Republicans’ Progress Report: 100 Days into the 115th Congress

April 12^th marks 100 days of the GOP-controlled 115^th Congress. Republicans are the governing party, with majorities in both the House and Senate and control of the White House. Yet their deep division and dysfunction has resulted in chaos, incompetence, and the inability to govern.  From their lack of an agenda on jobs to their failure to fund the government, Republicans have failed to deliver for the American people over the last 100 days.  Republicans even failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, despite saying for seven years they had a plan to do so.

A look at the news shows that Republicans are struggling to fulfill their campaign promises and get things done:

“With the advantage of controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House, the GOP should, on paper, be able to get a slew of bills passed and signed. Former President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats used their two years of party dominance, for example, to pass Obamacare, a sweeping financial services reform measure and a stimulus package….Republicans in the Trump era are enjoying no such run of successes. Instead, they are on the defensive.” [US News & World Reports, 3/28/17]                          

“What is certain is that Republicans continue to have difficulty turning their campaign promises into legislative action.” [Washington Post, 3/24/17]

“This is a party that has forgotten how to do the slow, arduous work of governing. Perhaps it’s worse than that. This is a party, in many ways, that has built its majority upon a contempt for the compromises, quarter-loaves, and tough trade-offs that governing entails.” [Vox, 3/24/17]

As a result, Republicans returned home for the April district work period with no accomplishments to discuss with their constituents:

“House Republicans are heading back to their districts without much to brag about. At the beginning of six consecutive weeks of work, many GOP lawmakers had anticipated a productive stretch of legislating that would put a shine on President Trump’s first 100 days in office. Instead, they return home having to explain to their constituents why they weren’t able to repeal and replace ObamaCare and how they can possibly unite around the rest of their agenda.” [The Hill, 4/7/17]

“On Thursday morning, Republican House members raced for the exits to get home for their districts after six weeks straight in DC. They have less to show for it than they might have liked.”[Buzzfeed, 4/6/17]

“As Congress skips town for a two-week recess, Speaker Paul Ryan and his team are no closer to approving legislation.” [Politico, 4/7/17]

 Here’s a review of how Republicans are failing to govern, issue-by-issue

Republicans’ Progress Report: A Failing Record April 12, 2017
SUBJECT	GRADE	COMMENTS
ON JOB CREATION		Failed to bring a single jobs bill to the House Floor.
ON FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT		Failed to pass a bill to fund the government, leaving only four days to prevent a shut down when the House returns from the April District Work Period.
ON HEALTH CARE		Forced to pull their TrumpCare bill after weeks of disarray over how to repeal and replace the ACA. Continue to sow uncertainty by attempting to revive the TrumpCare bill.
ON SECURITY		Voted six times to block legislation to establish an independent commission to investigate Russia’s ongoing efforts to undermine our democracy. Made it easier for people who shouldn’t have a gun to obtain one.
ON THE ENVIRONMENT		Rolled back clean air protections and took away protections that keep drinking water safe. Passed legislation to allow the inhumane killing of animals on wildlife refuges. Made it harder for the EPA to use the best science possible to protect the environment and public health.
ON EDUCATION		Weakened civil rights protections for students. Undermined teacher training programs.
ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS		Allowed states to restrict access to women’s health providers. Passed legislation dictating how women can spend private dollars in purchasing health coverage.
ON WORKERS’ RIGHTS		Passed legislation that would allow employers to hide labor violations and took away a worker protection requiring employers to report injuries.
ON CONSUMER PROTECTIONS		Made it harder for the SEC to protect small investors. Passed legislation to allow riskier trading to take place. Undermined retirement security by taking away retirement savings options for workers provided by local government.
ON PRIVACY ISSUES		Passed legislation to allow internet service providers to sell Americans’ personal information.
ON CIVIL RIGHTS		Passed legislation to make it harder for victims to seek justice in courts. Undermined the ability to seek justice regarding civil rights violations and employment discrimination.

Click here to read the PDF.