In the Trump era, Congress is more important than ever
While attention in coming weeks will be focused on the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, the new Congress, which convened this week, could be even more important.
With a president who is inexperienced, mercurial and egodriven, members of Congress from both parties will need to step up to do their job in a way they have not in recent years.
Early signs are not good. Even as House Speaker Paul Ryan, RWis., was swearing in new members Tuesday, House Republicans launched a plan to torpedo important government ethics reforms. A barrage of angry constituent phone calls (ironically) backed by the president-elect’s tweets persuaded a tone-deaf GOP caucus to reverse course. Democrats have signaled that few of Trump’s Cabinet picks may be confirmed by Inauguration Day.
The Republican congressional majority will need to do better, serving as a check on the president’s worst instincts as the Constitution envisions while also standing up for party positions such as fiscal conservatism that Trump has abandoned. For Democrats, it will mean resisting the urge to obstruct at every turn.
Most urgently, Congress must address Trump’s bizarre affection for Russia. The United States can no longer make nice with a nation that unlawfully annexed part of neighboring Ukraine, is ruthlessly killing innocent civilians in Syria, and just meddled in the U.S. election. A thorough investigation of Russia’s hacking of Democratic email accounts during the campaign is a first step.
Trump has also shown a disdain for transparency in government, refusing to release his tax records, and has said that he would retaliate against businesses and individuals that go against his wishes, including imposing punitive tariffs on individual companies. General Motors is just the latest to feel the digital lash. These are traits that Congress needs to challenge.
This will not be easy, as the inclination will be for Republicans to work with a shrewd politician with a vocal base and a vindictive streak. But Trump is also a historically unpopular figure, viewed favorably by just 44% of the public, compared with 68% for Barack Obama in late 2008.
As for Democrats, their mission is equally challenging. They must first resist the temptation to block Trump at every step as Republicans did with Obama. That would be shooting themselves in the foot as there are some areas of agreement between Trump and the Democrats, such as the need to expand and improve America’s infrastructure.
Republicans thrive on angry voters’ belief that the federal government doesn’t, or can’t, work. Scorched-earth opposition to Trump’s agenda, even when Trump backs sound policy, only cements that view in voters’ minds. To attract voters, Democrats need a positive agenda, but it won’t be credible if they stand in the way of their own ideas.
In the coming months, the natural temptation will be to forget Congress. In a new administration’s early days, focus naturally turns to the new guy in town.
The highly fallible members of Congress should remain on center stage. They are the only forces that can keep a potentially volatile president on the right track. Their responsibility has never been greater.