Joe Pitts, November 8, 2002

If there was one powerful message sent in this election by the voters to Washington it is that they are tired of gridlock. At a time of war and a troubled economy, the American people are tired of a Congress that can’t seem to get anything done. We have a President who is capable, trusted, and honest. He has a vision for the country that the people agree with, but which the Democratic Senate was intent on stopping. Tired of partisanship and gridlock, the voters decided to give Republicans a shot at getting things done.

When President Bush came into office, his priorities were education, the economy, and a stronger military. He declared his intention to fix our schools and "leave no child behind. He ur"ged Congress to allow America’s families to keep more of our own money, which he was sure would lead to economic growth. The drastic downsizing of our military during the ’90s had endangered our preparedness, something he wanted to reverse.

A summer of two-dollar-per-gallon gas prices inspired the President to put the Vice President in charge of devising America’s first comprehensive energy policy. We are too dependent on foreign oil, too unengaged in research and development of alternative fuels, and too far behind in improving efficiency and conservation.

He also believed strongly that government should stop discriminating against faith-based organizations when it came to contracting for social services. Faith-based groups have proven themselves to be remarkably effective in fighting poverty, addiction, and homelessness – particularly when compared with government agencies that can only treat the needy as consumers in need of more goods and services.

The President wanted to modernize Medicare by adding a voluntary prescription drug benefit for seniors who couldn’t keep up with the high cost of medicines.

September 11th caused an expanded Bush agenda. Defense and intelligence spending had to increase. Wiretap and other domestic intelligence laws had to be modernized. A new Department of Homeland Security was needed to streamline the operation of dozens of agencies responsible for keeping America safe.

Only a small proportion of this agenda was implemented. Tax relief was achieved during the first four months of the Bush Administration – before Senator Jeffords switched parties and gave control of the Senate to the Democrats. The Education bill was torn to bits and passed only after all its best provisions had been removed. Wiretap modernization and emergency defense spending were passed only because the Senate couldn’t politically afford to block them.

Almost everything else remains on the table. Seniors still can’t afford their medicine. America still imports the vast majority of its fuel. The most effective social service agencies are prevented from participating in the government’s efforts to aid the hungry, homeless, and lost. We still don’t have a Department of Homeland Security. And there is an alarming number of empty federal judgeships.

The President and the House have worked strenuously for two years to address each of these issues. The Senate has consistently worked to block our efforts, concerned that success would make Republicans look effective. The Senate’s insistence on stringent work rules for the new Department of Homeland Security made the Democratic Party look like a wholly-owned subsidiary of the AFL-CIO. Pro-abortion extremists blocked the vast majority of the President’s nominees to federal benches, consistently blind to those nominees’ fairness, objectivity, and restraint.

The voters had nearly two years to watch this, and grew disgusted. A time of war and economic weakness is no time for partisan shenanigans. The President, by contrast, was ready and willing to lead. The House has stood by him, and earned its own measure of trust for passing the bills that were so important to the American people.

While Democrats can still impede progress in the Senate through filibusters, holds, and other tactics, Republicans are once again in the driver’s seat. The American people have given the GOP a chance to lead. We have not had a similar chance since the first years of the Eisenhower Administration. I have no doubt that the Republican Party will rise to the occasion.

Congressman Joe Pitts is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.