Bucknell Institute of Public Policy Archives

Sexual Harassment in America: Is Joe Biden Creepy or Caring?

April 25, 2019

Politician Joe Biden – who is also an expected Democratic presidential candidate for the 2020 election – has recently come into the media spotlight because of his hugging habit. Former Nevada lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Lucy Flores has claimed that Biden’s embrace made her incredibly uncomfortable,...

2020: Who’s running and what their candidacy means for the presidential election

Annie Maley, BIPP Intern

April 18, 2019

With the 2020 election still over a year away, the pool of candidates is already staggering. Nearly 20 Democratic candidates have publicly declared their candidacy, with others expected to announce very soon. Given the size of this crowd, it is important to take a look at who is running and what their...

BIPP: Cultural symbolism of the wall: from Texas to Berlin

Max Hubbauer and Yiwei Wang, BIPP Interns

April 4, 2019

With mounting pressure to seal off the U.S.-Mexico border and a recent threat by President Donald Trump of cutting off aid to several Central American countries, the United States has moved towards a self-imposed state of isolation, the likes of which have few historical counterparts. Facing uncertain...

New drugs, same inequality

Anthony Maisano, BIPP Intern

March 29, 2019

A new drug that aims to treat women suffering from postpartum depression has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The drug, technically known as brexanolone but commercially referred to as Zulresso, works in only 48 hours and has a significantly greater impact on postpartum depression...

BIPP: Proposed Budget Cuts Student Loan Funding & Encourages School Choice

Nicole Reddig, BIPP Intern

March 21, 2019

Among other controversial items, U.S. President Donald Trump’s newest budget proposal – which still requests money for a border wall – remains a demonstration of the administration’s ideas. Going further than past propositions, this budget proposal requests a 10 percent decrease in funding for...

BIPP: Facing rising Islamic terrorism in Nigeria: A hard pill to swallow

JP Stark and Yiwei Wang, BIPP Interns

February 28, 2019

When most people think of terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda or ISIS, they think of the Middle East. This is no longer the case, as the past decade has seen the dissemination of Islamist militant groups across Africa. Already fragile states have been propelled into further turmoil as these groups...

How Amazon’s decision impacts New York (and the Democratic party)

Anthony Maisano, BIPP Intern

February 21, 2019

Just 94 days after the landmark decision was made, Amazon has decided to axe their plans to open a headquarters in Queens, N.Y. Amazon cited political turmoil between the corporation and local politicians as the main reason for the change, releasing a statement stating, “a number of state and local...

Democracy relies on respectful debate

Nicole Marrone, BIPP Intern

February 21, 2019

Religion, money, and politics. The three big ones that your parents banned you from discussing with strangers and at the dinner table. You don’t want to cause a problem. You don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings by having a different viewpoint. It’s inappropriate. After growing up in an environm...

State of the Union 2019: The public policy implications of Trump’s promises

Annie Maley, BIPP Intern

February 14, 2019

President Donald Trump delivered the State of the Union Address on Feb. 5 to a Congressional chamber filled to the brim with a diverse audience of astronauts, congresswomen emulating suffragettes, ICE agents, and Holocaust survivors. While incorporating the classic messages of unity and patriotism...

Elizabeth Burke discusses the lack of privacy in offshoring medical records

Maddie Margioni, Contributing Writer

February 7, 2019

Having previously worked as an outpatient and diagnosis-related group (DRG) medical coder, auditor, appeals author, and coding educator, Elizabeth Burke is no stranger to Health Information Management. Burke worked in a medical corporation for six months, and during that time, she saw firsthand how...

BIPP: Senate to knock some sense into Trump’s plan to withdraw troops

John Angileri, BIPP Intern

February 7, 2019

The Senate began a bipartisan effort to stymie U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan on Jan. 31. A vote of 68-23 cleared the way for an amendment — to a broader Middle Eastern security policy bill — written by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)...

BIPP: Progressive Democrats push to combat climate change in the 116th Congress

Nicole Redding, BIPP Intern

November 30, 2018

Stepping out of her famed canvassing shoes and onto Capitol Hill, Democratic Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) is already making great strides in her first week of congressional orientation. By joining climate change activists from the Sunrise Movement in a protest outside of Minority...