If you’re not disgusted with Congress, you aren’t paying attention.
The pettiness, the polarization and the vicious partisan tribalism have taken a system that admittedly had flaws but at least functioned and turned it into a stagnant cesspool.
Time and again, Congress has failed at its most basic responsibility, passing a budget, and instead falls back on slapdash continuing resolutions cobbled together just in time to avoid government shutdowns — except when they don’t.
So it’s surprising — astonishing, even — to see Sen. Mitt Romney and a bipartisan group of 19 other senators actually able to pull off the unimaginable and put together a plan to make a much-needed investment in our long-neglected infrastructure.
“I’m pretty proud of the fact we’ve worked on a bipartisan basis and we’re going to try to get some infrastructure spending where it’s needed most in the state,” Romney told the Salt Lake Chamber this week. “The broadband, the electricity, the upgrade of our bridges and roads, I think people recognize that would be a big plus. I’d like to see our light rail continue to be expanded and I’d like to see a way to get over to the West Valley.”
This infrastructure package is something that President Donald Trump promised to tackle for years, but never delivered. On Tuesday, he issued a statement blasting the “RINOs” — Republicans In Name Only — who he said were dupes being taken advantage of and getting nothing.
But — assuming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn’t blow up the deal in the House (which remains a possibility — they are getting something: No tax increase, something they felt strongly about, and a trillion dollars in upgrades to a dilapidated infrastructure.
Recently, the American Society of Civil Engineers assessed the various components of the U.S. infrastructure system and gave it an overall grade of C-, ranging from a B grade for rail networks to a D- for transit.
Utah fared slightly better, with a C+ overall and grades ranging from B+ for roads, bridges and transit to a D+ for canals and a D- for levees.
And a healthy investment in rural broadband and housing could elevate Utah’s rural economies that haven’t shared in our economic growth.
Romney said everyone made concessions. He would have liked to see less spent on Amtrak, he said, but it was a priority for Democrats, who, in turn, made concessions on Republican priorities.
“That’s the nature of trying to get things done, and in a country like ours that woefully needs to improve our infrastructure to be competitive,” he said, “we have to compromise.”
The point being two-fold: That this investment will be a huge help to states and communities and somehow it appears Congress will get it done.
It also might just serve as a model for other needs, one we’ve seen tried in the past. During Sen. John McCain’s years various “Gangs” of senators tried to broker deals from the middle on topics like immigration and judicial appointments (obviously with varying degrees of success).
This new “Gang of 20,” if they are able to stick together, could pose the best chance for actually making some measure of progress on some of the most pressing issues that have gone unaddressed for too long.
That includes climate change, which is where Rep. John Curtis enters the chat.
Curtis is spearheading the Conservative Climate Caucus, a group of 50 Republicans that he hopes will move the GOP beyond its antiquated climate-denying past and start embracing some actual policy solutions.
Now, if you look at the roster of members in Curtis’ caucus — people like Reps. Burgess Owens and Chris Stewart — and roll your eyes, you’re not alone in your skepticism. They are not exactly visionaries when it comes to climate, nor have they proven themselves willing to try to find middle-ground solutions.
Owens is more likely to look at a compromise and see an evil communist conspiracy to overthrow God and America. That’s his style.
And Curtis has been talking about climate since he got elected, without much to show for it. I’m not talking Green New Deal, there’s not even a Beige Old Deal.
But if — and it’s a sizable “if” — Curtis can bring a handful of Republicans to the table, there might finally be an opportunity to do something to begin to address the peril we’re facing. And something would be better than nothing.
What’s more, if these efforts — either by Romney or Curtis or whoever else — can yield some success, they have the potential to build trust among members, something woefully lacking in today’s Washington, and the potential that small first steps can lead to bigger strides down the road.
Romney, for example, is working with West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on minimum wage reform. Republican Sen. Jon Cornyn of Texas and Illinois Democrat Richard Durbin are working on an immigration package. And South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker are trying to hammer out police reform.
“This sends a message that America works. Democracy works. We can get stuff done,” Romney said. “The question is this: Would we rather not do anything and be able to come home and say, ‘I fought against this and I fought against that and I stopped this and I stopped that,’ or would people like us to solve problems?
“I’m on the solve problems front,” he said.
If there are enough who share that view, maybe — just maybe — we might see Congress at least start to move toward being the kind of government we deserve.
