As I write this nearly 8-months into President Trump’s term, I continue to scratch my head wondering why so little progress has been made between his administration and leaders of both political parties on Capitol Hill. In talking with NACD members, most are equally frustrated with the lack of progress. Many support a number of the President’s top initiatives but wince at how his social media discourse has denigrated the legislative process when addressing these issues. While the president has done a commendable job of reducing the bureaucracy, especially at EPA under Administrator Pruitt, little has been accomplished the first three quarters this year legislatively. And that is not good at all.
Most new presidents are able to achieve at least a few legislative victories their first few months on the job. And with Republicans controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress, one would think that more could have been done. But now, with the 2018 midterm elections only 14-months away, Congress has its work cut out for itself. Sadly, it takes natural disasters in the form of Hurricane Harvey and the likely devastation that will be caused by Hurricane Irma to act. Yesterday, the House approved nearly $8-billion in disaster relief from Hurricane Harvey and avoided a government shutdown by keeping the federal government operating through mid-December. As part of this package, the House also approved a 3-month extension on the debt ceiling so the country does not default on its bills. This all being said, short-term patches on the debt ceiling and the budget will still need to be addressed this year. And with other large measures that were part of President Trump’s platform still lingering to gain Congressional consensus, one must wonder if the window of opportunity has passed.
After a couple of tries, health care reform now appears dead for the time being. Folks on the Hill and media outlets keep swearing that meaningful tax reform will be pass before year’s end. Infrastructure spending, which some believe could be attached to a tax bill, had its moment of glory over the summer and now is fading faster than Hunter Harrison’s likely term as CSX President & CEO. And regulatory reform, while making in-roads within the administration by streamlining the bureaucracy, is still lacking enough support in the Senate to pass.
While the legislative process grinds ever slowly, the time is now for NACD members to act on securing support for regulatory reform and continuing efforts to grow the Congressional Chemistry Caucuses.
And in light of these developments, I’m asking all of our members to complete our Regulatory Survey by September 13. We do this review every few years to ensure we have our regulatory efforts calibrated to address those concerns important to our members.