In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting at a practice for the congressional baseball game, politicians and pundits—appropriately—have made much ado about renewing bipartisanship and mutual respect in politics. Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi made statements of unity that were roundly praised; Bernie Sanders denounced the shooter, a supporter of his; and President Trump demonstrated his rarely used ability to act with grace and tact.
It’s worth highlighting, though, that Republicans and Democrats cooperate more than today’s heated rhetoric would suggest. Here’s a survey of bipartisan developments on Capitol Hill in the first half of June alone:
- The Senate voted 97-2 on Wednesday to approve new sanctions on Russia. The measure was added to a bill that primarily contained new sanctions on Iran.
- On Tuesday, the House approved a VA reform bill 368-55. The Senate had previously passed the bill, which makes it easier for the president to fire VA employees, by a unanimous voice vote.
- On June 5, the Senate voted 90-0 to pass a resolution reaffirming the 1995 law that urged the State Department to move the American embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
- Democrat Corey Booker and Republican James Lankford have introduced a bill in the Senate that would eliminate federal subsidies for sports stadiums. (If there’s one thing Americans can all agree on, it’s that Las Vegas should not have a taxpayer-subsidized football team.)
- Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal, no fan of the president, tweeted that Christopher Wray, Trump’s nominee to replace James Comey as FBI director, “has solid credentials.” That’s a welcome change from the brinksmanship that characterized the appointments of Neil Gorsuch, Betsy DeVos, Jeff Sessions, and others.
While these stories are overlooked (some more reasonably than others) there are some developments that garner far too much press. While a few fringe Democrats in the House are calling for Trump’s impeachment, Nancy Pelosi has urged caution:
On the other side of the aisle, Ryan and Mitch McConnell are thwarting some of their members calls for Trump to fire special prosecutor Robert Mueller.
And there is good news outside of Capitol Hill. In the wake of the shooting, ticket sales for the Congressional Baseball Game spiked and the charity event is on track to raise twice what it did last year.
