Congress will never be accused of working overtime. And for the most part, the less time lawmakers spend in Washington, the less damage they can do creating new laws and regulations.
But Republicans who campaigned last year on an ambitious agenda of regulatory reforms aren’t exactly blazing trails with new legislation.
At the end of two months, the House spent just 31 days at work in Washington and the Senate spent 30, reports Genevieve Wood for The Daily Signal. At this rate, members of both chambers are on the same pace as the 114th Congress, when the House averaged 13 days in session per month and the Senate averaged 14 days.
Then there’s this: The Republican majority in both chambers tends to move slower on party priorities then Democrats do when they hold the whip hand, Ms. Wood notes. In his first term, President George W. Bush signed no legislation until June 2001. In comparison, President Obama signed six significant pieces of legislation in his first 100 days. The nearly $1 trillion stimulus and the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization both were signed by mid-February.
“The idea that at this rate (Republicans) will succeed in repealing ObamaCare, protecting the border, reforming the tax code, overhauling regulations and making good on other campaign promises they made is increasingly questionable,” writes Wood.
If reform-minded Republicans intend to make a dent in their campaign promises, they better get to work — now.
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