The 115th Congress In Review

With the 115th Congress adjourning for the final time on Wednesday, here’s a look at some of the things lawmakers accomplished or failed to get done over the last two years:

What Got Done

Tax Reform: In 2017, Republicans enacted the largest overhaul of America’s tax code in three decades, cutting tax rates and expanding the standard deduction for individuals, doubling the child tax credit for families, and also lowering the tax burden on businesses with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Criminal Justice Reform: A bipartisan effort that was several years in the making came to fruition in the final month of the 115th Congress with the enactment of the First Step Act. The bill reforms the federal prison system to reduce costs and criminal recidivism by providing inmates with educational and vocational training, while also reforming federal sentencing guidelines.

Farm Bill: Another bipartisan accomplishment that didn’t cross the finish line until the final month of the 115th Congress, the Farm Bill reauthorizes and reforms U.S. Dept. of Agriculture programs for five years. It also made modest reforms to work requirements for food stamps, after the House and Senate reached a compromise.

VA Reform: The 115th Congress and President Trump enacted the VA MISSION Act, a bipartisan bill improving veterans’ access to healthcare through non-VA providers in their community when comparable VA care would be deficient in quality, timeliness, or cause the veteran a hardship.

Opioid Crisis Response: Congress and the president also took another step in addressing the opioid crisis by enacting the Support for Patients and Communities Act, a package that combined more than 70 proposals to stop illegal drugs at the border, reduce over-prescription of opioids, and develop alternatives to opioids.

Sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea: Bipartisan majorities in Congress and the Trump administration worked to craft and put into use a new sanctions regime with the enactment of the Countering Adversarial Nations Through Sanctions Act. It imposes new sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea for their transgressions against global stability ― including ballistic missile tests, support for terrorism, and interventions in other countries.

Deregulation: Republicans used the Congressional Review Act to reverse several regulations that were finalized by the Obama administration on 14 occasions, after the tool had only been successfully used once since its creation in 1996. Among the rules repealed: an FCC rule preventing the collection of customer information by ISPs, the EPA’s “Stream Protection Rule”, and the Social Security Administration’s rule that added beneficiaries deemed “mentally defective” to a criminal background check database to prevent them from buying a gun.

Supreme Court Confirmations: Two justices were confirmed to the nation’s highest court, with Justice Neil Gorsuch replacing the late Antonin Scalia in 2017 and Justice Brett Kavanaugh succeeding the retiring Anthony Kennedy.

What Didn’t Get Done

Obamacare Repeal: After House Republicans passed their bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, the effort stalled in the Senate after moderate Republicans balked at a scaled-down “skinny” repeal bill.

Immigration Reform / Border Security: Efforts at passing immigration reform ― particularly those aimed at giving so-called “Dreamers” legal status and increasing funding for border security ― failed in both the House and Senate.

Reinstating Net Neutrality: After the Trump administration finalized its rollback of Obama era net neutrality rules in February 2018, Senate Democrats were joined by some moderate Republicans in voting to pass a bill reinstating the old rules using the CRA. However, the deadline to enact a CRA bill lapsed without the House taking it up.

Rescissions: After the Trump administration’s bill to rescind $15 billion in unused funding from previous fiscal years passed the House, an attempt to bring it up for a vote in the Senate was blocked.

New Trade Deals: While the Trump administration finished its negotiation of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement with America’s major North American trading partners, the task of ratifying the USMCA will fall to the 116th Congress which will have the “fast-track” trade promotion authority at its disposal.

Impeaching Trump: A group including about one-third of House Democrats attempted to force floor debate on the impeachment of President Trump using parliamentary maneuvering on more than one occasion during the 115th Congress, only for each attempt to be blocked by Republicans and a majority of Democrats.

See you in the 116th Congress!

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / sborisov)