James Antle explains in the Washington Examiner why now is a critical time for President Trump’s policy agenda.
Donald Trump is entering the second year of his presidency, but he and Republicans in Congress will need to govern as though it’s his last.
After months of inaction on the top items in their shared legislative agenda, they closed out 2017 with a bang. A tax reform bill that also repealed Obamacare’s individual mandate and allowed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge became law in December, capping a busy year of deregulation, military gains against the Islamic State, and successful conservative judicial nominees.
Trump and congressional Republicans won’t have the luxury of a late legislative windfall in 2018. This year, the entire House and a third of the Senate is up for re-election. The closer it gets to November, the harder it will be to get Republicans seeking another term to take difficult votes. Democrats are expected to make gains, having already reduced the GOP Senate majority to a razor-thin 51-49 margin with an improbable win in Alabama. If they capture one or both houses, Republicans may never have another chance to pass conservative legislation unimpeded by the opposition.
