Immigration
The US has long welcomed immigrants from many areas of the world, and has given them a place to live and a place to work, so they can contribute to American society.
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However, Republicans are against immigration and want to ban it. They believe immigration to be a major threat to the US and want to ban immigrants, as it’s believed they are stealing the homes and jobs of American citizens.
Critical Race Theory
Critical race theory is currently something that is taught in American schools. It aims to teach students about racism in America and what the impact of this is on society.
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However, Republicans are not happy this is being taught in schools. Many Republican-run states are already trying to ban, or at the very least restrict, the teaching of critical race theory in schools and have managed to sway their voters to take a negative stance on it.
Obamacare
Americans have to pay one of the highest healthcare rates in the world. As a result, when Barack Obama was President, he introduced Obamacare to give those with lower incomes more affordable healthcare.
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However, Republicans want to ban Obamacare because they believe that if people can’t afford healthcare, they should leave their low-paying jobs for high-paying ones to afford it.
Legalization of Marijuana
It has long been argued that marijuana should be legalized, whether for medical or recreational use, as it can help some people with medical conditions.
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However, this is one factor in public life that Republicans are somewhat split on. The majority of Republicans who believe marijuana should be legalized are aged 18-29. The older Republicans get, the more likely they are to want to ban marijuana entirely.
Enhanced Background Checks for Firearms Purchases
The right to purchase and own firearms has been a part of the U.S. Constitution since its conception. However, many people, especially Democrat voters, are keen on there being enhanced background checks for firearms purchases to help with the safety of the US public.
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This is in stark contrast to Republicans, who want a ban on enhanced firearms background checks as they believe it is every U.S. citizen’s constitutional right to purchase and own a firearm and see enhanced background checks as pointless.
Federal Arts Funding
The arts are important to many aspects of society. Without them, people would not be able to watch TV shows or movies, go to the theater, or even do something as simple as drawing and painting.
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However, Republicans do not like that the arts receive federal funding. So much so that during Donald Trump’s first term as President, he tried to put an end to federal arts funding, which came as a failure for the former president, because it only went on to grow further.
Federal Abortion Funding
Being pro-life and pro-choice when it comes to abortion has long been a controversial topic, especially in the U.S., with the overturning of the Roe vs. Wade ruling in 2022.
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The majority of Republicans are against abortion and believe abortion clinics should not be receiving federal funding. While the Roe vs. Wade overturn means abortion is banned in 21 states, Republicans want to go so far as to ban it in every state across the U.S.
Federal Minimum Wage Increases
With the rising cost of living and an increasing number of individuals and families struggling to afford even the most basic things, there is an argument for increasing the federal minimum wage so that those on minimum wage can afford the basic necessities.
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However, Republicans are against a federal minimum wage increase, saying that companies should be able to decide this for themselves without government intervention, because they believe it would lead to job losses. This is to the point where, in 2021, Washington Republicans voted to block President Joe Biden’s proposal for increasing the federal minimum wage to $15.
Mandatory Diversity Training in Workplaces
Mandatory diversity training in workplaces is currently in place since there are many people of different backgrounds and identities in the workplace, such as ethnic race, LGBTQIA+, neurodivergence, and women, just to name a few.
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Diversity training aims to ensure everyone is treated equally and fairly. However, Republicans want to ban this. They are calling diversity training a culture war, to the point where Florida Republicans are currently trying to find ways to limit diversity training in the workplace.
Conversion Therapy
Conversion therapy has been a controversial practice for decades. It is where those who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community are offered the therapy to get them to change either their sexual or gender identity.
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The practice has recently become more prevalent with individuals who are transgender. Those who believe in conversion therapy are saying they should remain as the gender they were born and not transition. In March 2023, Wisconsin Republicans voted to continue allowing conversion therapy to exist.
Climate Change Regulations
Climate change is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue in society, and many are looking at their own carbon footprint to reduce things like CO2 emissions to help save the planet.
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Trump is a climate change denier who has called for removing clean energy tax credits and reducing incentives currently given to Americans for purchasing electric vehicles. With him leading the Republicans into the 2024 Presidential election, this is just a glimpse of what the U.S. could look like if Trump gets a second presidential term.