Discussion Question for Chapter 11 Congress

This week is all about Congress and your investigative skills!  You ready?

I'd like for you to research a Congressperson, go to their website, look up their recent activities or news and then describe which part of their function does it fall under?  Use the Congress.gov Links to an external site. website to help find representatives from the House and the Senate.

Here's an example:  I looked up Brett Guthrie, a representative from Kentucky.  On his website, he discusses his push for legislation to help lower drug cost and protect innovation.  The article goes on to discuss the importance of protecting the innovation of cures while also keeping cost down.  These two arguments seem at first to be contradictory.  The profit and privatization of the large pharmaceutical companies is difficult to curb and control and keep cost down.  It would mean regulating the companies which often discourages innovation.  This example of his recent activity falls under the Representative Function and the Lawmaking Function.  He is addressing an issue among his constituents who are lower income and need affordable drug cost, vaccines and cures and whose issues were not being addressed, which is his role as a representative.  He is also attempting to protect the large pharmaceutical companies that are located within Kentucky.  However, the solution for the problem was creating and introducing  new legislation which is his Lawmaking Function.  He mentions his opposition to Democratic legislation, specifically naming Pelosi, but also purports that his proposal is bipartisan.   (You can include your opinion on the legislation, propose an argument against the policy, argue for or against the politician’s stance on a specific topic etc.)

 Source:

Guthrie introduces bill to lower drug costs and protect innovation. (2021, April 21). Retrieved April 27, 2021, from https://guthrie.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=387383