Trump and the Lazy Congress

The contrast in urgency is hard to ignore

I’m not here to mince words. I avoided reading tea leaves and speculating on what will happen. I have stayed optimistic. I’m a college-educated MAGA voter, and I’m still happy about President Trump’s second term. The man’s a whirlwind, a force of nature, delivering on campaign promises with executive orders and administrative actions that I expected and some I did not even dream about seeing happen. All through executive orders. In comparison, you’ve got Congressional Republicans, moving with no sense of urgency, dragging their feet on bills that should’ve been on Trump’s desk yesterday. I’m optimistic, but hedging my bets. The GOP’s got the right ideas, and they’re working on a massive reconciliation bill to push Trump’s America First agenda. Great yet… it is impossible to not see the contrast between Trump’s breakneck pace and Congress’s leisurely stroll is enough to make any patriot impatient.

First off, Trump’s not wasting a second. As always, he campaigned on border security, deregulation, energy independence, and now deportations, and he’s already hitting the ground running. The nation saw how his administration’s already issuing executive orders to ramp up deportations, tighten border controls, and slash red tape that’s been choking American businesses. The Department of Homeland Security is moving fast to expand detention facilities and hire more ICE agents. Tom Homan, who resembles ye olde English sheriff, is out there promising 100,000 detention beds and a border wall (construction is happening). This is what we voted for. Trump is even going after Harvard, which was not on the ballot but I am pleased to see. Trump’s core team is like a well-oiled machine, churning out policy wins while the ink’s still wet on the last EO. All of the prep work paid off for a fast first 100 days.

Compare that to Congressional Republicans. They have a trifecta with unified control of the House, Senate, and White House for the first time since 2017, and they are still bickering over details like it’s a polisci seminar. Sen. Rand Paul s even doing his goofball libertarian routine as if we did not just see a mask-off Democrat administration under Biden. The House GOP is working on a big reconciliation bill. Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” as he calls it, and it’s supposed to be the key to unlocking his agenda. According to media reports and leaks, this package includes $46.5 billion for border wall construction, $45 billion for new detention centers, and 10,000 new ICE officers to handle millions of deportations. The cavalry is coming, but it needs to be funded. They are leaning into tech advances so it is not just wall materials. It allegedly includes billions for border surveillance tech, like drones and tunnel detection, plus sops to the military industrial complex and an extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts. This is the basic stuff they need to deliver on for the coalition.

The Senate’s not as big of a problem. They passed a budget resolution in February, with billions for immigration enforcement and border security, plus billions for the military. It’s a solid start, and Senator Thune’s been vocal about getting this to Trump’s desk fast. The reconciliation process is the procedural trick. Republicans can bypass the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster and push it through with a simple majority. Problem is the House and Senate agreeing on approach. The House and Senate can’t seem to get on the same page. The House wants one massive bill covering everything while the Senate’s flirting with splitting it into two. Trump’s made it clear he wants his BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, and just get it done. Stop overcomplicating it. Get it to reconciliation. If Obama, Reid and Pelosi could manipulate procedures to use reconciliation for Obamacare, so can you.

Speaker Mike Johnson’s aiming for a vote before Memorial Day, but that’s ambitious when you’ve got fiscal hawks demanding deeper cuts and moderates whining about Medicaid. Going after Medicaid, while noble and yes, we all know about fraud, is a rather dumb move right now. Congress is a beast. You’ve got 435 egos in the House, 100 in the Senate, and everyone’s got their pet projects and concerns about midterms. The reconciliation process isn’t a perfect loophole. It’s got rules that limit what you can include. We know Democrats will fight this to show something to their demoralized base. Democrats will challenge every line they can with the Senate parliamentarian.

Numbers are an issue. It is unavoidable since holding the House was a miracle. The House’s razor-thin majority means one or two holdouts can tank the whole thing (go ahead Rep. Massie, stand on those principles). But Trump’s out there making things happen with executive power while Congress is still thinking it’s 2014.

The contrast is stark. Trump’s using every tool in his toolbox. It really is his team that he drafted these executive orders, agency memos, and even pressure on Mexico to crack down on illegal crossings. This has caused the plummet in crossings at the border. Despite this urgent vibe, Congress is stuck in the mud, debating whether to fund 700 miles of border wall or 900. Just build the wall. There's always some principled fool who does not realize how late the hour is. Too many Republicans are playing principled perfectionists when Trump needs them to be sharp pragmatists.

This is a now decade old issue. Trump is moving to where the puck is going and what the future risks are, while the GOP in stuck in Tea Party mode. That moment is gone. Trump’s proving he’s a man of action, keeping promises to Make America Great Again. Congressional Republicans say they have the same goals, but they’re moving like they’ve got all the time in the world. They don’t. The American people gave him a mandate, and every day they dawdle is a day we’re not fully executing Trump’s vision. The truth Congress does not want to admit is that voters like him and despise them. I’m a little impatient because I know what’s at stake: a secure border, a booming economy, and a government that does not fight, harass, jail and target Americans.

So, to Republicans in Congress: quit the infighting, align your budget resolutions, and get that reconciliation bill to Trump’s desk. The man’s ready to sign it, and we’re tired of tapping our feet waiting for you all to deliver. Let’s move with a little of Trump's energy. America’s watching, and we’re counting on you to keep up with our President.