I had hoped this time last year that, when looking ahead to the 2023 holiday season, we would be celebrating the successful reauthorization of Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program, Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), and Miscellaneous tariff bills (MTB), and maybe even the passage of rail reform legislation. Alas, Congress has once again managed to accomplish so little that it is truly astounding. What Congress is becoming quite good at is kicking the can down the road. Whether it be approving the next fiscal year’s budget to keep the federal government functioning, extending the debt ceiling, or buying more time on some major federal programs (Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Defense authorizations) Capitol Hill has turned into the ultimate procrastinator.
Gone are the years when regular order reigned supreme. In the glory days, the U.S. House and Senate would introduce, consider through the committee process, and ultimately vote on a dozen or so appropriations bills. They would then go to conference committees to hammer out differences and send the bills to the President for signature into law, all before the federal fiscal year ended on September 30! Now, the advent of social media and a 24-7 news cycle has emboldened the extreme wings of both major political parties to be even more polarizing in their beliefs, and tabloids (aka, Fake News, disinformation, or whatever it is called nowadays) essentially dictate public policy decision making on Capitol Hill. Something as simple, justified, and necessary as a CFATS extension can be derailed by one lone member of the Senate for reasons that don’t have anything to do with the legislation itself. That is where we are at with politics here in the Swamp.
I say all of this as we are at a critical juncture in this country’s history. We have a sitting President who is seeking reelection at the age of 81, the standard bearer of the Republican party remains the former President, who is a sprite 77 years old (and facing 91 felony counts in four states), and two Senate leaders who are 81 and 73 years of age respectively. Little has been accomplished under their leadership if you take an objective look at the last several years. This is not meant to be a crack at age, but performance. Experience is important, no doubt. But when does this experience become almost contradictory to meaningful progress on critical issues affecting businesses and everyday Americans? More time is spent on strategy to one-up each other than actual legislating.
While I am certainly not holding my breath that the cycle will break, I remain optimistic that meaningful change will take place with the 2024 election. A year out is still an exceptionally long time with the potential for many, many things to take place that can change a political landscape. However, I am hopeful that however the results shake out, they translate into a better situation than the current state of Capitol Hill. Congress must cease its ineptitude and focus on legitimate legislative actions. Addressing critical issues for America’s small businesses—such as tax, regulatory, and rail reform, and reinstating vital trade and security programs—is crucial for Capitol Hill to steer in a more productive direction.
You must be logged in to post a comment.