The 119th Congress will get more done than the current one, two-thirds of top Hill aides predict. That would follow a historically unproductive outgoing session that struggled with hyper-partisan gridlock and endless drama.
With Republicans fully in charge and President-elect Donald Trump back in the White House, the new Congress has a shot at getting more bills turned into law and helping Trump accomplish much of his agenda. Still, slim majorities and intra-party divisions could make things tricky and prove to be a real test for GOP unity and action.
No shortage of chaos: The outgoing Congress was at least productive in one area — theatrics. From leadership drama and intra-party fighting to recent culture wars over bathroom usage, there was a lot of chaos to go around.
As a reminder, the 118th Congress got off to a rough start with the embarrassing House speaker fight, where Republicans kicked out then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and left their chamber without a leader for weeks. That cost Congress precious legislative days.
McCarthy’s successor, Speaker Mike Johnson, had his own rocky start too. Johnson has had to grapple with the extreme right wing of his party, which would not excuse any sort of compromise with Democrats, making it tougher to pass bills.
Even with Republicans taking full control of all branches of government next year, Johnson will still have a tricky job on his hands. He’ll have to figure out how to balance the demands of the extreme right and the need to pass legislation.
Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) told Punchbowl News in November that midterm elections are already on people’s minds and Republicans will have to defend their small majority, possibly impacting how much they can get done even in a fully red Washington.
Trump 2.0: Most Canvass respondents (60%) predict that Trump will be effective in his second term in the White House.
The GOP’s full control of Congress and a majority conservative Supreme Court certainly mean Trump has a really good chance of implementing lasting and consequential policy.
In our November poll, 93% of Canvass respondents said they expect Trump, not Republican congressional leaders, to drive the agenda on Capitol Hill.
We’ll, of course, keep tabs on how things are going when we return next year.
— Samantha Bell
