Leaving a GOP mess behind
Rep. Jeb Hensarling, a Texas Republican, said Tuesday that he would not seek re-election in 2018, joining a growing list of Republican members of Congress who will not run. He is one of the higher-profile Republicans, along with Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee.
The 2018 midterm elections are by no means a lock for Republicans, particularly in the House. Democrats have a more desperate battle in the Senate, but President Donald Trump’s agenda faces an impossible fight without Paul Ryan holding the speaker’s gavel.
The exodus of Republican members of Congress spells trouble for the GOP. The members leaving represent a broad political spectrum of moderates and conservatives. It’s rather odd for a party that controls Washington, but also a sign that even conservative members of Congress feel they cannot get anything done. It is more difficult when the president of the United States, the de facto leader of the party, suffers from a job approval rating of 33%.
Supporters of the president want to blame the dreaded “establishment” for Trump’s failures. He promised to bring fundamental change to Washington. He said he’d make the best deals, hire the best people. He promised that Republicans would tire of all the winning. Nine full months into his tenure, Trump doesn’t have a single legislative victory to his name.
For a president who claimed he’d be able to corral his caucus and bring Democrats into the fold, more division exists than ever before. Is it any wonder that some legislators are choosing to leave office rather than deal with the mess?
Hensarling, who has a conservative ideology that makes him comfortable around tea party activists but a pragmatic streak in the mold of Ryan, had plans to undo most of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Hensarling steered the Financial Choice Act through the Financial Services Committee. It passed the House in June and sits in the Senate awaiting action.
However, the failures of an Affordable Care Act replacement bill and the looming battle of a tax cut bill will likely sideline Hensarling’s signature legislation until 2018, making it less likely to become law. With a Republican president and a GOPcontrolled Congress, the Financial Choice Act should be a slamdunk win.
For Republicans and conservatives who want to see legislative wins instead of superficial culture “wins” from flaming Twitter wars, the real concern is who will take over these seats even if they’re Republicans. Will they be legislators who want to get work done or will they be in the mold of Trump, content to get nothing done so long as they’re “fighting?”
The only people happy to see Hensarling retire are Democrats. While Hensarling’s district remains safe (Hensarling faced no Democratic challengers in 2016 or 2014, and he beat his 2012 Democratic opponent by 31 points), the GOP may have to spend money on the race, and the question remains as to who will run for Hensarling’s seat.
The GOP as a whole is better off with Hensarling than without him. His departure hurts in more ways than one. I hope voters of the 5th Congressional District in Texas choose wisely.