The Deseret News - This Congress Can Move Past Washington's Gridlock

Op-Ed

By Chris Stewart

This week represents not only the start of a new calendar year, but also the start of the new 114th Congress. The last Congress was often viewed as a prime example of Washington gridlock -- a time when partisan bickering replaced statesmanship. It was frustrating for all of us, especially members of the House of Representatives who passed almost 400 bills that died on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's desk. These were good bills, many of which had strong bipartisan support, but because they had originated in a House that was controlled by Republicans, these bills did not even merit a vote in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Thankfully, the last election cycle provided a change. And though it is clear that the election was a repudiation of the president's liberal agenda, I also believe that the Republican Party has not done a particularly good job of winning the electorate's confidence with a positive agenda.

Understanding that fact is critical for the Republican strategy for the next two years. Americans are anxious, wondering how we will handle majorities in both the Senate and the House. While I understand their wariness, I am optimistic that we can -- and will -- do more than simply oppose the president. Conservatives in Congress will move beyond partisan gridlock and reaffirm constitutionally limited government where Congress, not the president, writes law and establishes national spending priorities. Here's how.

First, we must establish realistic legislative priorities that lead to greater economic growth, limit the size of government and help to create more jobs. Examples include the Keystone XL pipeline, which has been gummed up for years by the president. There is also the REINS Act, which limits the power of heavy-handed regulatory agencies by mandating congressional approval for any regulation that is predicted to have greater than a $100 million impact on the economy.

We should also repeal Obamacare's extremely unpopular medical device tax, a tax that bizarrely taxes the gross (not the net) proceeds of medical devices made in the U.S. and drives medical device manufacturing overseas. These common-sense reforms would have passed even in the last Congress if a vote had been allowed in the Senate. Now, they will sail through both the House and Senate and represent substantial victories for America.

Second, Republicans need to take up the hard work of serious tax reform. Everyone recognizes our tax code is overwhelmingly complicated and destructive to American families and businesses. Now, with Utah's own Sen. Orrin Hatch as chair of the Senate Finance Committee, we are finally in a position to accomplish major reforms. Some of the work in achieving tax reform was made easier recently through a rule that will direct the Congressional Budget Office -- the scorekeeper for the costs of bills -- to more accurately account for the effect that tax reform will have on government revenue and the economy.

Finally, and perhaps most relevant for my role as a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, we need to use the appropriations process to reclaim control over the federal government by directing spending in ways that advance our national priorities. For the last six years, the Democrat-dominated Senate has abdicated this role by relying on continuing resolutions rather than passing a yearly budget. This year, we will return to the full appropriations process in both the House and Senate. Through this process, Congress can once again reassert its constitutionally mandated role of controlling spending.

Many of us have felt there has been a distinct lack of leadership in Washington. Now conservatives have a historic opportunity to fill that leadership vacuum by wisely using our congressional majorities for the betterment of our nation. But we will need the help of the other party, for our majority in the Senate is not filibuster-proof and neither the House nor the Senate has a veto-proof majority.

I look forward to working with my friends from across the aisle to better our nation. But the last election gave conservatives the opportunity to set the national agenda. We intend to make the most of it. And that will be a good thing for America.

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