According to FOX NEWS, the legislative priorities for the US Congress between now and January 2019 when the Democrats take majority in the House of Representatives are budget resolution, border wall funding, immigration reform, tax cuts, and health care. This a really big bite to accomplish in such a short time, but it is now or never. The Congress is going to become a deadlocked mess with the House having a Democrat majority and the Senate a Republican majority. If these priorities are going to get done, it will take a Herculean effort on the part of leadership in both houses.
Let’s take a look at each of these “priorities”. The first is budget resolution. It seems to me this is the last of the priorities to get settled. About all else requires a consideration of money. The last Omnibus funding bill passed was a joke. One would have thought it to be a Democrat bill with the level of spending it contained. The goal needs to be a reduction of government spending with a heading toward a balance budget. Wouldn’t that be nice. Thanks to former President Obama, we are over 20 trillion dollars in debt.
The second is border wall funding. Congress needs to bite the bullet and fund the WALL, something they promised in the last two election cycles. This is something the public very strongly wants. The Caravans that have arrived at the southern US border with Mexico plus the ones coming make quite poignant the need for the wall. It should have been funded long ago. Concertina Nato Razor Wire and US troops are not the answer. Illegal immigration must be stopped. We do not need more young uneducated, unskilled, non-English speaking males.
Then we have immigration reform. The action of a San Francisco judge punctuates this need. The President must have the authority to protect this country. There needs to be an end to birthright citizenship, chain migration, and immigration by lottery. VISA overstays must be stopped. Immigration should be on a need and merit system. The time for mass migration into this country has long passed. Our population needs to stabilize and our needs are to train, educate, and care for American citizens. Yes, we have thousands of job openings, but those should be filled with American citizens, not more immigrants; legal or illegal.
The fourth is tax cuts. The President in recent rallies has promised another 10% tax cut for middle class tax payers. Easy, doable, and should be quickly passed if the GOP wants to continue to have the support it is experiencing from the middle class. In other words, Congress needs to put money where their mouth is.
Finally, health care. This was a sticky one. Senator John McCain betrayed the country with his thumbs down vote. There subsequently has been a struggle to take apart ObamaCare piece by piece. This needs to be finished with the expansion of private insurance company based plans across state lines under such terms that will reduce health care costs and have full coverage for those having existing conditions. This is a major challenge to get done.
That’s it. The next few weeks will tell the tale. I wonder if the GOP is up to the task. We shall see.