'I really can't point to much': Republicans admit they got little accomplished in Congress

Republican lawmakers admitted 2025 was a legislative wasteland, with Congress setting a modern record for lowest output in a president's first year, but some attributed their inaction to a simple explanation: President Donald Trump did much of their work for them through executive orders.

With fewer than 40 bills signed into law, the House and Senate managed historically low productivity, reported the Washington Post. The House cast just 362 votes — barely half the number from 2017, Trump's first year, when Republicans also held the majority. Meanwhile, nearly 60 percent of Senate votes focused on confirming Trump's nominees rather than passing legislation.

Rep. David Joyce (R-OH), a 13-year veteran lawmaker, captured the sentiment succinctly: "I guess we got the big, beautiful bill done. Other than that, I really can't point to much that we got accomplished."

The problem, according to some Republicans, was Trump's reliance on executive orders rather than legislative action. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) gave Congress an "incomplete" grade, noting that Trump signed more executive orders in 11 months than during his entire first term.

"He has signed every executive order he could possibly think of on this," Hawley said. "There just comes a point at which it's like, Congress sooner or later has to legislate."

Trump issued more than 70 percent of the combined 12-year total of executive orders from the Barack Obama and Joe Biden presidencies, according to former House parliamentarian Thomas Wickham. This shift has fundamentally altered the balance of power between branches — all numbers indicating healthy congressional productivity are declining, while presidential power expands.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) defended Trump's approach, invoking the president's March address: "He said people said you needed a new law to secure the border. Turns out all you needed was a new president."

However, this approach created significant challenges. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) repeatedly shuttered the House due to gridlock, including a seven-week closure that contributed to a 43-day government shutdown. Republicans never developed a coherent health care strategy, leaving the party divided heading into 2026 as expiring tax credits loomed.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), serving since 1997, noted unprecedented divisiveness, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) warned of ballooning debt after Republicans raised the ceiling by $5 trillion in a single vote.

The practical consequence: Congress ceded authority to the executive branch, reducing its own relevance and legislative capacity while establishing a troubling precedent for future administrations.