Despite the recent distractions and media frenzy in Washington, Republicans are getting back to work — behind the scenes — to move a conservative agenda forward.
Tax reform marks a major accomplishment for Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Paul Ryan, the results of which will be a more business friendly environment and a stronger economy that will reach more Americans.
Tackling a big-ticket item like tax reform will also bolster the activity of the Party’s grassroots activists, and give our candidates something to bring home for voters. The bottom line is that a pro-growth agenda is good for the economy and it’s also good for electoral politics. Activists can organize around this accomplishment while the majority of working Americans see an increase in their take home pay each month.
The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a group where I serve as chairman, is building a robust data driven field program with staff and volunteers on the ground in 17 Congressional districts nationwide months before the upcoming mid-term elections. CLF has plans to raise and spend $100 million protecting the Republican majority in the House. The American Action Network (AAN), CLF’s sister organization, recently launched a $2.5 million ad campaign thanking Congress and promoting tax reform.
President Donald Trump and the entire Republican controlled pro-growth agenda didn’t start with tax reform. Much of the good work that is driving the stock market to record levels and soaring business and consumer confidence is the result of rolling back the mountain of regulations imposed during the Obama era. American regulatory burdens and overreach were the norm eight years ago. Today, the opposite can be said.
The next step for Republicans should be addressing the issue of our crushing national debt. Deficit hawks’ concerns about the tax plan’s impact on the federal balance sheet are missing the point and ignoring the cause of the problem. A lack of tax revenue is not what’s causing the national debt to soar, it’s entitlements that are increasingly eating up a larger chunk of government liabilities each year. Next year, mandatory spending including entitlements is expected to be more than $2.5 trillion, accounting for almost two thirds of all government spending.
Republican leadership has done a good job of moving the economy in the right direction, but getting our fiscal house in order is critical to its long-term health. The President should work with Congress to reform programs that could ultimately bring the progress that has been made over the past year to a halt.
Infrastructure spending is on the list of Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle and the President. But it will be impossible to pursue a massive infrastructure bill without reigning in some spending in other places.
Passing tax reform is a resounding accomplishment for Congressional Republicans and President Trump during their first year in power, but they will have to keep up the hard work.
It was a Democratic president who said “it’s the economy stupid,” but it has been the Republicans who have made it their mantra over the past year. The electoral prospects of Republican candidates next fall will be largely dependent on how the economy is doing. The right policies can keep it on track. The media frenzy and distractions are not going to stop, but the progress Republicans are making on their agenda doesn’t have to stop either.
Fred Malek is the chairman of the Congressional Leadership Fund. He is a former president of Marriott Hotels and Northwest Airlines. He has also served as an assistant to President Richard Nixon and President George H.W. Bush.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.