Bipartisan lawmakers push to end gerrymandering and closed primaries

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, and Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from New York, said gerrymandering and closed primaries are damaging Congress and the country.

Fitzpatrick said gerrymandering is one of the most corrosive practices to democracy. He said the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus met last week to begin steps to fight it. He said the group wants to tie federal election funding under the Help America Vote Act to reforms, including independent citizen commissions that use computer-generated maps. Only seven states currently use such commissions, he said.

Suozzi said gerrymandering creates safe seats where the only elections that matter are primaries. He said lawmakers then pander to their base instead of all constituents. He said this race to the bottom hurts the country and reduces incentives to reach across the aisle.

Fitzpatrick said closed primaries also contribute to gridlock. He said more than half the states bar independents from voting in primaries. He said lawmakers in those states focus on the roughly 18 percent of voters who turn out in primaries rather than their full electorate.

Suozzi said he represents a district that Donald Trump won by 19,000 votes and must win support from Democrats, independents and some Republicans. Fitzpatrick represents a district that Kamala Harris won. Both said this forces them to listen to a broader range of voters.

The lawmakers also discussed affordability. Suozzi said rising prices stem from tariffs, the war, new data centers and debt. He called for bipartisan policies to help families afford housing, education, health insurance and retirement. Fitzpatrick said more than half of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and said both parties must focus on kitchen-table issues.

On a proposed federal gas tax holiday, Suozzi said short-term relief should be considered but that Congress must address the war and tariffs. Fitzpatrick said labor unions worry the holiday could drain the highway trust fund and said details must be examined.

Fitzpatrick said he supports additional aid and sanctions for Ukraine. He said a discharge petition with 218 signatures seeks broader support for Ukraine and that help is on the way.