On the campaign trail, presidential candidates tend to make bold statements about their agenda. Vice President Kamala Harris is promising to consider legislation restoring reproductive freedoms.
“I will sign it into law,” Harris said at an Aug. 10 event in Las Vegas. And former President Donald Trump is vowing that America’s senior citizens will not have to pay more on retirement benefits.
“Seniors will not pay taxes on Social Security,” Trump stated at a rally on Aug. 3.
But most often a promise on the campaign trail only holds up when the candidate’s party controls Congress. One party holding the White House, Senate and the House of Representatives could mean major shifts in U.S. policy toward the left or the right.
In addition to his promises on Social Security benefits, Trump says he wants to implement tax cuts and finish construction of the wall at the southern border.
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If Harris wins, and Democrats take control of Congress, changes to Senate procedure, including the filibuster, could reshape how legislation ultimately makes its way to the White House.
The filibuster is a process requiring 60 “Yea” votes to clear any legislation. One idea to reform it involves changing the number of votes needed to clear bills to just 51, a simple majority of the Senate.
When asked about potential filibuster reform efforts, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told Scripps News at a press conference in July that he did not want to speculate.
“We are going to have as productive, even a more productive two years,” Schumer said.
Lowering the 60-vote threshold could dramatically change how the Senate operates for decades to come. If Democrats win control, key party policy could be implemented, such as legalizing abortion nationwide, expanding voting rights and implementing universal background checks on gun buyers.
But if the government remains divided along party lines, presidential vetoes, high-profile standoffs between Congress and the president and government shutdowns could be the norm.
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