The Trump agenda officially begins being implemented this week.
The new Congress is being sworn in Tuesday, and Republicans will get to work on the broad, sweeping agenda that propelled Donald Trump into the White House and kept the House and Senate in GOP hands.
Top priorities for the 115th Congress include repealing President Obama’s health-care law, confirming President-elect Trump’s Cabinet selections, confirming a new Supreme Court justice, passing a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill, reforming the complex tax code, and reversing perceived regulatory overreach that became a signature of the outgoing administration.
The first action is expected to be the repeal of ObamaCare, something the Republican-held Congress has done before — but this time, they’ll have a president eager to sign the legislation.
The more difficult task for lawmakers will be developing a replacement plan. So far, there is no consensus on what that should be — and members fear disruption of the current system.
The top Democrat in the House, Nancy Pelosi of California, has blasted the Republican strategy of repealing the health law without passing a replacement as “an act of cowardice.”
Although Trump won’t take office until Jan. 20, senators will begin the vetting and confirmation process on those Cabinet members he has announced he intends to nominate.
Both Republican leaders in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and House Speaker Paul Ryanv (Wis.), are keen on overhauling the entire tax code, too. The goal would be too simplify the code and lower tax rates — both things Trump has signaled he’ll support.