Weiner says divided Washington can still pass a bipartisan agenda

Robert Weiner and policy analyst Emmbrooke Flather argue in a Nov. 3 USA Today opinion piece that Congress and the White House can still move legislation if both sides share credit. The op-ed outlines 12 possible policy areas, from avoiding shutdowns to Social Security and AI guardrails, while excluding Trump impeachment reform.

Why it matters: - The op-ed argues that a divided Congress and White House can still produce legislation if political leaders are willing to share credit. - The proposed agenda touches issues with direct impact on federal funding, health care, taxes, immigration, national security and technology policy.

What happened: - Robert Weiner and policy analyst Emmbrooke Flather published a feature opinion piece in USA Today on Nov. 3. - The article says a divided Congress and the White House can pass a productive agenda if both sides cooperate. - Weiner said the piece lays out 12 areas Congress could address. - The suggested agenda includes no shutdowns, ICE with strings, ACA subsidies, minimizing tariffs, Iran war funding and negotiations, the child tax credit, drug policy, the southern border, vaccines, AI guardrails, Social Security and ethics reforms. - The article excludes Trump impeachment reform. - The full USA Today piece is available here.

The details: - Weiner is a former spokesman in the Clinton and Bush White Houses. - Weiner also worked as a committee chief of staff, director of communications, spokesman and staffer for officials including Claude Pepper, Ed Koch, John Conyers, Charles Rangel, Sen. Ted Kennedy and Gen. Barry McCaffrey. - Weiner said his team’s articles were named H1, H2 and H3 by OpEd News. - A separate Oct. 31 OpEd News article by Weiner and Brenna Sculthorpe urged Chief Justice John Roberts to defend midterm elections from meddling. - OpEd News ranked that piece H2. - Another Oct. 31 article by Weiner and Jaylen Hill argued that Trump’s efforts to build self-honoring structures conflict with biblical values and the example of American figures such as Billy Graham. - OpEd News ranked that piece H1. - A Nov. 1 article by Weiner and Khel Gordhan argued that the answer to questions about “Trump fatigue” is now, based on the midterm elections. - Weiner was also interviewed by the London Times on Oct. 14 about the midterm elections, including the odds of a Democrat-controlled Senate and Trump’s falling poll numbers. - A Sept. 23 USA Today op-ed by Weiner and Flather focused on the U.S.-China summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. - The Weiner team also produced a non-partisan issue TV message on key concerns heading into the November midterms, later published as an OpEd News article that received an H2 ranking. - The piece lists the speakers in the op-ed/script as Weiner, Pat Berg, Emma Paris, Griffin Cobb, Lily Roberti and Andrew Beauchamp. - The release says Weiner has an M.A. from UMass Amherst and a B.A. from Oberlin College. - It says Berg is a breast cancer researcher at George Washington University with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and a B.S. from the Illinois Institute of Technology. - It says Paris is a junior at Saint Mary’s College studying political science and communications. - It says Cobb is a junior at Providence College studying political science and history. - It says Roberti is a sophomore at Arcadia University studying media and communication. - It says Beauchamp is a junior at Linfield University studying political science and journalism. - More information is available at Weiner Public.

Between the lines: - The op-ed frames divided government as workable when lawmakers prioritize incremental wins over partisan victory laps. - The inclusion of issues like tariffs, ACA subsidies, AI guardrails and Social Security suggests an effort to connect short-term budget politics with longer-term governing challenges. - By explicitly ruling out Trump impeachment reform, the piece signals a focus on legislation that could plausibly move in a split Congress.

What's next: - Weiner says the team plans to keep publishing on elections, governance and policy fights. - The release points readers to additional Weiner and OpEd News articles on democracy, the Supreme Court, Trump-related symbolism, the U.S.-China summit and midterm messaging. - Contact for interviews or more information: Robert Weiner and Khel Gordhan, Robert Weiner Associates, +1 202-306-1200, weinerpublic@comcast.net.