Tom Petri, November 8, 2002

Now that control of the U.S. Senate has changed hands, we can expect gridlock to be broken and many of the President's initiatives – previously approved by the House – finally to be signed into law.

Of course, nothing will be automatic. Senate rules allow a determined minority to stop legislation if it can muster the support of 41 out of the 100 senators. That's a good thing because it encourages compromise and an end result that's closer to the middle of the road. But no longer will a hostile majority be able to block President Bush and the House majority simply by refusing to consider their proposals.

President Bush has made it clear that his first priority is to get the Senate to pass legislation to create the Department of Homeland Security. I'm not convinced that this major reorganization is necessary, but since it's such a high priority of the Administration, it's certainly time to have a vote and settle the issue.

The President is preparing an economic stimulus bill and an ambitious plan to simplify the tax code. The changes in the Senate mean that we can expect a vigorous debate and timely votes instead of having proposals blocked by hostile committee chairmen who cut off discussion.

The highly successful 1996 welfare changes are about to expire, but although the House has already approved an extension, the Senate has been stalling with the intention of rolling back some of the requirements which have helped to move recipients back into the world of work. With the new Senate leadership, welfare reform will continue.

The House approved prescription drug coverage earlier this year, but the Senate blocked it, with the old leaders charging that the House plan wasn't generous enough and taking the position that it's better to have no loaf rather than half a loaf. Now, finally, we can expect help for those who need it most.

For the President, a key change will be that his judicial nominees will get proper consideration. The old Senate leaders had blocked highly qualified nominees, often refusing even to hold hearings in the Judiciary Committee on the President's recommendations. Now, at last, the nominees will get a vote on the Senate floor.

Of course, the changes in Washington have, to some extent, been mirrored in Madison. With the Republican majority having been restored in the State Senate, a major source of gridlock and obstruction has been removed.

I am very sorry that my old friend Scott McCallum has been turned out of the Governor's office. He would have gotten a fairer deal if he hadn't inherited a struggling state economy and if there hadn't been a third party spoiler in the race. But Governor-Elect Doyle is promising to work with the legislature, and I'm eager to work with him as well as we try to make sensible policy decisions and bring a fair share of federal resources to our state.

Tom Petri represents Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.