (R-MO) insulin price cap
bill,) while also initiating purity tests to caucus members. RINO-ism has no real parallel in the Democratic Party, and more independent members of the Democratic Party are happy to separate themselves (for instance, Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ.))

Consequences:
The issue of representation in Congress is a real issue, made especially clear in a seminar given to college students. On the issue of
representation, one student asked, “If you don’t see young women in Congress, why would you spend your life wanting to become a woman in Congress?” Also voiced were concerns that age restrictions on voting would be an issue, as voting ID laws could literally grandfather older people into suffrage while barring the younger generation.

The dynamics of the new Congress seem to extend and foreshadow the 2024 presidential election, with both parties hoping to show that they can hold their own in a partisan battle, but also offer something new in the case of the Republican
Party, or maintain their programme in the case of the Democratic Party. Control of the House is a powerful partisan tool, and investigations into Biden are likely. As are attempts to attack through repeals, defunding, or austerity claims, the legislation of
the last Congress.