Haven’t been keeping up with the news all summer? Read the political overview below to help you catch up!

June   

   June 2022 was a month filled with many important political events. In Houston, the Texas Republican Convention (TRC) met in-person for the first time since 2018. It lasted for 3 days where multiple Convention declarations caught the public eye. For example, homosexuality was labeled as an “abnormal lifestyle choice,” and Texas schoolchildren will be taught the humanity of the preborn child. Since the result of the 2020 election, Republicans all over the United States have claimed Biden’s win was illegitimate. These claims have caused mass destruction within the United States. Radical actions, such as the January 6th Capitol raid, have divided America even further. 

   Almost a year and a half after the Capitol Building was stormed, January 6th hearings were established. These hearings prosecuted many who participated in the government breach. A select committee –who were chosen to investigate the attack– organized these prosecutions. Even though they continued for the rest of the summer and into the fall, the bulk of these hearings were held in June and July. Some clear takeaways from these cases are as follows: 

1. Trump was very involved in the Capitol raid
2. Trump knew the election loss was fair but proceeded to ignite his supporters anyhow
3. Republican congress members were involved in the 2020 election reversal
4. Many Democratic election officials received death threats from Trump supporters

The trials proved the raid resulted in a mere question of American democracy. Consequences were given to the participants in hopes to prevent any similar events from ever occurring again. 

   On June 24, 2022, one of the most controversial court decisions in American history was decided. Roe vs. Wade, the right to an abortion on the national level, was overturned. By a Supreme Court decision of 6-3, it is now up to the states to decide whether or not their residents will have abortion access. More than half of the United States was enraged by this decision. Biden claims he will continue pushing for safe healthcare for anyone with the capacity to get pregnant. This decision will hit people of color the hardest. Already at an economic disadvantage, if abortions are not acceptable in their state, people of color are most likely to lack funding for transportation outside of their state. After 50 years of protection and healthcare, the U.S. has taken a significant step back in June 2022. 

July

   Another highly disputed topic in American politics is gun laws. Many people in the U.S. yearn for stricter gun laws. Kathy Hochul, New York’s governor, passed a law restricting firearms in certain locations within the state. The weapons are now prohibited from government buildings and schools. In addition to the restrictions, Hochul also passed a stricter licensing process to obtain a firearm. This process also mandates guns to be kept in safe places within the owner’s house if they have a child 18 or younger (this age minimum was raised from 16). Following this decision, New Jersey passed similar laws. California, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Hawaii are in the process of following suit. One specific section of this law, restricting permits that allow guns in public, was turned down by the Supreme Court.  

   Is Biden the strongest Democratic competitor against Trump? Currently, around the halfway point of President Biden’s term, his reelection status is up in the air. By the election in 2024, he will be 81 years old. At the moment, Biden’s election campaign staff is touring the U.S. throughout Spring of 2023. It has been confirmed that Bernie Sanders will not be running for president again, and many Democrats suspect Biden is the candidate most probable to clinch the midwest due to his moderate views. Although over 75% percent of Democratic voters want someone other than Biden as their nominee, according to a CNN poll, very few Democrats want to run against the current president. They fear their interference will split the Democratic vote, resulting in a Trump victory. 

   Following the overruling of  Roe vs. Wade, Biden is actively trying to maintain abortion availability. He has successfully safeguarded access to certain reproductive healthcare services, contraceptives, and legal abortions in some areas. The Affordable Care Act, coverage of birth control and contraceptive counseling, is also endorsed by the president. Attention has also been brought to the Interagency Task Force, which is a policy that handles? Human trafficking cases and will now tackle abortion rights and access. Biden has arranged over $3 million used to fund mobile abortion clinics and has provided paid leave to federal workers traveling for medical care. 

August

   On August 16th, 2022, Biden passed one of the most expensive bills in our nation’s history. The Inflation Reduction Act will distribute $369 billion for climate initiatives and alternative energy. The other $64 billion will be used to extend expiration dates (3 years) for people buying health insurance. It was passed in the House with a 220-207 vote and passed in the senate a week later. Every Democrat in Congress voted in favor of the bill while no Republicans voted for the ratification. New taxes will be issued to pay for this bill. Although titled the “Inflation Reduction Act”, the bill’s effect on inflation is “expected to be statistically indistinguishable from 0” according to an analysis performed by The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. 

