Editorial: Uncertainty from a GOP Congress

National midterm elections will change the composition of the U.S. House and Senate and lead to a shift in national priorities. That much can be said with certainty, though the extent of the change won’t become fully apparent for some time.

The overall balance of power within the Senate won’t be immediately known due to too-close-to-call races — but indications are that a Republican majority will gain control of the House, albeit not via the dramatic “red wave” that had been forecast pre-election.

Still, the impact on federal dollars for programs favored by “blue states” such as Hawaii will be meaningful. The expectation that Democrats would lose seats during Tuesday’s midterms surely fueled President Joe Biden’s press to get both his $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and $737 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed during his first two years.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funnels federal funds into nationwide broadband access, clean water and electric grid renewal, transportation and road projects.

The IRA pumps out unprecedented spending on programs to reduce fossil fuel consumption and carbon pollution while holding back the worst effects of global warming and climate change. It also includes three years of Affordable Care Act subsidies, opens the path to prescription drug reform to lower prices, and funds tax reform. And the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, in the Department of the Interior, is poised to distribute $23.5 million for climate resilience actions that specifically benefit Native Hawaiians.

A Republican majority in either chamber will likely work to block any further action on Democratic-platform promises to change laws and regulations affecting climate change, voting rights or abortion access. A child tax credit and funding for universal pre-kindergarten, once on Biden’s agenda, are not going to get traction with Republicans, and so are dead, said U.S. Rep. Ed Case, who on Tuesday won reelection to Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District.

In other words, expect a fair amount of national gridlock, as was experienced during the second term of President Barack Obama.

While braking on promising societal policies might be difficult for ohana-minded Hawaii, it’s also important to recognize that the current Congress will be working over the next seven weeks to finalize appropriations for 2023 before wrapping. For instance, additional funding for the Red Hill fuel cleanup, to the tune of $1.1 billion, is in play as Congress finalizes domestic and military budgets.

Nationwide, many Republican candidates with extreme views failed to win voters’ confidence. However, voters also sent Democrats a message: They are unhappy with the high cost of gas and energy, untamed inflation and rising levels of violent crime.

Serving in a split Congress requires a sharpened focus on “working alliances,” and finding common areas of focus, Case noted, as well as close attention to the most pressing needs of constituents. “I’ve been here before,” he said, about being a member of the minority party in the U.S. House.

Nevertheless, there is still some possibility of bipartisan action, still some common ground to be stirred.

Optimistic observers note that several of Biden’s major legislative achievements have included some Republican support: notably, the infrastructure law and a gun safety package.

Moving forward with government action that meets expectations of “the mainstream of America, without this lurching to the extremes,” Case said, is where progress can be made. It will benefit Hawaii if our delegation can work to find this common ground. Actions that boost small business, repair environmental degradation and support family well-being could win approval from enough Republicans and Democrats alike to move forward.