Republicans on Capitol Hill are laying the groundwork to advance an ambitious agenda with President-elect Donald Trump if they take full control of Washington next January — a rare GOP trifecta that party leaders believe is now within reach.
And this time they will be ready to use it.
Their goal is to quickly begin crafting large parts of the Trump administration’s agenda, starting with a large economic package focused on taxes, energy policy, border security and deregulation, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
GOP leaders have been dreaming of another big tax package, with several tax provisions set to expire at the end of 2025.
Also on the table: That would likely undo parts of President Joe Biden’s signature inflation-reducing law, a sweeping economic and climate bill that Democrats passed when they formed unified government earlier in Biden’s term, a source familiar with the discussions told CNN.
Republicans also see an opportunity for other big-ticket items such as the House GOP’s hardline immigration proposals, which have stalled since passing in the House last year as Senate Democrats and Biden’s White House strongly opposed the plan.
He remembers: With Republicans winning control of the Senate, implementing Trump’s agenda will depend on whether the Republican Party maintains the majority in the House of Representatives. CNN has not yet provided any predictions about the battle for control of the House of Representatives. But key captures in Pennsylvania and Michigan have party leaders hopeful a complete sweep is on the horizon and top Republicans feel confident they will retain their slim majority.
Even under unified GOP control, there will be challenges for Republicans. One issue is political calculations: House Republicans believe that if they maintain the majority, it won’t be much. Mike Johnson – who is expected to retain his position as council president – will have only a few votes. Their current narrow majority also suffers from divisions and barriers.
Read more about Republican agenda.
CNN’s Dania Gaynor contributed to this report.