   Serving every president since Ronald Reagan, Dr. Fauci is stepping down from his government role in December 2022. He will no longer hold the positions of Biden’s top medical advisor and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In his 50 years of medical services, Fauci developed PEPFAR (H.I.V./ AIDS combatant) which has saved over 21 million lives, led the Infectious Diseases institute during Covid-19, and won the presidential medal of freedom in 2008. Many Republicans are happy with this announcement and want Fauci to appear in court to talk about his decisions at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. His contributions to American health and research had unforgettable impacts on our country’s past and future. 

   Following the accidental shooting of his 13 year old classmate, a 12 year old boy in Oakland, California was arrested on August 29th. According to another student at Madison Park Academy, many students were fearful the shooter would not stop at one victim. “I was worried that was potentially my last moment in case he decided to go ballistic and go crazy. I texted my dad, gave him information, I texted my mom,” provided by Fox KTVU. Before the shooting, the 12 year old boy was showing his peers the semi-automatic pistol in his fanny pack. This demonstration is what caused the accidental firing of the gun. The brutally wounded victim had to have surgery and was hospitalized immediately after. The child was arrested in his home and the police confiscated the pistol. The Board of Education at Madison Park Academy has not publicized whether or not the suspect would be allowed to return to the school following his sentence. 

September

   Could there be an end to American democracy? David Leonhardt, a senior writer at the New York Times, published “‘A Crisis Coming’: The Twin Threats to American Democracy”. The first threat to U.S. democracy is that most of the republican party does not accept they lost the 2020 presidential election. Claiming Biden’s win was “illegitimate” or the election was fraudulent goes against the foundations of American government. Events such as the January 6th Capitol Building attack were the closest America has ever been to an overthrow of democracy. In hopes to overthrow the 2024 government election, many Republicans are running for positions for the sole purpose of reclaiming the “stolen” election of 2020. “There is a possibility, for the first time in American history, that a legitimately elected president will not be able to take office,” said Yascha Mounk, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University, studying democracy. The second threat to American democracy is government decisions straying further from public opinion. The United States was founded by a government that represented the people; however, recent events in American politics have contradicted this principle. American citizens vote for the president, yet the Supreme Court is not appointed by the people. Decisions such as the overturning of Roe vs. Wade threaten U.S. democracy because more than half of the country disagreed with the ruling. Another example of this is how two of the past four presidents elected lost the popular vote (decisions out of the hands of the people) but still came out victorious.

    Hurricane Ian, one of the worst hurricanes in American history, hit Florida and southeast states in September of 2022. This category 4 storm caused over $60 billion of dollars in insured losses. There have been more than 6,000 flights canceled and 90 deaths caused by relentless Ian. In fact, the hurricane had the 5th strongest winds in U.S. history. Hurricane Ian is the 6th major hurricane to hit the Gulf of Mexico in the last six years, but why? Due to the exponential worsening of climate change, global warming has resulted in more tropical cyclones than ever before. The amount of rain these hurricanes are exuding is also increased because of rising temperatures throughout the world. 

   As 2022 nears its end, midterm elections are right around the corner. The reasoning behind midterm elections is to elect/re-elect Congress members (if their term is finished). Initially, Democrats were projected to lose the House, but because of new debates over abortion access, there is no clear projected victor. How could Congress’s future impact abortions following the overturning of Roe vs. Wade? If the Republican party wins the house, Americans can expect stricter bans/ more trigger laws on the national level. If the Democratic party becomes victorious, loosening restrictions will be on their to-do list. Some issues Americans are voting on are based on dissatisfaction with inflation, handling immigration, healthcare, and gun control. Trump’s opinions are very influential in the midterm elections. He is urging his supporters to run for the House of Representatives or Senate (affecting the majority in Congress if they win). Many states’ elections are very close, so it is a fundamental right for Americans to use their ability to vote. 

As our society grows and changes, decisions in the U.S. government must evolve with it. We are fulfilling our civic duty by staying informed as American citizens.