Following the latest election, Republicans have won control of the presidency and both chambers of Congress, setting the stage for sweeping changes in federal policy.
On November 5th, the United States elections saw the Republican presidential nominee and former president Donald Trump elected to become the next president of the United States. Republicans have subsequently secured control of the Congress of the United States, solidifying their influence over the federal government. As of the latest election results, Republicans have secured a majority in both chambers of Congress, with 218 seats in the House so far and 53 seats in the Senate.
With unified government control, Republicans now have the opportunity to pursue their agenda on economic reform, healthcare, immigration and other pressing issues.
Republicans have outlined a range of priorities they plan to pursue in Congress. In October, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson presented a policy agenda while looking upon Republican control, emphasizing five key areas.
Johnson advocated for extending and expanding the tax cuts implemented during Donald Trump’s first term as President, aiming to create a simpler and fairer tax code that supports American workers and businesses. The GOP has been vocal about its intent to build on previous tax cuts, asserting that these changes will drive economic growth and strengthen American businesses. Johnson stated that Republican tax policies would “respect the dignity of work” and avoid “paying people more for staying out of the workforce.”
Johnson’s agenda also emphasized energy production. According to Johnson, Republicans plan to roll back environmental regulations to increase domestic energy output. The 2024 GOP platform supports deregulation and incentives for traditional energy sources like coal, oil and natural gas, along with some renewable resources.
Johnson proposed reducing the size of the federal workforce and eliminating non-essential federal jobs to decrease government spending and increase efficiency.
He stated, “We’re going to reduce the size of the federal workforce and root out a long list of non-essential jobs throughout the federal bureaucracy.”
Before the election, the Republican Party advocated for shrinking the federal workforce as part of its broader agenda to streamline government operations and reduce federal spending.
Among the other key policies Johnson outlined were expanding school choice to give parents more options in selecting educational institutions for their children. Furthermore, the GOP has outlined additional policy areas they intend to pursue, including empowering law enforcement and strengthening gun rights laws.
President-elect Donald Trump has also been vocal about a sweeping agenda for his second term in the White House, aiming to reshape U.S. domestic and foreign policies.
Trump proposed a sweeping immigration overhaul, the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history. This involves utilizing the National Guard and local police forces to remove undocumented immigrants. He also advocates for “ideological screenings” for immigrants and the end of birthright citizenship. The President-elect has already stated that he will enact the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798 to grant clearance to Tom Homan, who served as the former acting director of ICE from Jan. 2017 to Aug. 2018 and Trump’s nominee for the position of “border-czar” to move forward with this proposal.
Trump aims to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in government institutions and eliminate federal protections for transgender rights, such as ending Title IX protections for transgender students and submitting a request to the US Government to establish that in the eyes of the US Government, there are only two genders.
Trump’s economic agenda centers on reducing taxes, primarily benefiting corporations and the wealthy by cutting the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15% and rolling back Biden’s tax hikes. He also proposes tax exemptions for working-class Americans, such as exempting overtime wages and tips from income taxes. On trade, Trump seeks to reinstate tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods as well as an additional “tariffs of 60% to 100% on goods brought in from China”, reinforcing a protectionist stance that aims to reduce reliance on foreign markets.
In education, Trump aims to eliminate the Department of Education and pressure K-12 schools to abolish tenure, implement merit-based pay for teachers and ban Critical Race Theory programs. While committed to repealing the Affordable Care Act, he has yet to propose a replacement. Trump has promised to protect Social Security and Medicare, though his tax policies could reduce funding for these programs if certain wages are exempt from payroll taxes.
He proposes expanding the military, increasing defense spending, and implementing a missile defense shield. Trump advocates for a non-interventionist approach to global conflicts, claiming he could end wars like those ongoing in Ukraine and Palestine, though without providing details.
With Republicans now in control of both Congress and the executive branch, the coming months will determine the direction they pursue for the country. This unified control provides them the opportunity to implement substantial changes.
