What to Expect from Unified Republican Control of Government

WASHINGTON – It was a remarkable 2024 election for Republicans, who took back the White House with President-elect Donald Trumpflipped the Senate and appears poised to retain its majority in the House.

So what can voters expect from unified Republican control of all three centers of power?

Republicans in Congress are likely to use their leverage to advance Trump’s priorities, from quick appointments to Trump’s Cabinet members to major policy changes, and are likely to face little opposition from the Democratic minority.

“This historic election has proven that a majority of Americans are committed to secure borders, lower costs, peace through strength and a return to common sense,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said in a statement Wednesday, even though that the House of Representatives has not yet convened, Republicans and Democrats insist it’s still in the game.

There are also no guarantees.

Trump’s relationship with his own party in the Senate has changed long was touch and goand House rules give the minority party the ability to slow down or even kill bills that don’t involve any degree of bipartisanship. In the house, Republican Party internal strife has stalled action over the past two years due to an extremely narrow majority, which Republicans hope to expand as last few dozen races call.

Big things can happen when one party really rules Washington.

The last time Republicans carried out a triple bill in D.C. was in 2017 and 2018, during Trump’s first term, when he signed dozens of bills, including $1.5 trillion tax cut. Democrats passed a triple deal in 2021 and 2022 under President Joe Biden that helped lead to passage of the legislation. Law to reduce inflation. By holding all the levers of power in 2009 and 2010, then-President Barack Obama crossed the finish line of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, sweeping reform of the US financial sector and Affordable Care Act.

Here’s what could be ahead under the full control of the Washington GOP.

Simplified confirmation by the Cabinet of Ministers

Republicans have regained control of the Senate, which is responsible for confirming the president’s cabinet and judicial nominees, including filling any vacancies on the Supreme Court.

Cabinet confirmation hearings can be tense and lengthy if a nominee is controversial. In some rare cases, the president will withdraw his nominee if it becomes clear that he will not receive enough support to be confirmed.

For example, Trump withdrew his candidacy for Patrick Shanahan to become secretary of defense amid allegations of domestic violence and withdrew his candidacy for the position of member of the House of Representatives. Ronny Jackson, a Republican from Texas, was nominated to be secretary of Veterans Affairs over concerns that he lacks management experience. Biden withdrew his candidacy Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget, despite concerns that she was too partisan.

But most Cabinet nominations succeed when the White House and Senate are controlled by the same party—especially since Democrats rolled back the filibuster allow the choice of president to be approved by a simple majority. A new president has also historically been given some leeway in nominating his initial nominees to fill his government after an election, especially when the same party controls the Senate.

So Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services? Utah Senator Mike Lee for U.S. Attorney General? Larry Kudlow for Treasury Secretary? These are all real possibilities with a GOP-led Senate.

GOP policies are winning

In addition to Trump’s policy priorities, such as limiting immigration and rolling back regulations on everything from housing to energy production, there are several challenges ahead that Congress will have to address. no matter which presidential candidate took over the next year.

Numerous provisions of the $1.5 trillion Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, one of the biggest legislative achievements of the first Trump administration, are set to expire in 2025. This opens the door for Washington to reconsider its national tax policy.

Expect Republican priorities become the starting point for those negotiations, including Trump’s promises to eliminate tip taxes, exempt overtime pay from income taxes and expand the tax bracket in the 2017 law.

Congress will also need to fund the government, which will likely reflect GOP priorities such as defunding federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs and cutting the budgets of agencies like the Department of Education.

Another big debate faces Congress and the new Trump administration over whether to raise the debt ceiling, which will be restored early next year before the government runs out of money and may not pay his debts.

Testing big promises

Throughout this election cycle, Republicans have promised that they will not pass a federal abortion ban. Democrats insisted they would do it.

Now Republicans may face a test: With full control of the House, Senate and White House, will they continue to resist calls from evangelical Christians in their voting base to pass federal restrictions?

American society is still largely against the federal abortion banincluding about two-thirds of Republicans.

Democrats argued that Republicans plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which currently has wide popularity. Republicans have said they have no plans to repeal the law and would only change the ACA if they can improve it to lower costs and improve coverage.

Republicans also vowed not to touch the Senate rule that creates a 60-vote threshold that typically requires the majority party to convince at least a handful of minority parties to join them to pass major legislation.

“One of the most encouraging results of the Senate becoming Republican is that the filibuster will survive,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters Wednesday. Leading candidates to succeed McConnell have also said they support maintaining the filibuster.

Republicans will now have to keep that promise, especially if Democrats unite against their priorities.