The first few months of the President Trump administration have been a whirlwind of activity. The president has used his executive authority to roll back much of the Obama agenda, create jobs, secure our borders and to keep the promises he made to his voters.
Trump successes have come in spite on non-stop attacks from the left-wing media, Democrats, and even from some disgruntled establishment Republicans. Trump hasn’t made excuses – he has acted.
While the Trump White House has been a hub of activity, just a few blocks across town, however, is a very different scene. Congress, despite Republicans being in control of both chambers, has gotten almost nothing done since President Trump’s inauguration.
For Trump to be able to fully implement his agenda, he needs Congress to start doing its job.
Before Trump took office, House Republicans had voted more than 50 times to repeal Obamacare. Despite these votes, it took House Republicans months to finally pass legislation that only partially repeals Obamacare – and its prospects in the Senate remain dim.
For years, Republicans in both chambers have talked about the importance of comprehensive tax reform. It has been more than a month since President Trump unveiled his tax reform plan and yet Congress has failed to take any meaningful steps to move this impressive conservative proposal forward.
Even worse, members of Congress who are unable to pass legislation in their own chambers are turning to President Trump to try to get him to step in and act where they can’t.
Case in point – a handful of members of Congress urged President Trump to issue an Executive Order because they are unhappy with certain national monument designations made pursuant to the Antiquities Act.
This Executive Order was a completely unnecessary distraction. We need President Trump to stay focused on the big challenges facing our country like defeating radical Islamic terrorism and stopping the tide of illegal immigration.
If a member of Congress is unhappy with a designation or expansion of a national monument, there is an existing remedy– action by Congress. If a member of Congress is unhappy with the authority given to the president to establish national monuments, then Congress can take action there as well by amending or repealing the Antiquities Act. President Trump’s agenda shouldn’t be hijacked by a member of Congress who is unable to pass his own legislation.
President Trump is working tirelessly to move his agenda forward and it is time for Republicans in both the House and Senate to stop being road blocks to this effort and to start being partners in the process.