Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders gives a fist pump after his speech at West High School at a campaign rally on March 21, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Republican and Democratic caucuses are March 22.

Bernie Sanders gives a fist pump after his spoken language at West Loftier School at a campaign rally on March 21 in Table salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo: George Frey/Getty Images)

Senator Bernie Sanders is one of the about productive members of Congress. Although his insistence on existence an Independent induced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats—and few thought he would concluding long without bowing to one political political party—Mr. Sanders has defied naysayers with a career spanning nearly 3 decades.

Dubbed the 'amendment king,'  Mr. Sanders passed more amendments than whatever other member of Congress during his sixteen years in the Business firm of Representatives—despite Republicans holding a bulk between 1994 and 2006. He kicked off his political career with an amendment to start a National Program of Cancer registries, which is now maintained past all l states. In 2001, he successfully passed an amendment to the full general appropriations bill which banned the importation of goods made with child labor, and passed an amendment to increase funding by $100 million for community health centers.

"During this fourth dimension, Sanders took on powerful adversaries, including Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, the Export-Import Banking concern, and the Bush Administration," wrote Matt Taibbi in a 2005 Rolling Stone article. "And by using the basic tools of democracy-floor votes on conspicuously posed questions, with the aid of painstakingly built coalitions of allies from both sides of the aisle-he, a lone Independent, beat them all."

When Mr. Sanders was elected to the Senate in 2006, he continued pushing amendments through legislation, including securing $10 million in additional funds for the Army National Guard, providing financial assistance for childcare to people in the war machine, exposing abuse in the war machine industrial circuitous, support in treating autism in the armed services'southward healthcare system and ensuring bailout funds weren't used to displace American workers.

Throughout his career, Mr. Sanders stood in opposition to many egregious legislative blunders now retrospectively viewed every bit mistakes. He voted against the disastrous trade deal, NAFTA, in 1993 and was one of the earliest voices of opposition against the TPP—which doubles down on many of NAFTA'south fallacies. Mr. Sanders was one of 67 legislators who voted against the Defence of Marriage Act in 1996 and confronting the "Don't Enquire, Don't Tell" military policy in 1993. He also voted against the Iraq War and the Patriot Act, and helped secure billions in funding under the Affordable Care Act for community health services.

Despite Mr. Sanders' self-avowed Democratic Socialism—putting him on the far left of about in the Democratic Party—he has earned the respect of his colleagues in Congress. Amidst years of partisan politics where each party has obstructed the other from passing meaningful legislation, Mr. Sanders worked across the aisle with his conservative counterparts—with Ron Paul to audit the Federal Reserve for the first time in 2010 and with John McCain in 2022 to co-write the nib to reform the Veterans Affairs Administration. When his colleagues voted in line with the rest of their party, Mr. Bernie Sanders wasn't afraid to stray from the pack for his principles. He has earned a reputation for honesty and integrity unmatched in comparison to his opponent in the Democratic primaries. Hillary Clinton, well-known for flip flopping for political expediency, courts corporations and wealthydonors.

Despite Mr. Sanders' impeccable record in Congress, The New York Times recently ran an article initially praising his power to work with both parties to get amendments added to legislation and passed—but after edited information technology without any footnotes or addendums explaining why the changes were fabricated. The Times has been infamously harsh on Mr. Sanders in favor of Ms. Clinton, maybe because the tiptop shareholder of the visitor, billionaire Carlos Slim, is a major donor to the Clinton Foundation. Despite the controversy, The New York Times has continued running overtly pro-Clinton articles. Meanwhile, Mr. Sanders carries on, drawing tape crowds in campaign rallies as his bulletin grows through grassroots organization—much similar his progressive reforms have sprouted into large pieces of legislation.

How Bernie Gets Things Done in Congress Without Being Bought Off

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