Republicans lawmakers who’re jubilant about President Trump’s flurry of government orders and actions reshaping the federal government are staring down a problem: making these adjustments final by turning them into legislation.
For now, the GOP majorities in Congress are largely blissful to cede energy to the manager department as Trump assessments the boundaries of his government authority.
However as court docket challenges and future elections threaten to undo these actions, these lawmakers are strategizing about tips on how to cement them into laws after which legislation.
Home Republicans within the Republican Examine Committee (RSC), the biggest caucus of conservatives, launched a “Set in Stone” initiative to begin to determine Trump insurance policies to jot down into legislation and go them by way of Congress.
That’s not a simple job. With few exceptions, lasting coverage adjustments would want to clear a 60-vote threshold to advance within the Senate, necessitating assist from not less than seven Democrats who don’t have any incentive to assist Trump safe legislative wins.
However Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), chair of the Republican Examine Committee, says that is simply the beginning of working with congressional management to determine alternatives.
“We have identified a handful of bills knowing that some of them are challenging to get across the finish line, but understanding that the American people elected Donald Trump to do these types of things,” Pfluger stated.
These payments embody the Dismantle DEI Act, led by Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas), to finish range, fairness, and inclusion practices within the federal authorities; the Birthright Citizenship Act, led by Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), to not present computerized citizenship to individuals born to noncitizen mother and father who wouldn’t have everlasting residency standing; and Rep. Brandon Gill’s (R-Texas) invoice to codify the “Remain in Mexico” coverage.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) additionally has payments to make English the official language of the US, to codify the Gulf of America identify change, and the Defend Kids’s Innocence Act outlawing gender-affirming surgical procedure for minors.
“We’re calling for swift floor votes in both the House and the Senate on these critical pieces of legislation,” Pfluger stated in a press convention. “The new golden age and America isn’t just a slogan. It’s a promise to the American people.”
But one of many payments being pushed by the brand new initiative reveals the problem of getting any of the measures throughout the end line and codified.
Senate Democrats earlier this month blocked the Safety of Ladies and Women in Sports activities Act, led by Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), which might have prohibited transgender athletes from taking part in women’ and girls’s sports activities.
Republicans had been hoping that Democrats, a few of whom have softened on their assist for transgender athletes in wake of the 2024 election and polls displaying opposition to transgender athletes in women’ sports activities, would assist push the invoice by way of — and two Democrats did vote for the laws within the Home.
However all the Democrats within the higher chamber, even these going through tough midterm elections, voted in opposition to the invoice.
Nonetheless, Home GOP leaders have promised to codify Trump actions.
“The president has over 300 government actions already, and we’re going to codify a lot of what he’s doing in order that the subsequent staff can’t unwind it,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated in February on the Conservative Political Motion Convention.
A few of these codifying actions are set to happen in common full-year funding payments for fiscal 2026, or in different clawback laws.
Plenty of hard-line Republicans weren’t blissful that the latest funding measure handed final week to proceed authorities funding till Sept. 30 didn’t embody cuts to packages which have gotten the ax from the Division of Authorities Effectivity. However leaders have pledged to include a few of these main adjustments within the subsequent 12 months’s funding course of.
The main rapid focus of congressional Republicans, in the meantime, is on crafting an bold package deal of Trump priorities right into a reconciliation package deal that will function the president’s principal legislative precedence. The laws is anticipated to incorporate an extension of Trump’s tax cuts, in addition to vitality and border priorities.
In contrast to the payments the RSC is pushing, that package deal will have the ability to bypass the Senate’s 60-vote cloture threshold, in any other case often known as the filibuster, whereas Republicans are utilizing a particular reconciliation course of to advance the laws — so it might advance alongside celebration traces.
Regardless of the challenges of codifying broad swath of Trump’s government actions, one member on the Republican Examine Committee press convention, Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), indicated there might be bipartisan assist for some energy-related laws, resembling repealing the Environmental Safety Company’s Clear Energy Plan 2.0 rule.
However Republicans are additionally in search of some main wins.
“What we really want to see is speed and aggressiveness and trying to get these into law,” Pfluger stated.
The “Set in Stone” venture has some assist from outdoors organizations, together with Heritage Motion, the advocacy arm of the conservative assume tank, in addition to from Advancing American Freedom, the advocacy group based by former Vice President Mike Pence.
