Congress Agenda Setting

The national policy process is becoming more complicated, and developing a congressional platform has become more difficult than ever. The 115th Congress would be unlike any other. The Republicans maintained their majority in both the House and the Senate. The recently elected members of Congress are undeniably zealous about promoting their concerns (Health Insurance and Tax Cuts) and upholding their campaign pledges, suggesting a possible extreme vetting on agenda-setting. Bearing in mind, my observations of the overall inside and outside climate of the government through interacting with Media, political representatives, and the President's performance so far, that shows determination to fulfill his electoral promises, which makes the 115th Congress an essential platform to push his programs for legislation.

Based on the aforementioned, embracing your policy IPPDA (The Integrated privileges program for disabled Americans) is foreknown to be a massive challenge. While assessing your chances of getting the IPPDA on agenda for the upcoming congress, we must consider the factors that contribute towards the public policy process. The 115th Congress agenda setting process witnesses many distinctive and interesting indexes, that help us have a better assessment of our chances of getting the IPPDA into the agenda, against our party’s two distinctive major issues (Health Care and Tax Cuts).

Honestly, I believe that our party’s major issues that concern the Tax Cuts and Health Insurance have better chances than the IPPDA (The Integrated privileges program for disabled Americans).

Many factors led me to the above-mentioned conclusion. The most distinctive factors are:

President and his administration promises regarding both issues

Many of congress members (republicans) announced their support

Public opinion supports both policies especially the tax cuts

Newly elected president (New Administration)

Change in indicators for the Health insurance and Tax cuts (helped in identifying the problem) Tax rates, Obamacare Cost,

Budget Concern regarding the current Health insurance and tax rates.

Existing Mechanism for the Health Insurance and Tax Policies Unlike IPPDA

The recent presidential elections experience was so dramatic. As usual, both candidates present their electoral program, in addition to giving plenty of promises to the public concerning actions will take place if the candidate wins the elections. President Trump, addressed different critical issues concerning the immigration system, re-evaluating current international trading agreements, imports and business taxes on international corporations (Especially China and Mexico). In addition to serious promises he made for major amendments in the current health insurance system, and cutting taxes at all income levels. Furthermore, the President’s campaign observers noted, his serious intentions in executing all his plans. The Health insurance and Tax cuts are on the top of his priority list. Regardless of the controversy that followed the recent presidential executive orders, almost everyone admits that the President is taking his promises seriously. This is a massive advantage to your party’s two major policies since the president is considered as a major participant in the public policy process, and the main factor in determining the issues on agenda.

Cost always matters! The current Health insurance program faced an immense amount of criticism, especially finance and economics specialists published reports forecasting the current health care program to deepen the gross public debt by trillions of dollars in the next decade, and they called for immediate actions. Therefore, the new administration believes that serious actions must take place to make amendments. And in such general mood represents an open window to promote relative issues in the policy agenda and makes the 115th congress a fertile soil to grow the Health insurance and Tax cuts issues. The famous Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho once said: “You can’t change the wind, but you can adjust the sails to reach your destination.”

After deep analysis of your situation, I believe that we need to adjust your sails. Our cause is Semitic and impartial, and the aim is to enhance the American handicapped people standard of living, provide them with equal opportunities and rights, protect their human rights, escape discrimination, offer privileges which compensate their disability with a set of privileges that aids them to have a normal life. In my opinion is to be pragmatic and rational in evaluating our options and decisions in this situation. As per the circumstances that are surrounding us, we have to adopt new policy process method and change our current persuasive strategy to a bargaining strategy.



Adopting the persuasion strategy in push the “IPPDA” in this particular environment may give an image of you opposing a general trend (Trying to change the wind), or upsetting a balance of a potential or current consensus on item(s) to be included on the agenda, as in the American idiom, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

My proposal to you is at first, you join the majority’s two major issues (Health insurance and Tax Cuts), and apply your tremendous skills in negotiating and your bargaining power to push for a consensus building regarding the two major issues. In the meanwhile, indirectly advocate our issue, thru bargaining for small amendments in embedding clauses that gives some rights and privileges for disabled Americans (Adjusting the sails), consistent with the two major policies.

Slow and steady wins the fast and inconsistent. Public Policies are a cumulative process, and with all the above mentioned I think we should seek incremental approach and push small parts at a time. And I’m supremely confident of the application and the succession of this strategy. This strategy will guarantee us a success, whether the Tax Cuts or Health Insurance made it to the agenda, our cause is being pushed forward steadily, until the winds comes to our favor.

From the above paragraphs, it is apparent that the public policy process needs to be countered at all cost, to generate results that benefit the end users. For the process to be instigated effectively, the kingdom Agenda-Setting concept has to be utilized. The implication here is that problems, proposals and politics of president Trump have to be looked at in detail. The government needs to persuade policy decision makers, to pay attention to one issue over others as a way of getting the needed results on time and effectively. Furthermore, the approach of making proposals, debated upon, revised and adoption of serious consideration has to be undertaken as a way of generating the needs of the citizens. Lastly, political factors that affect agendas should consist of investments in more than one element and in the ways that they complement each other.

Sabatier & Weible (2014), shows that problem stream can be used to counter challenges facing the Trump government through identifying the problem that can be challenged. It is apparent that there are numerous problems, thus identifying a problem with a solution is essential as set objectives are likely to be attained. It is apparent that tiny issues often receive the attention of policymakers. Attaining an attention indicates that the issue has to be solved as soon as possible. Thus, the government has to portray that a well-thought out solution has been found before any changes are made to counter another problem.

Essentially, I propose that public policy processes have to be instigated to the latter to assure citizens that their needs are being taken care of in the right way. Policy stream indicates that a solution a certain problem has been found. Therefore, The Trump administration has to practice the contents of policy stream as they are likely to generate better results in the public policy related issues. Miller & Mc Tavish (2013), entails that there needs to be the development of widely accepted solutions in anticipation of future challenges. Furthermore, the right time has to be set aside, to exploit the problem at hand. The move is likely to ascertain that the contents of public policy process.

Birkland. (2015). entails that policy stream is where policymakers have the desire and opportunity to issues affecting the administration into a policy. The implication here is that the Trump administration needs to pay attention to the challenges facing United States and be receptive to the solutions available. Essentially, countering public policy processes will entail undertaking the contents of team work and communication. (Birkland, 15). Teamwork and communication will help all parties involved to counter challenges in terms of proposing solutions that are beneficial to the end user.



































Works Cited

Birkland. Introduction to the Policy Process, M.E. Sharpe, 2015. Print.

Miller, K., & Mc Tavish, D. Making and Managing Public Policy, Routledge, 2013. Print.

Sabatier, P., & Weible, C. Theories of the Policy Process, Westview Press, 2014. Print.