How blue state Republicans could shape Congressional legislation this year
How blue state Republicans could shape Congressional legislation this year
In the hurly burly of recent weeks, you may have forgotten that there’s more to U.S. government than just the executive branch. But Congress will be busy trying to deal with the federal debt ceiling and, in the coming months, deciding whether to extend the tax cuts from the first Donald Trump administration.
Republicans have very narrow majorities and, in the House of Representatives, a subset of conservative lawmakers from liberal states might be inclined to throw their weight around — call them “blue state” Republicans.
Marketplace senior Washington Correspondent Kimberly Adams has been following this and joined “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio to discuss more. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.
David Brancaccio: So how big of a group are we talking about here?
Kimberly Adams: So this is like the handful of Republicans holding districts in these pretty solidly blue states like California, New Jersey and New York. And in just those three states, for example — which have altogether 90 seats in the House — just 19 of them are held by Republicans. But with just a three-seat advantage and two vacancies in the House, Republicans have this tiny majority. So even if just four or five of these blue state Republicans dig in on a particular issue, it’s going to matter.
Brancaccio: I mean, broad brush: How does that group’s concerns differ from those of the more broader GOP majority?
Adams: A lot of it is aligned, but because many of these folks are representing districts where the general priorities of many of their constituents in these blue states may clash with those of their party — especially in terms of economic policy, where maybe the House GOP is eyeing spending cuts that would hurt these Republican districts in blue states. Jennifer Victor teaches political science at George Mason University.
Jennifer Victor: When you’re in the majority, often the concern not becomes so much about being a deficit hawk or a debt hawk, but it’s more about delivering goods or benefits back to the constituents.
Brancaccio: All right, so let’s get specific on some policies where this group would be likely to want to have its concerns addressed.
Adams: The big one is tax policy, really — in particularly the State and Local Tax deduction, or SALT. The cap on SALT, that deduction, was rolled back to $10,000 in the 2017 tax law, and that really hurt a lot of folks in blue states, including in those Republican districts. Republican congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis represents parts of New York City, and she says SALT is a top priority for her and other blue state Republicans.
Nicole Malliotakis: I think we are in a position, because of our number, that we can get some relief. And I don’t know what it may be, the exact number just yet, but it will be better than what we have today.
Adams: And it will really only take a couple of them digging in to change the law.
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