If anyone’s ready to turn the page on September, it’s Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). The last few weeks haven’t exactly been kind to the Kentucky senator, who watched his own party set fire to the latest GOP health care repeal, blew millions of dollars on a losing effort in Alabama’s Senate runoff, and got blamed for all of it by Donald Trump. “He’s got his hands full," said Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) in the understatement of the year.

But lately, Republicans are wondering if the party’s fate should be in his hands in the first place. After days of disappointments, voters aren’t the only ones peeved by the Senate leadership’s inability to move the conservative agenda forward. So are some members of Congress. In the House, where leaders have kept up their end of the Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, tax, and budget bargains, "frustrating” doesn’t begin to describe members’ feelings. Despite their differences, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has managed to send key bills to the Senate only to watch them die at the hands of a divided and disorganized caucus. After 10 years as the GOP’s top dog, some Republicans are saying it’s time for McConnell to call it quits.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker (R-NC) didn’t beat around the bush with his criticism, insisting early Friday that it’s in the party’s best interest for the Kentucky senator to retire. “I think he’s a huge part of the problem," the RSC chief told NBC. "There’s a growing consensus that would be very happy if the fine senator from Kentucky called it a career.” McConnell’s counterpart wasn’t as blunt as Walker, but even Speaker Ryan was clear that tensions between the two chambers had hit a boiling point. “We’re really frustrated,” he told reporters. “Look,” he went on, “we passed 373 bills here in the House [and] 270-some are still in the Senate.” No wonder they’re irritated. The House’s pace is blowing past the marks it set in the Obama, Clinton, and both Bush administrations.

On his side of the Capitol, McConnell’s party is circling the wagons. “Mitch is sort of the symbol of our dysfunction,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, “but it’s not about Mitch, it’s about all of us.” Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson (R) pointed out the difficulty of the leader’s job. “It’s hard herding cats. I don’t envy him his task, okay?” Few do. But leaders are chosen to rise above those challenges and unite their party. Sen. McConnell has had a decade as the chamber’s top Republican to prove that he can. I respect McConnell, but there’s no excuse for faltering now — not when the GOP has the keys to Congress and the White House.

The Senate has been a graveyard for almost every promise made to voters. It’s time for a radical overhaul. And if Republicans won’t do it, voters will.

Originally published here.

Trump Courts Conservatives With Solid Judges

Apart from tweets, the only thing this president is cranking out more of is judicial nominees. Thursday, the White House sent its eighth wave of picks to the Senate, shattering the records of his predecessors and giving conservatives something to cheer about after an exasperating month.

When Trump took office, he faced more court vacancies than all but one of the past five administrations. Almost immediately, he set to work, chipping away at the 150 empty seats on the bench. And to voters’ delight, his choices haven’t just been quick but solid. One after another, the nominees have all shared a reverence for the Constitution, a respect for their role, and a commitment to impartiality. Under liberal fire, the handful who’ve had the benefit of a confirmation hearing have faced the Left’s insults with poise.

This bunch will be no different. With four tapped for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Trump is methodically balancing benches that have leaned left for years. Conservatives couldn’t be happier about his choices, which include Louisiana’s former Solicitor General Kyle Duncan and Eastern District Chief Judge Kurt Engelhardt. “Top to bottom, this is an extraordinary list of judicial nominees," said the Judicial Crisis Network’s Carrie Severino. "President Trump continues to hit grand slams in an area that unites and excites Republicans.”

Of course, the president has been very clear about the type of judges that he would appoint: Judges who interpret the Constitution and laws according to the plain meaning of the words written. And that’s exactly who he’s nominating today.

I’ve known Kyle Duncan for years — going back to my time in state government in Louisiana. Kyle is an experienced litigator, arguing cases throughout the country including at the appellate and Supreme Court levels. Apart from being well-qualified, I’m certain he’ll adhere to the Constitution. Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett is another acute legal mind that I worked with during my time as a policymaker in Louisiana, and I was pleased to see him nominated. He’s built a strong reputation for integrity and a devotion to the principles that have made this a great nation.

Obviously, the administration is all-in when it comes to leveling the playing field that Barack Obama tipped with radical, agenda-driven activists. Now that Trump’s done his part, let’s hope Republican senators do theirs and send these nominees on their way to a speedy confirmation.

Originally published here.

Voters Ask White House to Man Up on Mandate

One of the things conservatives love about Donald Trump is that, unlike some Republicans, he doesn’t tiptoe through the tough issues. When the GOP didn’t have the spine to tackle Obama’s transgender military policy, he did it himself. When legislation protecting religious freedom never made it onto the House or Senate floor, the White House issued its own executive order. If Trump could repeal Obamacare himself, he would. But that’s also why some people are left wondering — why hasn’t the White House dealt with the HHS contraceptive mandate with the same grit?

It’s not as if the president hasn’t staked out his position on the issue. Since the early days of the campaign, Trump made himself an ally of pro-lifers, living up to that promise almost every day of his eight months in office. Now, National Review wants to know, where is the follow-through voters are so used to seeing on something as fundamental as our freedom to believe?

“In June," write Melanie Israel and Elizabeth Slattery, "a draft of the interim final rule regarding exemptions to the contraception mandate leaked to media. It indicated that the Trump administration intended to provide a definitive exemption for individuals, employers, and insurers with religious or moral objections to all or some of the onerous mandate. Overall, it seemed to offer an effective defense of religious liberty.

"But then… nothing happened. The interim final rule was never published in the Federal Register. And the Trump administration has continued to defend the HHS mandate in court.

"Every day that individuals, employers, and religious organizations are forced to choose between complying with the mandate or violating their sincere moral or religious beliefs is an affront to the religious liberty of all Americans.

"You don’t have to share the Little Sisters’ beliefs to recognize that the government should not be able to force Americans to set aside their conscience when they step outside the four walls of a church to serve the poor, heal the sick, or educate the next generation.”

Donald Trump has given conservatives very little to complain about where his agenda is concerned. The president’s base understands, like we do, how the Left is blocking his initiatives and nominees, and how the GOP’s weak-kneed leaders are failing to move his priorities through the Senate. But where their patience is wearing thin is in areas like the HHS mandate and the DOJ’s guidance on religious liberty, which fall to the White House — and the White House alone. The president has made good on so many promises. We hope his streak continues on issues as fundamental as these.

Originally published here.

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This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.