What to expect when you're expecting a GOP trifecta
WASHINGTON – It was a remarkable 2024 election for Republicans, who retook the White House with President-elect Donald Trump, flipped the Senate and appear poised to retain their majority in the House.
So what can voters expect from unified Republican control of all three power centers?
From swift appointments of Trump's Cabinet choices to major changes in policy, Republicans in Congress are likely to use their leverage to advance Trump‘s priorities and could face few roadblocks from the Democratic minority.
"This historic election has proven that a majority of Americans are eager for secure borders, lower costs, peace through strength, and a return to common sense," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement Wednesday, even as the House has not yet been called for Republicans and Democrats insist it is still in play.
There are also no guarantees.
Trump's relationships with his own party in the Senate have long been touch and go, and the chamber's rules afford the minority party the chance to slow-walk or even kill bills that don't involve some degree of bipartisanship. Over in the House, the GOP's internal fights stymied action over the past two years because of an extremely narrow majority that Republicans hope to expand upon as the final few dozen races get called.
Big things can happen when one party does run Washington.
The last time Republicans held a trifecta in Washington came in 2017 and 2018 during Trump's first term, when he signed into law dozens of bills including a $1.5 trillion tax cut. Democrats held a trifecta in 2021 and 2022 under President Joe Biden, which helped lead to passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Holding all the levers of power in 2009 and 2010, President Barack Obama pushed across the finish line the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a major overhaul of the U.S. financial sector, and the Affordable Care Act.
Here's what could be ahead under total GOP control of Washington.
Easier Cabinet confirmations
Republicans have regained control of the Senate, which is responsible for confirming a president's Cabinet and judicial nominees, including filling any Supreme Court vacancies.
Cabinet confirmation hearings can be intense and prolonged when a nominee is controversial. In some rare instances, the president withdraws the nominee if it becomes clear they won't get enough support to be confirmed.
For example, Trump withdrew the nomination of Patrick Shanahan for secretary of defense amid allegations of domestic violence and withdrew the nomination for now-Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, to be secretary of veterans affairs over concerns he did not have enough management experience. Biden withdrew his nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget over concerns she was too partisan.
But most Cabinet nominations succeed when the White House and the Senate are controlled by the same party – especially since Democrats rolled back the filibuster to allow a president's picks to be approved by a simple majority. An incoming president also has historically been afforded a degree of latitude when putting forward their initial picks to staff their government after an election, especially when the Senate is run by the same party.
So, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary? Utah Sen. Mike Lee for U.S. attorney general? Larry Kudlow for treasury secretary? All are real possibilities with a GOP-led Senate.
GOP policy wins
In addition to Trump's policy priorities like curbing illegal immigration and rolling back regulations on everything from home building to energy production, there are several fights ahead that Congress would have to tackle regardless of which presidential candidate took the helm next year.
Multiple provisions of the $1.5 trillion 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – one of the first Trump administration's biggest legislative accomplishments – are set to expire in 2025. It opens up an opportunity for Washington to remake national tax policy.
Expect Republican priorities to be the starting point for these negotiations, including Trump's promises to eliminate taxes on tips, exempt overtime pay from income taxes, and extend the tax brackets in the 2017 law.
Congress will also need to fund the government, which will likely reflect GOP priorities like stripping funding for federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs and slashing budgets for agencies like the Department of Education.
Another big debate ahead for Congress and the incoming Trump administration is over whether to raise the debt ceiling, which will be reinstated at the beginning of next year, before the government runs out money and could default on its debts.
A test on big promises
Throughout this election cycle, Republicans have promised they would not pass a federal abortion ban. Democrats have insisted that they would.
Now, Republicans are likely to be put to the test: With total control over the House, Senate and White House, would they still resist calls from the evangelical Christian members of their base to pass federal restrictions?
The American public remains largely opposed to a federal abortion ban, including around two-thirds of Republicans.
Democrats have said Republicans plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which now has widespread popularity. Republicans have said that they do not plan to eliminate the law and that they would change the ACA only if they could improve it to lower costs and improve coverage.
Republicans have also pledged not to touch the Senate's filibuster rule, which creates a 60-vote threshold that typically requires the majority party to persuade at least a handful of the minority party to join with them to pass significant legislation.
"One of the most gratifying results of the Senate becoming Republican – the filibuster will stand," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters Wednesday. The leading candidates to succeed McConnell have also said they support keeping the filibuster.
Republicans will now be challenged to stand by that pledge, especially if Democrats are unified against their priorities.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to expect from unified Republican control of government