Republicans are reportedly throwing in the towel already for the rest of the year, per Politico, giving up on initial plans to push through new legislation in their impending “lame duck” window.
In a new report published Tuesday morning, Politico explained that the GOP has “deferred” a considerable amount of its legislative plans for this year, having previously hoped that “post-election release of political pressure” after the all-important midterms might allow them some room to get things done.
“Fat chance, many GOP lawmakers now say,” the report detailed. “Beyond the uncertainties surrounding the midterms and a potential transition of power on Capitol Hill, members will return to Washington facing a considerable list of must-pass bipartisan bills but also potentially messy internal leadership fights, a foul national mood and a mere 24 legislative days to get anything done.”
In addition, there is now some doubt as to whether or not a large number of GOP lawmakers will even bother to show up in Washington, D.C., during the lame duck period post-midterms.
“The question becomes: Who shows up for work after the elections?” Rep. Austin Scott, a Georgia Republican, said in an interview. “Attendance is an issue right now.”
Some matters, Scott noted, are must-pass, including a measure to extend government funding past December 11 and getting the annual Pentagon policy bill sorted. Other possibilities, like “Major pieces of legislation to reauthorize farm, transportation and surveillance programs,” are “loaded with potential partisan flashpoints” and might get bogged down for too long in debate. Some Republicans are also unsure about trying to push through bills during a time when Democrats might already be pushing them around with greater powers.
“What do you think?” Sen. Thom Tillis, a retiring North Carolina Republican, said with an “exasperated” tone when asked about the potential for lame duck productivity this year. “I mean, why? If you think about it, if Democrats win the House, why would they?”
The GOP might also have internal squabbling to deal with in the last few weeks of the year.
“And though the elections will be over outside the Capitol, internal politicking could continue for weeks in both chambers,” Politico added. “A Democratic flip of the House could spark a potentially chaotic cascade of GOP leadership elections, especially with [House Speaker Mike] Johnson giving mixed signals about his intentions in that scenario. He broached the possibility he might not remain atop his conference in a Fox News interview last week, then said in a CBS News interview published Monday that he expected ‘my colleagues would ask me to continue leading this conference’ even after a loss. [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune says he is running again for GOP leader regardless of the election outcome, and no other senator has signaled they will challenge him. That hasn’t stopped some conservatives, in and out of the chamber, from questioning whether Trump will blame him if the majority is lost.”