legislative failures

leigslative failures

• Education aid (1961):

  • $2.3bn School Assistance Bill blocked in House → excluded Catholic schools → opposition from bishops

• Healthcare for elderly (1963):

  • Proposed 0.25% rise in social security tax → blocked by Wilbur Mills (House Ways & Means Chair)

• Dept. of Urban Affairs:

  • Rejected repeatedly (1961–62) despite urban decline

• Civil Rights Bill (1963):

  • Aimed to end Jim Crow → stuck in Congress at time of JFK’s death

• Tax cuts (1963):

  • Rejected despite recession recovery goals

• Equal Pay Act (1963):

  • Passed → supported women’s employment, but lacked enforcement powers

• AO2:

• Conservative coalition (Southern Democrats + Republicans) blocked reform

• Kennedy’s agenda raised national awareness but lacked legislative breakthroughs

• Civil rights, healthcare, and education stalled until LBJ’s presidency

how can it be explained

• Congressional opposition:

  • Conservative coalition (Republicans + Southern Democrats) blocked education, healthcare, civil rights

  • Rural reps opposed urban spending; Southerners resisted aid to Black communities

• Leadership style:

  • Kennedy avoided using LBJ’s legislative expertise → relied on inexperienced aides

• Foreign policy distraction:

  • Bay of Pigs disaster (1961) → shifted focus to national security over domestic reform

  • 63% of voters agreed security was top priority

• AO2:

• Kennedy’s idealism clashed with political reality

• Lack of strategic congressional engagement weakened reform momentum

• Civil rights and welfare stalled until LBJ’s presidency

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