President Trump and Congressional Republicans: Uncertain Teamwork in the 115th Congress

Kathryn Pearson

doi:10.1515/for-2017-0033

Article

President Trump and Congressional Republicans: Uncertain Teamwork in the 115th Congress

Kathryn Pearson
Kathryn Pearson is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota specializing in American politics; her research focuses on the United States Congress, political parties, elections, and women and politics. Her research has recently appeared in The Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly, and Politics & Gender, and she has published several book chapters. She is the author of Party Discipline in the House of Representatives, published in 2015 by the University of Michigan Press.

Published/Copyright: November 7, 2017

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From the journal The Forum Volume 15 Issue 3

Abstract

To what extent have Republicans in Congress unified to work with President Trump, and what are the prospects for unity going forward? These questions are not as straightforward as they may seem given that the President is not deeply engaged in the policymaking process, he often reverses his positions, and he is prone to criticizing his most important partners in governing – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan – eroding trust among members of his own party and diminishing Republicans’ prospects for passing their legislative priorities. In this analysis, I assess President Trump’s relationship with Republicans in the House and Senate; internal unity and divisions among Republicans; Republicans’ lack of success in enacting significant policy priorities prior to the August recess; the limited (but potentially growing) prospects for bipartisan cooperation; and the outlook for the remainder of the 115th Congress.

About the author

Kathryn Pearson

Kathryn Pearson is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota specializing in American politics; her research focuses on the United States Congress, political parties, elections, and women and politics. Her research has recently appeared in The Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly, and Politics & Gender, and she has published several book chapters. She is the author of Party Discipline in the House of Representatives, published in 2015 by the University of Michigan Press.

Published Online: 2017-11-7

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https://doi.org/10.1515/for-2017-0033