Bipartisan Pragmatism Is the Path Forward

As America’s partisan divide has deepened in recent years, many of us have asked ourselves whether bipartisanship is still possible. We have watched America’s two major political parties become more entrenched across a wide range of issues—social, ideological, and economic—leading to a perceived zero-sum game for voters and elected officials alike. Your side or mine. Red or blue. Win or lose.

It doesn’t have to be that way. In my time leading policy initiatives at The Pew Charitable Trusts, I’ve seen bipartisan compromises at the state and federal levels that have made a real difference for the public. It is possible. It’s not easy. And it will take time.

I believe one of the most compelling characteristics of American life is our freedom to engage in rich civic debates. We may not always agree, but respectful, tolerant, and rigorous discourse, with a basis in facts, helps to advance our democracy.

Sadly, we saw our common understanding of civic debate come under intense stress recently, culminating in last month’s violent attack on Congress and the U.S. Capitol. For many in America, the riot was like witnessing a fault line emerge: We might have heard about political polarization for many years, but on that day, we finally saw firsthand the magnitude of the divide.

Holding the people who participated accountable is one important step in mending the rift. But we must also take concrete steps to encourage Democrats and Republicans to work together. Strengthening the economy and rebuilding our public health infrastructure are clear and critical priorities for urgent collaboration. But there are many other examples of policy challenges that could be addressed through bipartisan efforts, with support from those of us in civil society and nonprofit organizations. By focusing our work in these areas, we also can advance policies that rectify long-existing inequities—a win not only for bipartisan policymaking, but for constituents and communities as well.

Policy ideas ripe for bipartisan action

One of these is bridging the broadband gap. More than 18 million Americans—many of whom live in rural America—lack access to reliable high-speed internet, a divide made more obvious during the coronavirus pandemic. Interest in this topic is so great that broadband deployment has been cited as a priority by numerous Democratic and Republican governors this legislative season. Recognizing the importance of connectivity and responding to the frustrations of communities without access, policymakers are seeking to close this gap through tactics that include incentivizing and prioritizing infrastructure projects that build connectivity and updating requirements to better understand who has, and who lacks, access. One example of this can be found in Colorado’s Delta County, where two coal mines closed and nearly 1,000 jobs were lost in the community of 31,000 residents, prompting many to move away. A grant from the state Department of Regulatory Agencies’ broadband fund sparked a partnership between a local electric cooperative and a company that hired and trained former coal miners to lay fiber-optic cable and, equally important, helped lay the groundwork for growth. Congress can further support these efforts by working with state leaders to target federal broadband investments to meet local needs, prioritizing investments in long-term infrastructure projects such as fiber, and using targeted subsidies to help those who cannot afford connections even when they are available.

Another example is the opportunity to reduce corrections populations and costs while protecting public safety. In state after state, these goals have united officials and nonprofit partners around enacting bipartisan sentencing and corrections reforms. Michigan is one recent example of success: In a state that has been wracked by political divisions over the past year, the Republican-led Legislature and Democratic governor agreed on a comprehensive package of 20 justice reform bills. Many of the reforms aimed to rectify the disparate impacts experienced by communities of color, addressing flaws of the justice system that had been embedded in policy and practice for far too long. Organizations as varied as the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the American Conservative Union Foundation supported the state’s work to protect public safety and reduce the number of people in county jails. Congress also has a role to play by providing funding for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a public-private partnership that provides intensive technical assistance to support a full range of criminal justice reforms in states, and considering any federal sentencing and corrections reform based on the lessons of the many states that have updated their systems to reduce correctional populations and keep communities safe. In fact, the fiscal year 2021 federal budget included an all-time high of $33 million for justice reinvestment.

Bipartisanship is also producing successful strategies to prevent substance misuse and promote recovery from opioid use disorder, a disease that killed almost 47,000 in 2018 and that is believed to be worsening as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. For example, in 2019, Louisiana’s Republican-led Legislature and Democratic governor approved a series of laws and resolutions intended to increase access to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders and reduce overdose deaths. These measures will help Louisiana build a more effective, comprehensive treatment system capable of helping those most in need and addressing specific issues within the health care system. And in Pew’s hometown of Philadelphia, one of the cities hardest hit by the nation’s opioid problem, Pew has worked to reduce substance use and expand access to effective treatment through research and policy work, as well as support for nonprofits that serve people with substance use problems. Bipartisan efforts in more cities and states would go a long way toward helping Americans who have struggled with opioid use disorder. Federally, policymakers should pass legislation to expand access to medication for opioid use disorder and permanently continue the flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic that allow for greater use of telehealth to help treat the disease.

Another noteworthy example of successful compromise was last year’s congressional passage—with backing from conservation and historic preservation groups, recreation associations, Native American tribes, and others—of the most significant investment in parks and public lands in half a century with the Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed by President Donald Trump in August. The act was championed by a group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers from the start, which was a testament to the broad public support for the measure in communities across the country. And the benefit to those communities is clear: The law will direct up to $9.5 billion in non-taxpayer funds over five years to address priority repairs in America’s national parks and public lands, preserving these special places and ensuring safe access for generations to come.

The nation’s approach to addressing flooding offers another policy area ripe for new initiative. Since 2000, flood-related disasters in the U.S. accounted for more than $900 million in damage and economic losses, and floods are now the most common and costly natural disaster in our country. In South Carolina, Virginia, and Texas, bipartisan support has produced legislative measures that mitigate the rising costs and impacts of flooding while harnessing the role of nature in reducing risk. At the federal level, important reforms that have drawn bipartisan support include eliminating incentives for new development in high-risk areas, addressing repeatedly flooded properties, and improving resiliency standards for federally funded construction. Measures such as these attract support by, and benefit from the input of, environmental groups as well as fiscal conservatives who see benefits in better protecting the nation’s infrastructure and communities from increasingly extreme weather.

Support for innovation and compromise

In a nation as innovative and ambitious as the United States, these examples represent only a small fraction of the true opportunity for cooperation if we can take small steps together to relinquish partisan rhetoric, put data into action, and forge compromise over time. But it’s not enough to ask only elected officials to do that. The social sector has a history of contributing fresh ideas, incubating promising but untested approaches, and generating momentum for change. Now is the time for us to vocally support compromise at the federal and state level while encouraging it with our own policies and practices.

Having worked with local, state, and federal policy initiatives for more than 25 years, I know that our differences can be bridged, that there is much that connects us, and that bipartisan policymaking is possible. If we advance together in a spirit of pragmatism, we can likewise contribute together to the greater good. It’s time to get to work on that agenda for America.

Susan K. Urahn is president and chief executive officer of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a public charity dedicated to improving public policy, informing the public, and invigorating civic life.