Bill grouping or bundling is a strategy used by members of Congress to pass multiple issues from different topics in one bill. This is most maliciously used when the added content would be much more controversial by itself, so the contents of the actual legislation are shoved into another bill.
The act of bill grouping is a wholly immoral act that relies on the manipulation of perception rather than arguing the merits of the legislation.
The infamous “TikTok ban,” a piece of legislation that would force TikTok to be sold in one calendar year or removed from US technology, is actually a perfect example of bill grouping.
The actual contents of the bill that passed the forced sale of TikTok was actually a foreign aid bill, a type of bill that is often unanimously passed. The reason for this is that rather than actually argue why TikTok should be banned and only have a chance at passing a bill, the Republican Party wants an easy win, simultaneously ruining the structure of democracy.
If the goal of government is to rule fairly and operate without misdirection, then the action of bill grouping would be illegal and decried, but it isn’t.
The way that the House and Senate use bill grouping as a strategy to game the system is indicative of how the legislative process has been turned into a deceitful system that only serves to obfuscate the details of the government’s actions.
Bill grouping is not only immoral but also denigrates the integrity of our legislative system. Students like Pleasant Valley junior Bennett Teitle understand the strategy but don’t necessarily approve of it.
“If they want to group bills it makes sense, but I don’t think that makes it good for America that they do so,” Teitle said.
Others, like senior Nathan Musal, disagree, citing the other party’s existence. “Really if the included issues were so objectionable that they wouldn’t pass it by itself then [the opposing party] should stonewall it until the changes are made, but they don’t.”
Due to the vast number of bills the House and Senate deliberate on, if a bill is being intentionally misleading by having multiple different issues packaged in, then it can be hard to notice or even rally up support to combat the bill.
The ethics around bill grouping are extremely questionable, and the continuation of this practice sets a negative precedent for America’s future.
