Understanding Political Gridlock, Causes and Solutions

What Is Gridlock?

Gridlock is the political stalemate that occurs when the government is unable to act or pass laws because rival parties control different parts of the executive branch and the legislature. When there are more bills waiting to be voted on than being considered, gridlock occurs.

The term is a play on words, referring to the phenomenon of traffic gridlock, a circumstance in which traffic is unable to flow through an intersection because of the number of vehicles trying to get through. It has been adopted by many to describe the stalemate between controlling parties.

How Gridlock Works

In the United States, government shutdowns have increased fears that a dysfunctional Congress is in a near-permanent state of political gridlock that threatens American democracy. Congress is considered gridlocked when the number of bills passed by the Senate slows to a trickle, even though there is a packed legislative agenda.

Gridlock generally occurs when politicians can't agree on the provisions of a bill. The two-party system prevalent in the U.S. encourages disagreement and legislative stalling because each party has agendas that they attempt to force on each other during the legislative process.

Both the House and Senate are rarely evenly split between parties. Each entity requires a majority to pass legislation. But, due to the stances each party takes on the issues being addressed, no agreements can be reached because no one wants to concede or compromise.

Thus, laws cannot be passed unless all parties make concessions or compromises; neither party wants to change their stance, the process stalls—and the system becomes backed up with bills waiting to be addressed or voted on.

Gridlock Tools

In addition to the political party agendas, tools like the filibuster and actions specific people can take can be used to contribute to gridlock.

The Filibuster

Political gridlock has been blamed on the Senate’s arcane voting rules. One of the issues is that the Senate was designed to allow for unlimited debate, which gives one or more Senators the right to control time on the floor. This is called a filibuster, an old political tactic used to stall or stop voting—and there is only one way to force a stop, called cloture. Cloture is the term used to refer to limiting debate on the floor; it can be introduced via a petition of 16 Senators. However, it can only be invoked by a vote of three-fifths of the Senators present, or 60 votes (for most business). Cloture is covered by Senate Rule 22.

Majority Leader Involvement

The Senate majority leader can also gridlock politics. Former Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called himself “the grim reaper” because, by refusing to bring bills before the Senate, which is within his power as defined by the U.S. Constitution, he sent the Democrat-passed legislation off to die.

Presidential Veto

The president has the power of veto, or the ability to not approve legislation, preventing it from being enacted. If a bill is approved by the Senate and the House, and the president doesn't agree with it (or acts in the interests of the party they associate with), a bottleneck can emerge. Congress can override the veto, but it requires a majority of two-thirds of the House and Senate. However, a tactic called a pocket veto—where the president doesn't sign a bill within 10 days and Congress adjourns during that period— cannot be overridden by Congress.

Recent Gridlock History

In 2013, the Senate rewrote rules to eliminate the filibuster and end political gridlock when approving most presidential appointees. This was done primarily because Republicans blocked former President Obama’s judicial nominations. It stopped short, however, of removing the filibuster for approving Supreme Court justices. It wasn't until 2017 that measures were taken to stop filibusters for appointments for justices.

Several presidential candidates in the 2020 election called for the complete elimination of the Senate filibuster in response to the policy gridlock engendered by Senate majority leaders.

In 2023, Congress struggled to pass the federal budget because policymakers couldn't agree on whether (or how) to raise the debt ceiling. Republicans wanted to reduce some aspects of federal spending. Democrats didn't agree, so the legislative process again became gridlocked.

The Bottom Line

Political gridlock is increasingly common in the United States due to the number of hurdles to pass legislation. In addition to the constitutional system of checks and balances, arcane practices such as a filibuster enable a small minority of actors to effectively hold up legislation indefinitely.