![]() “Because both houses are required to pass legislation, future policy will require much greater bipartisan support, which is a dramatic change from the past two years and is likely to materially alter the remainder of the Trump presidency. Democrats now have a much larger ability to put a check on the president’s power and have promised to intensify investigations into allegations such as the Russian 2016 election interference. “Two important implications from this election will be stronger presidential oversight and increased political gridlock. However, Trump will have to weigh up whether the economic costs outweigh the political benefits of playing to his base support – many of whom see tariffs as an essential part of putting America first.” Future policy will require bipartisan supportįrank Thormann, Portfolio Manager, Multi Regional Equity, says: From an economic perspective, that would be the logical step. “Faced with a potential block on fiscal policy, the president may turn to trade policy and look to strike a deal with China and so prevent a further damaging escalation in the trade war. It is possible that the president and the Democrats could strike a deal on infrastructure spending, but they may hesitate to take measures that could help get Trump re-elected as president. This could create a problem for US growth in 2020 when the existing package fades and is not replaced by further measures. “Going forward, gridlock means less fiscal support for the economy as Democrats are unlikely to back further tax cuts. However, US markets have received a considerable boost from the president’s tax cuts and deregulation measures. Conventional wisdom has it that a gridlocked Congress is good for markets as it prevents politicians from interfering in the economy. “The midterm elections restored some faith in opinion polls with the Democrats taking the House of Representatives and the Republicans holding the Senate. The stakes are that high.Further tax cuts unlikely but will Trump strike a deal on trade? The issue is whether Congress will hold itself and the executive branch accountable, or continue to allow the role of the legislature in our federal system to erode. This is true whether the Democrats or the Republicans control the Congress and whether a Democrat or Republican is president. And that change needs to come from vigorous bipartisan cooperation to develop solutions that restore regular order in Congress so that at all members can legislate, not just a few selected by party leadership.Įvery year of continued congressional gridlock means more power shifts from the legislature to the executive. If the institution is to recover its Constitutionally intended role, it must change. The last time Congress embarked on serious reforms was in the early 1990s, more than two decades ago, and just 54 Representatives and 12 Senators, were serving in their respective chambers at the time. The longer Congress cedes this authority to the executive branch, the more irrelevant Congress will become. What’s more, the authorization process is run amuck with too much of the government running on autopilot without the proper congressional controls or any means to end programs that do not work. Polling from Gallup shows that disapproval ratings of Congress between March and August have hovered between 78% and 84% in March, just 13% approved of Congress, and that rose to just 18% approval by August.Įarmarks, once scorned as the height of corruption, can be a powerful budgeting tool that refocuses a Member’s attention on the home district, and House leadership should consider lifting the ban on them so lawmakers can determine the bests use of federal dollars in their home districts. Research commissioned by the Congressional Institute shows that less than 1 in 5 voters believes their voice is being heard. While the current Congress has been a little better, the last two Congresses (the 112th and 113th) were the least productive in modern history. It’s clear Congress needs to undergo a significant transformation to create an environment in which needed legislating can actually happen. In other words, past reform committees were crucial in the development and modernization of Congress. They promoted qualities that virtually all Members and constituents value, like efficiency, openness and transparency. These acts reshaped crucial aspects of the legislative process, like the committee system, staffing, and Floor procedures. Two important pieces of reform legislation, the Legislative Reorganization Acts of 19, came from similarly structured joint committees. It has worked in the past when Members of Congress recognized that the institution had reached rock bottom when it comes to productivity and effectiveness.
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