America needs unity now more than ever. Partisan politics have been the norm for years now, and what we see from this is not progress for America, but progress for some of America. It’s time for unity in our country, and that can start with Congress.

The current Senate is split 51-49, narrowly favoring Republicans. Any partisan move is sure to upset half of the Senate. However, there is a solution. When negotiating the government shutdown, Susan Collins put together a group of bipartisan Senators to pass a funding bill. This got me thinking – why doesn’t Congress form a Moderate Coalition to promote bipartisan progress. A Moderate Coalition would bring together moderates from both sides, including Susan Collins, Joe Manchin, Doug Jones, and Jeff Flake, and form a new voting block. This coalition would do two things:

Ensure that no party has a complete majority over the other. Republicans could no longer squeeze through a bill with only 50 Senators supporting it. Passing a bill would require the vote of the Moderate Coalition, which would also give said bill a filibuster-proof majority. Ensure bipartisanship. If a bill is so unpopular that half of Congress doesn’t like it, it doesn’t deserve to pass. The Moderate Coalition would ensure that a bill has to appeal to both sides of the aisle and that the bill would help all Americans.

A Moderate Coalition would bring unity to the Senate and help bring the country back together. Here’s a full list of who I would include in the Coalition, based on their voting scores:

Tim Kaine, D-VA

Tom Carper, D-DE

Jon Tester, D-MT

Bill Nelson, D-FL

Mark Warner, D-VA

Claire McCaskill, D-MO

Joe Donnelly, D-IN

Heidi Heitkamp, D-ND

Joe Manchin, D-WV

Doug Jones, D-AL

Angus King, I-ME

Rand Paul, R-KY

Susan Collins, R-ME

John McCain, R-AZ

Lisa Murkowski, R-AK

Mike Lee, R-UT

Bob Corker, R-TN

Jeff Flake, R-AZ

Dean Heller, R-NV

Lindsey Graham, R-SC

Ben Sasse, R-NE

The Coalition would contain 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans, and 1 Independent who would no longer need to caucus with the Democrats.

Including people from both sides of the aisle would practically guarantee disagreement. However, with disagreement comes a compromise that everyone can enjoy. No party has a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, so parties are forced to find common ground. A Moderate Coalition would make that much easier.

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