House, Senate, and White House Show Strength of Republican Party in Just Six Months
The beginning of 2025 brought hope to Americans who voted for President Donald Trump and Republican majorities in the House and Senate. With Trump winning both the Electoral College and popular vote, voters made clear their rejection of the Biden Administration’s diversion from the Constitutional principles upon which our nation was founded. Not only did President Trump have his wits about him, but he made vows to change course and throw out most of Biden’s failed policies. President Trump is known for keeping his promises, and we are pleasantly surprised with how much he and Congress have achieved in just six months. Let’s take a walk down memory lane.
Congressional leadership has been an important partner in many of these victories. Back in 2023, when Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was removed as Speaker of the House, Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA) was the underdog that no one saw coming. He had not previously held any leadership positions nor committee chairmanships. No one knew enough about Johnson to know what to expect. When the Republicans retained the House majority after the 2024 election, Rep. Johnson was quickly reelected as Speaker with high hopes that his calming style would be beneficial in the closely divided chamber.
Senate Leader John Thune (R-SD), as next-in-line in the hierarchy of Senate leadership, was a shoo-in to replace Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in January. Under Sen. McConnell’s and Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) leadership, the Senate earned the reputation of being a bit dull, with both sides unwilling to rock the boat. The Senate was known for its short work weeks — Tuesdays through Thursdays — and never working on weekends. The bar for productivity was set low, but it soon became clear that this schedule would impede Congress’s ability to assist the President in implementing his important agenda.
Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune buckled down and got the job done. They led their respective chambers in the biggest win so far: the passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill. The OBBB aimed to rein in reckless spending and protect the tax cuts Trump implemented in his first term. Johnson and Thune had to craft language that would not only pass the “Byrd rule” (which can significantly narrow the scope of policy in the bill) but also would unite the vast array of Republican members who have different constituencies and priorities. House Freedom Caucus Members would have to find common ground or compromise with more moderate members of the party, such as Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) or Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). It was an all-hands-on-deck task with President Trump, White House and Cabinet officials, advocacy groups, and grassroots activists weighing in around the clock to get the bill to the finish line. On July 4th, President Trump signed the One Big, Beautiful Bill into law in record time.
The removal of waste, fraud, and abuse in the reconciliation package goes hand-in-hand with further spending cuts in the recissions package. The President and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought proposed rescinding money for current programs that advance the leftist agenda with our tax dollars. This $9.4 billion rescissions bill included cuts to NPR and PBS, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs, “woke” foreign aid programs through USAID, WHO, and more. This important bill was signed into law just weeks after the OBBB.
All of this would not have been possible without President Trump’s creation of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) and the Senate’s swift confirmation of key Cabinet members. DOGE found $160 billion in waste across all federal government agencies. USAID was one of the most corrupt programs, and the Trump administration shut it down. In addition, several other departments have scaled back their programs as well. For example, the Department of Education is working on shrinking its staff by 50%.
The United States has become safer over the last six months. The OBBB released necessary funds to secure our nation’s borders. Illegal border crossings are now the lowest in history. The catch-and-release program that allowed unvetted immigrants to roam unrestricted within our country has been dismantled. In June, no illegal immigrants were released inside the United States. Over 100,000 criminal aliens have been arrested and deported — many of whom are cartel or gang members. The OBBB contains language that makes it clear illegal immigrants cannot receive federal benefits.
President Trump has signed 176 executive orders so far. Many of these orders overturn or repeal harmful actions of the Biden administration. These orders direct agencies to reinstate common sense policies such as clarifying that there are only two sexes in the federal government, enforcing the Hyde amendment so that no federal funds pay for abortions, protecting minors from gender mutilation, ensuring that our museums are aligned with historical truth, defending our nation’s borders, and rescinding the government’s overreach into our homes.
One of the most shocking policies of the Biden administration was the rewriting of Title IX that would have allowed males to compete in female sports and have access to female private spaces like bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers. Female athletes decried how they lost out on trophies, awards, and scholarships while being forced to share locker rooms with males who “identified as female.” President Trump made restoring the Title IX program to its original intent a key campaign promise. Once elected, he quickly issued an Executive Order to protect girls’ and women’s access to education and sports based on their biological sex. The House and Senate have been working to ensure all these orders become federal law. This month, the House celebrated the passage of 50 executive orders into law.
We commend all the success so far. Yet, the work is not finished. We must encourage our lawmakers to keep up the good fight. Both the House and Senate are working on several appropriations bills that are required to be enacted by the end of September if the government is to avoid a shutdown. While the House-passed bills are fairly conservative, the Senate is considering changes that would muddy those waters. For example, in the bill funding the Veterans Administration, the Senate removed strong pro-life language that the House included to prevent abortions from being performed at VA Hospitals. Also, Senators are considering allowing natural THC found in hemp to be used in edibles and other products. This change could ultimately legalize marijuana at the federal level. These provisions are dangerous for families and would undermine the conservative gains made in the House bills.
The timing of our Eagle Council 53 in Washington, D.C. couldn’t be better. With two full days on Capitol Hill, we are providing opportunities for you to thank Republican Members of Congress for passing the OBBB, rescissions package, and executive orders. At the same time, you will be able to encourage them to maintain conservative policies in the appropriations packages. To learn more about Eagle Council 53, visit our website here. In the meantime, please take action to ensure that our Senators do not make marijuana legal.
