Congress kicked off 2025 with an formidable agenda, however 12 months later, it has ceded a lot of its energy to President Trump and handed a report low variety of payments.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Congress began 2025 with a giant legislative agenda. Home Speaker Mike Johnson put it this manner in his first handle to his chamber this yr.
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MIKE JOHNSON: Despite our nice challenges, and even our disagreements and our wholesome debates, this extraordinary establishment – the folks’s Home – will nonetheless be standing robust.
FADEL: However 12 months later, Congress has ceded a lot of its energy to President Trump and has handed a record-low variety of payments. NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales has been following this and joins us now. Hello, Claudia.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Hey, Leila.
FADEL: OK. So congressional Republicans began the yr with these formidable plans to move payments, to strengthen the economic system, handle the border disaster, increase the navy. Did any of that occur?
GRISALES: Not precisely, except you have a look at their marquee tax and spending plan they known as the One Massive Stunning Invoice, which grew to become legislation. They’d argue that’s the key laws that handed, however the jury’s nonetheless out if that is going to have the marketed affect on the economic system. And it was the exception to the rule. Congress ceded a number of its energy to the president this yr. That included dismantling massive sections of the federal authorities, taking on the facility of the purse throughout the federal government shutdown by directing spending that was prohibited at the moment and triggering the clawback of billions of spending that had been authorized by Congress. And as you talked about, we heard from public affairs community C-SPAN. They reported the variety of legal guidelines enacted this yr are at that all-time low.
FADEL: Now, Republicans are the bulk in each the Home and Senate, however that may be very slim. How did leaders fare in 2025?
GRISALES: Yeah. It positively made it harder for them. Within the Home, we noticed Speaker Mike Johnson lose extra management of his convention. By year-end, he confronted a uncommon collection of profitable discharge petitions. These are bipartisan efforts by rank-and-file members to bypass the speaker and move legislation. And none was extra noteworthy than the one securing the discharge of the Jeffrey Epstein information. He additionally noticed Republican pushback when he nearly closed the home down in the course of the 43-day authorities shutdown. He is dealing with a report variety of Home retirements. That features practically 30 Republicans.
FADEL: OK, so some division inside his personal social gathering. What in regards to the Senate? How did Majority Chief John Thune fare as compared?
GRISALES: Effectively, he did not finish the yr with the identical stage of animosity, however he noticed challenges, too. I requested him about classes discovered. Here is what he informed me.
JOHN THUNE: You understand, I imply, typically you get annoyed that you do not get the issues accomplished you need to get accomplished. However you bought to maintain attempting there.
GRISALES: In the end, the Senate authorized a majority of Trump’s nominees for the administration and federal courts. However not till not too long ago did we see extra Senate Republicans push again publicly on the president with some points, such because the strikes on alleged drug traffickers at sea. Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer informed me these challenges and the chaos we have seen with the federal authorities, the economic system, Trump’s tariff insurance policies have all created a gap for Democrats.
FADEL: Now, Congress will face even larger challenges subsequent yr with the midterms on faucet. What do you anticipate to see?
GRISALES: Effectively, lawmakers have their eye on precisely these midterms in November. Even with Republicans redistricting so as to add seats within the Home, it is nonetheless not clear they are going to hold their majority. They face the prospect of one other authorities shutdown risk in January, and that is along with requires Washington to handle an affordability disaster that we anticipate will dominate on the marketing campaign path. And there is additionally these spiking premiums for medical insurance after Congress failed to increase subsidies for Obamacare plans. That is going to seemingly add gas to the fireplace that Congress just isn’t addressing a number of pressing points for American households come November.
FADEL: That is NPR’s Claudia Grisales. Thanks, Claudia.
GRISALES: Thanks.
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