1) What do you consider to be the biggest threat currently facing the United States and (briefly) why? If you were a member of Congress (you decide with house, state, and party), what legislation would you propose to try to mitigate this threat and how would you guide your legislation through Congress to give it the best shot of passing? What road blocks would you expect to run into and how would you attempt to get around those barriers while operating within the law. Who will have an interest in preventing the passage of the legislation and how will the author either bring those interests on board or get around them? In other words, how would you maximize your ameliorating effect on the issue? Your response should draw on topics covered in the course material Relevant units include but are not limited to political parties, the media, the Congress, and the Constitution.

2) . A transgender state employee sues his state because the state employee health insurance plan has a blanket policy of refusing to cover surgeries and medical procedures related to gender transition. The employee argues that the procedures are medically necessary for the treatment of gender dysphoria. Your essay on this prompt should take a position on whether a state’s refusal to cover these medical treatments violates the Constitution. To make your claim, choose 2 civil liberties or civil rights that might be relevant to such a case and evaluate whether and how the government is or is not violating those liberties/rights.