Washington Wednesday: The Republican agenda in the House

MARY REICHARD, HOST: It’s Wednesday, November twenty third, 2022. Glad to have you ever alongside for right now’s version of The World and Every little thing in It. Good morning, I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. It’s time for Washington Wednesday. Immediately, a preview of the GOP agenda for the 118th Congress.

After Republicans reclaimed management of the Home, leaders promised main modifications. However their majority will likely be a slim one, and Democrats do retain management of the Senate. So how a lot can a GOP-led Home accomplish and what can we count on?

Becoming a member of us now with solutions is Marc Clauson. He’s a professor of Historical past and Regulation at Cedarville College.

REICHARD: Professor, good morning!

MARC CLAUSON, GUEST: Thanks. Good to be with you.

REICHARD: Effectively, Marc, I wish to first ask you about who will likely be main Republicans within the subsequent Congress. GOP lawmakers voted to appoint Minority Chief Kevin McCarthy to take over a speaker of the Home.

However he nonetheless faces a vote within the full Home and there’s some hypothesis that there could also be sufficient Republicans against McCarthy to disclaim him the gavel. How do you see that enjoying out?

CLAUSON: Effectively, I feel it is nonetheless extremely possible that he’s elected as speaker. Now it is true, he has a fairly slim margin to work with and if a few Republicans peeled off, or three peeled off and voted in opposition to him together with all of the Democrats who will undoubtedly vote in opposition to him, then he might lose. However I do not count on that to occur. It usually does not. And in reality, the mere nomination appears to counsel that he will be the following speaker to me at the least.

REICHARD: So assuming McCarthy does develop into the following speaker, he’s vowed to take away a couple of controversial Democrats from key committees. What are you able to inform us about that?

CLAUSON: Effectively, that truly occurs anytime that the Home modifications events. The bulk get together will resolve that they do not need sure individuals on their committees or sure individuals as chairs of their committees, they usually have the authority to try this underneath the principles of the Home. Now, they can not go infinitely. They nonetheless must have members of each events, in response to the principles of the Home. However they nonetheless can take away members of these committees from them, in the event that they so vote to try this.

REICHARD: Okay, so once more, when Republicans reclaim the bulk in January, their majority will likely be a slim one. However Republicans have promised investigations into many various issues, together with the enterprise dealings of the president’s son, Hunter Biden and alleged FBI corruption. What do you count on there?

CLAUSON: Effectively, I feel right here’s the place you get all the way down to brass tacks. I feel that the Republicans must be actually cautious of their investigations. In the event that they select an individual or a problem that does not resonate with the American individuals, it would damage them within the run as much as the following election. It additionally would garner a variety of dangerous publicity for them. So for instance, and this can be my very own opinion on this, however maybe they may select to research Hunter Biden’s laptop computer challenge. Okay, that is one thing to be accomplished sooner or later, but when they did it now, I’d suspect that they might come underneath a bit of fireplace from each side in saying, look, it is advisable be specializing in the extra vital points that resonate with the American individuals: the border disaster, the Justice Division, vitality points, all that type of factor, precise points, quite than entering into the private problems with Hunter Biden now. If you wish to do this later, then possibly later after you’ve got cleared away all the opposite points, however not proper now, I’d say.

REICHARD: Republicans have additionally promised extra oversight of the Biden administration agenda typically and to rein in spending. Inform us what their powers will likely be in that regard as they reclaim the bulk.

CLAUSON: Effectively, the main energy they’ve—and that is essential energy—is that they have the facility of the purse. All spending measures begin within the Home of the Home can refuse any spending measures and that can put a damper on any spending that’s going to must be accredited in the course of the subsequent two years. Past that, nevertheless, they’ve the oversight function. That’s, their committees can train oversight over numerous businesses and their actions. However can they really pressure businesses to hearken to what they are saying? The reply there is no such thing as a, as a result of the president has the direct energy or authority over these businesses. So that they’re not gonna have the ability to do a lot there. Moreover, I do not assume they are going to have the ability to accomplish a lot in the way in which of any laws of any significance. They could have the ability to do the same old issues like declare a day, special occasion or one thing like this. They do this on a regular basis. However in the case of actual points, equivalent to, once more, coping with the border disaster, with the vitality issues with the Justice Division and so forth, there’s nearly nothing that may do, as a result of the Senate will merely say no, even when all of the Republicans agreed within the Home. So with the Senate managed by the Democrats, I feel it is just about a no-go from nearly all laws.

REICHARD: Throughout their campaigns, many Home Republicans talked about addressing points like rising crime and securing the southern border. However how a lot can they actually do with out the Senate or the white Home?

CLAUSON: Like I say, they will’t actually do an entire lot. Now they will withhold cash, however they can not truly spend cash, as a result of even when they approve a spending measure, it has to go to the Senate. And so you continue to must have a vote. If the Democrats say no, then they will stymie the Republicans within the Home. Now, one factor they will do, for instance, crime. They will make it a really public challenge out of it of their committees and subcommittees. And hopefully, by doing that they’re going to get sufficient publicity that the American individuals can get an thought of what is actually occurring. Identical means with the border disaster, identical means with vitality. Now, on that finish, you’ve received to watch out as a result of will you get the publicity you need from the media. And if the media tends to lean left, then the media just isn’t going to report that in any respect or not report it favorably. So, even there, they could be stymied. So there’s not an entire lot they will do. Now, they will maintain issues from being accomplished, however they can not actually do very a lot.

REICHARD: Marc, do you assume there’ll proceed to be sturdy assist for Ukraine within the struggle in opposition to Russia when Republicans take the lead within the Home?

CLAUSON: I feel just about so. I have never seen an entire lot of opposition. There’s been some opposition to the struggle, however I do not assume you’ll see important opposition to the struggle. Now, they may wish to applicable much less cash to Ukraine. That is attainable. However even there, I are inclined to assume that they’re going to proceed to escalate the assistance that they provide to Ukraine, inside limits. They are not going to transcend a sure level, I do not assume, to applicable cash or vote for appropriating cash, however I feel they are going to proceed to assist Ukraine.

REICHARD: Let’s transfer to the higher chamber for a second and let me ask you a Senate-related query. There may be one seat nonetheless to be determined in Georgia’s runoff. However Democrats have already got 50 seats and the tie-breaking vote in fact is within the particular person of Vice President Kamala Harris.
So what’s the significance of this Georgia Senate seat? How vital is it for Republicans to say it or for Democrats to carry it?

CLAUSON: Effectively, to make use of an fascinating instance, the distinction is Joe Manchin to take however one. He is a Democrat, clearly. However he is a Democrat who can throw a fly within the ointment of the Democrats’ coverage proposals and legal guidelines. Which implies that if something’s proposed that he does not like he can go along with the Republicans and the tie vote just isn’t going to work. The tie vote breaker is not going to work. Now, once more, will it make any distinction if the Senate does not cross it as a result of the Home would not have handed it anyway? That is in all probability the case. However nonetheless it does give the Senate some skill to maintain the Democrats from doing what they wish to do even when they can not accomplish it by the use of the Home, they will nonetheless cease it within the Senate itself. So it does make a distinction. And it made a distinction even earlier than the Republicans took the Home, as a result of in a number of legislative measures, Joe Manchin stated no, I am not going to go there. I am not going with you. And the Democrats could not get the legal guidelines handed.

REICHARD: We’ve been speaking with Professor Marc Clauson. Professor, thanks a lot!

CLAUSON: Thanks. Good to be with you.

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