USA Flashcards
(13 cards)
Biden’s pardons and how it affects check and balances
8064 pardon (compared to trumps being 237)
- one being son Hunter Biden for tax evasion and illegal firearm possession
- key formal presidential power
- limit checks and balances of constitution
Example of bipartisanship with ADVANCE act 2024
- passed with bipartisanship support
- aim to maintain existing U.S. nuclear power plants and sped development of new nuclear reactors
- 88-2 senate
- 393-13 HOR
- demonstrates congress can cooperate and pass bipartisan legislation even when divided
Example of partisanship preventing bill - failure of bipartisan border security bill 2024
- aim to strengthen border security and immigration process
- failed threshold to pass (60)
- partisanship failed bill
- trump convicned republicans to fail bill (wasn’t president at time)
Bidens federalism approach
- support strong federalism intervention like public heath and infrastructure
- after RvW overturned, he pushed congress to support absorption rights but failed
- success in infrastructure with Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill 2021 ($1.2 trillion)
Trumps approach to federalism
- support state rights and reduce federal govt
- but will prevent democrat states legislating on things that will affect his own policy goals like immigration or energy
Project 2025
- decrease size of federal govt and increase republican control within it
- supports dismantling Dep. Of Education and all power to states
DvJ - WHO 2022 - example of power shift from federal to state increasing variety across America
- Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organisation 2022
- power from federal govt to states over regulating abortion access
- republican states banned abortion
- Texas + Alabama = no exceptions ban
- New York + California = abortion rights protection
How can federal govt try and use power to control state policy
- FUNDING Control
- 2025 trump made exec order to ban transgender athletes from competing but Maine allowed it
- trump threatened to withhold $250 million in federal funding for education from the state in responce
What required in amendment process that makes it so difficult
- supermajorities
- 2/3 support in congress (both houses)
- 3/4 of state legislatures ratification
- designed by founding father to protect against irrational changes
BOR
- protects key freedoms of population
1st amendment and threats
- guarantees freedom of speech
- protected by amendment process from amendments such as FLAG DESECRATION AMENDMENT - which would have banned flag burning but its a freedom of expression
How 2nd amendment is a disadvantage to US constitution
- outdated for now
- failure to amend it has lead to many killings due to failure to limit access to guns
Example of how amendment process is too rigid
- Equal Rights Amendment proposed by congress with supermajorities in 1970s but failed to reach 3/4 of states needed to amend the constitution
