When Republicans won in 2024, they promised to use their coveted trifecta to deliver on an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” for President Donald Trump’s agenda. With few legislative days left ahead of midterms, some argue they should have done more.
It’s left some lawmakers questioning the effectiveness of their red hat-trick and whether the “lame duck,” or a slow legislative season, has instead arrived early this year.
“We’ve got four weeks before the August break. We’ve already wasted one of them,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said last week. “The House, through no fault of the speaker, [looks] like the happy hour at an airport Chili’s. I’m not saying the Senate’s going to do any better.”
“We were elected to deliver what we promised the American people, not to campaign for re-election,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote in a letter to colleagues this month. “Delivering on decisive policy mandates is the best way to grow a majority … we simply have not done enough.”
While some blame Democrats or intraparty disagreements between the chambers, others chalk it up to reality: Even with a GOP majority in both the House and Senate and the help of a Republican White House, or a “trifecta,” legislating isn’t easy.
