The Republicans have managed to take control of the entire congress now, which means the house as well as the senate is now majority Republican. A new mindset will be coming to the floor. Some looming fears are that Congress may try to overthrow the ACA, (Affordable Care Act). Healthcare will definitely be a key issue to watch. But healthcare isn't the only hot topic issue – immigration and raising the minimum wage are also two more that will hit close to home to many Americans.
In my personal opinion, Obamacare has done nothing but worlds of good for most people, Republicans believe that it's unfair, unjust, and plain unconstitutional. Republicans are arguing that the current subsidies offered to people who are unable to afford the insurance should only be through the states that control the insurance market themselves autonomously without the government intervening. In laymen's terms – the subsidies should be a state problem. The current way things are set up is in a way that almost half of the states do not control their own exchange. Most of them rely on the government for an exchange. To make a long story short – the Republicans are trying to "reign in" Obamacare by making it virtually unavailable in many states. This would leave tons of people without any insurance and essentially undermine everything that Obama has tried so hard to achieve. Which means that the projected plan of attack that will be used by the Republicans is to slowly chip away at statutes of the ACA until it's something that the party deems fit. They couldn't rally up the votes to get it vetoed, so this is really the only plan of action left.
While contrary to well-known Republican beliefs, the projected debate on raising the minimum wage is actually looking bright. Projections show that Republicans may provide a huge boost in the argument. However the line is drawn in regards to either letting the local governments handle it, or going ahead and raising it federally so no room will exist for any feuds. This debate has sparked controversy between small business owners as of late. Some say that the added pay will force them to cut back on hiring; while proponents for raising the minimum wage state that the added money will actually help businesses by adding money into the pockets of citizens, thereby allowing them to pump said money back into the economy. While the first argument actually bears no truth, the second one remains true. The Department of Labor has said that raising the minimum wage does nothing but adds to the US economy for the better. I do believe that most Republicans do see the benefit in the added economic growth. With consumer confidence at a record high, give people more money and let them go out and spend it!
Finally the last big issue in my opinion to watch out for would be immigration reform. While not much is known about what exactly will be done, we do know that Republicans plan on coming up with some sort of overhaul of current immigration policies. To what depth - is the unknown part. Big business has been breathing down the necks of law-makers, stating that during peak times, more unskilled labor is needed. With that being said – if one thing is known about Republicans it's that everything is business. Could this push for more workers galvanize the party into some sort of pro-immigration policy? On the on the other side of the coin, many tech companies are also making complaints, stating that they don't have enough skilled engineers to do the job. That there is always work that must be done somewhere. And as of right now, it seems that America is truly in need of more foreign workers, whether they be skilled or unskilled. We'll see in the next few months just what the Republicans plan on doing. If Republicans were truly in it to win it, they would decide to work hand in hand with Obama's new policy to provide help to immigrants already in the country, as well as immigrants who want to migrate here.
It's too early to really be deciding if the sky is going to fall or not. However with a Republican controlled Congress and a Democratic President – we could be entering another two years of gridlock. All of Congressional leadership remains the same. So for now, it's up to new members to really sway the others and make things happen for the greater good. We'll have a taste of what's to come in the matter of a few months, but until then, all we can do is to hope for the best and continue to make our voices heard.
Reposted from State Senator Curt Thompson's blog (D-5th). He resides in Tucker, GA and is Chairman of the Special Judiciary Committee. Make sure to follow him on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus. His website is www.makingyourvoicecount.com
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