But if you’re eager to challenge yourself every day that you come in, then…you’re exactly the person we’re looking for. Now, you should know that this is a very hands-on program, so if you’re looking to just do coffee runs and not do any real work…then this might not be the program for you. Because in today’s Washington, when public pressure fades, so does the likelihood of Congressional action.Whether you’ve been listening to Public Radio for years and you want to be part of the “cool kids club,” or you just discovered us and you are looking to explore your career options, an internship with WFDD is a great choice.Īs an intern, you’ll get the chance to work alongside industry professionals and discover how those stories you hear every day on the radio come to life. Many have called for demilitarizing police departments.īut Congress is out of session, and I worry that by the time legislators get back to work the important issues surrounding Ferguson will have been forgotten.
Both Republicans and Democrats are being pushed to take action. Now, the American public is agitated over events in Ferguson, Missouri, where Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old African-American was fatally shot by police. Finally, on August 7th, President Obama signed the bill into law - making the emergency measure the only significant legislation passed out of Congress all summer. They finally reached agreement just a few days before the August Congressional recess. Publicly, Senator Sanders sparred with Representative Jeff Miller, his Republican House counterpart, until negotiations completely broke down in late July.
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Heated discussion between legislators over how to pay for the bill took place behind closed doors. The House/Senate conference period dragged on for six long weeks. Then politicians on both sides of the aisle declared they would act quickly and send the legislation to the White House.īut as media interest in VA reform evaporated, so did Capital Hill unity. A companion bill out of the Republican-dominated House passed unanimously. When Sanders teamed up with Republican Senator John McCain to forge a comprehensive bill, it breezed through the Senate on a 93 to 3 vote.
Promises to increase oversight and boost care at the VA were made from all corners of the Capitol. Congressional members of all stripes, some of whom had voted against earlier reforms, took to the airwaves to declare what they said was their long-held support for veterans. Only when the scandal became public, did Sanders’ VA reform efforts suddenly seem more possible. The VA problems were not entirely surprising to Sanders, who sponsored 21 veterans’ bills before the scandal broke, but only the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act has been ratified as law. They included poor oversight and unacceptably long wait times for military veterans seeking care.Īs front-page headlines alleged the mistreatment of our veterans and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned, all eyes turned toward Congress, where Senate Veterans Affairs chairman, Bernie Sanders, promised a fix. In May, major deficiencies were revealed at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The power of an idea seems to no longer unite Congress only the energy of national disapproval and shame. social progress was once common, but bipartisan support now only occurs in rare instances, usually in the wake of scandal or prolonged public outrage. If I learned one thing covering Congress this summer, it’s that political action these days is mostly the result of crisis situations.
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