The craziest thing is that a single person can decide what the representatives can vote on, and thus keep the entire country hostage. In many civilised democracies, any faction (usually there are more than two) in parliament can introduce bills to be voted on. Which would make this whole thing impossible, because there clearly is a broad majority for a huge Ukraine aid package. But they don’t get to vote on it, because a minority can demand that unrelated stuff get tacked onto the same bill. What does Israel (armed to the teeth anyway, and not currently putting their might to good use, losing what sympathy they might have had after the October 7 atrocities) and US border security have to do with Ukraine? You want to vote on those issues, too? Fine, introduce a bill and vote on them. Separately.
Omnibus bills get made because it acts as the compromise document. Instead of promises to vote on separate bills, all the compromises are lumped into one bill to vote on.
It is also important for a Congressional system like the US, with two houses with their own democratic mandate and an executive who can veto. Most countries have a Parliamentary system, or at least a different kind of system without the stark division of powers that the USA has.
The craziest thing is that a single person can decide what the representatives can vote on, and thus keep the entire country hostage. In many civilised democracies, any faction (usually there are more than two) in parliament can introduce bills to be voted on. Which would make this whole thing impossible, because there clearly is a broad majority for a huge Ukraine aid package. But they don’t get to vote on it, because a minority can demand that unrelated stuff get tacked onto the same bill. What does Israel (armed to the teeth anyway, and not currently putting their might to good use, losing what sympathy they might have had after the October 7 atrocities) and US border security have to do with Ukraine? You want to vote on those issues, too? Fine, introduce a bill and vote on them. Separately.
You’ve hit on the biggest failing of the US version of democracy.
Omnibus bills get made because it acts as the compromise document. Instead of promises to vote on separate bills, all the compromises are lumped into one bill to vote on.
It is also important for a Congressional system like the US, with two houses with their own democratic mandate and an executive who can veto. Most countries have a Parliamentary system, or at least a different kind of system without the stark division of powers that the USA has.