Nearly two dozen Republican members of Congress supported two recent pieces of legislation that were seen as wins for President Joe Biden and bucked their party's majority.
The House of Representatives and the Senate passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in June with bipartisan support. It was the first gun safety legislation passed by Congress in 28 years and won approval following a number of deadly mass shootings.
In late July, Congress passed the Creating Helpful Incentives for the Production of Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act, which aims to tackle shortages in essential semiconductor chips.
While both bills enjoyed support from some Republicans in both chambers, 12 GOP senators and 11 Republican members of the House voted in favor of both pieces of legislation.
Here is a list of those Republicans:
Senators
Roy Blunt of Missouri
Richard Burr of North Carolina
Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
Susan Collins of Maine
John Cornyn of Texas
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
Rob Portman of Ohio
Mitt Romney of Utah
Thom Tillis of North Carolina
Todd Young of Indiana
Members of the House
Steve Chabot of Ohio
Liz Cheney of Wyoming
Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania
Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio
Chris Jacobs of New York
David Joyce of Ohio
John Katko of New York
Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
Peter Meijer of Michigan
Michael Turner of Ohio
Fred Upton of Michigan
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voted in favor of both bills, though a majority of his caucus didn't support the measures. The votes are rare bipartisan wins for the Biden administration.
Newsweek has asked the White House for comment.
However, legislative victories for the administration aren't likely to become the norm with the Senate divided among 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to bring the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 up for a vote this week after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said he supported the measure.
Manchin, who is considered a moderate or conservative Democrat, holds significant sway in the evenly divided chamber, but his support doesn't guarantee success.
It remains to be seen if Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema will support the legislation and no Republicans are expected to support the measure at this time.
The U.S. has been experiencing inflation at near 40-year highs in recent months and Democrats are facing difficult midterm elections in November, where the cost of living will be a crucial campaign issue.
If Democrats lose control of the House, the Senate or both, Republicans will effectively be able to stymie President Biden's agenda.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
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