By Jen Curt, CTIPP's Director of Government Affairs
State of Play: 2022 Elections
Today marks one week and one day after Election Day and many U.S. House of Representatives and Senate races still have not been called. We don’t yet know which political party will control each Chamber of Congress.
The leading estimate is that control of the House will flip to Republicans who will hold a very slim majority and Democrats will retain control of the Senate.
What does this mean for our work on trauma?
The party that controls, or holds the majority Members of, a Chamber, gets to appoint the Chairs of each Committee and set the agenda for which legislation receives a vote in Committee and in front of the entire chamber. For a legislative proposal to be successful, we will need to gain support from the party and its leaders that are in control.
If Republicans control the House, the Chairs of each Committee will be Republicans and leadership positions will be held by Republicans. If Democrats control the Senate, the Chairs of each Committee will be Democrats and leadership positions will be held by Democrats.
When there is split control – meaning Democrats control one chamber and Republicans the other – it is sometimes more difficult to reach a deal on legislation that can pass both chambers. So, we may see fewer sweeping packages and more delays on legislation.
The good news is, legislation to reduce trauma and promote healing has received bipartisan support. No matter who controls each Chamber, our job remains the same – educate, educate, educate. We must continue reaching out to Members of Congress, including new leaders, and advocating for trauma-informed solutions to be a priority.
We need your help.
In January, CTIPP will send a letter to each Member of Congress in the U.S. House and Senate, asking them to prioritize addressing trauma in the 118th Congress.
We need as many people as possible in each state to sign this letter and show support for helping everyone heal, develop positive coping skills, and live healthier lives. Please consider spreading the word about this opportunity with your networks and online.
We hope you will also leave a comment explaining what addressing trauma is important to you to help further educate your representatives.
Together, we can make a difference.
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