Bipartisanship isn’t dead in Washington — you just need to know where to look

 
 
 

“Where you share a common goal with someone on the other side of the aisle, you have a duty to the people you serve to get in a room and try to figure out a pathway forward.”

Those words, spoken recently by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., in a conversation with Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., offer a timely reminder of something too often forgotten in Washington: Bipartisanship does not require abandoning one’s principles. It requires a willingness to work with those who see the world differently.

The exchange took place during the seventh installment of The Senate Project, a bipartisan initiative of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

Britt is a rock-ribbed conservative from Alabama and a fierce defender of limited government. Welch hails from Vermont and could not be more ideologically different from Sen. Britt. He champions a progressive agenda of green energy and higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

Despite their differences, Britt and Welch have collaborated on a range of important issues, including legislation to improve disaster preparedness and water research, as well as efforts to protect children from the harmful effects of social media.

Their friendship also reflects the example set by their predecessors, Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who maintained a highly productive bipartisan relationship for decades on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Britt, who reportedly keeps a photo of Leahy in her office, has said that Shelby and Leahy’s experience shows that “you do not have to agree with someone to show them respect.”

That spirit of mutual respect was on full display during their recent Senate Project conversation. Welch emphasized that the challenges facing our country are “shared problems” that demand “shared solutions.” Both senators also acknowledged each other’s legislative accomplishments. Welch praised Britt’s work on Russia sanctions, and Britt highlighted Welch’s efforts to address housing affordability. Their exchange underscored a simple yet increasingly overlooked principle: Political opponents need not be personal adversaries.

I’ve seen the same spirit in each previous Senate Project conversation, including the very first debate between Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. It turns out that most lawmakers — from both parties — still want to build relationships, find common ground and get things done.

I witnessed this dynamic firsthand while working for my former boss, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, and observing his relationship with Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy. Hatch liked to say he came to Washington “to fight Ted Kennedy.” And fight he did, going toe-to-toe with the liberal icon over judicial appointments, government spending and other contentious issues.

Yet over time, Hatch came to regard Kennedy as one of his closest friends and most important legislative partners. Their unlikely partnership helped produce landmark legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Hatch and Kennedy’s decades-long friendship inspired The Senate Project. They understood something Washington too often forgets: You can stand firmly by your principles while still finding common ground with those who disagree with you.

That same commitment to finding common ground was evident in the Britt-Welch conversation. Britt highlighted recent bipartisan accomplishments, including the Laken Riley Act and tax reform provisions on which the two senators collaborated. Welch pointed to bipartisan efforts on Russia sanctions and expressed optimism about opportunities for Republicans and Democrats to work together on housing affordability and welfare reform.

There is a difference between disagreement and dysfunction. Senators from opposing parties will always have divergent views on how best to address our nation’s challenges. Vigorous debate is essential to our democracy. But disagreement need not breed hostility, nor should a willingness to find common ground be seen as a betrayal of principle. Disagreement becomes dysfunction when political differences become so entrenched that neither side is willing to consider the other’s point of view.

In a political environment that too often rewards confrontation over compromise, it’s easy to overlook the many lawmakers on Capitol Hill who remain committed to finding common ground. Conversations like the one between Sens. Britt and Welch remind us that, despite our deep political divisions, the willingness to work together endures. For all the dysfunction that dominates the headlines, bipartisanship remains alive and well in Washington. You just need to know where to look.

 ___________

Matt Sandgren is the executive director of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and works at the intersection of public policy, law, and government affairs. He previously served for 15 years on Capitol Hill, including as senior counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee and as Senator Orrin Hatch’s chief of staff.

PRINT THIS OP-ED

SHARE

 
SARA EBERT2024