Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: 100 Days of Giving Control Back to You

100 Days of Giving Control Back to You
By Rep. Kristi Noem

We’ve just passed President Trump’s 100-day mark.  While that is a relatively short amount of time, it does make for a good opportunity to reflect on the progress so far.

A lot has changed since President Trump moved into the White House.  For one, we’re finally seeing the legislation conservatives have long fought for become law.  Already, I’ve helped pass 29 bills that President Trump has signed – the most for a president’s first 100 days since Truman was elected.

While President Obama used his executive authorities to expand government’s influence over our lives, President Trump has worked with me and other members of Congress to return power to the American people.  For instance, nearly half of the new laws peeled back harmful Obama-era regulations.  Under the previous administration, new regulations promised to increase household costs by thousands of dollars. But through the work we’ve done this year alone, families and businesses are expected to save $67 billion.  This is a new era.

We’ve done much of this through the Congressional Review Act.  While this provision has been used successfully only one time before, I’ve now helped pass more than a dozen Congressional Review Act resolutions that have landed on President Trump’s desk and earned his signature.

In some cases, these regulatory repeals have provided relief for small businesses, energy workers, and retirees.  In others, we’ve protected the most vulnerable among us: the unborn.  One provision in particular gave states the ability to defund abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood.  With President Trump’s signature in mid-April, it’s now the law of the land.  This, along with the successful confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, has offered long-awaited victories for the pro-life movement.

I’ve also been pleased to see some of the efforts that have come directly from the White House. In a state like South Dakota, families earning less than $50,000 per year already spend one-fifth of their after-tax income on energy. Along with other measures, I’ve supported the Keystone Pipeline’s construction to help drive these costs down and promote greater energy independence.  But the Obama administration vetoed our efforts. I was thrilled, however, to see President Trump pick up the mantle and approve the pipeline’s construction.

And much more is in the works.

We’ve gotten further on tax reform in the last few months than others have gotten in the last 30 years.  While we continue to debate smaller details, Congress and the White House are united behind a few key principles: folks ought to be paying less, the tax code needs to be made simpler, and we have to incentivize growth again.

We’ve also made more progress on health care reform in 100 days than President Obama made in 400 days. I remain committed to repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a plan that gives you more freedom and flexibility.

As all this is taking place, we’ve been able to strengthen America’s global posture and better secure our borders.  In fact, in President Trump’s first month alone, illegal border crossings decreased by 40 percent, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

Once again, we’re only 100 days in and already we’ve seen the tides change.  Whether we’re talking about deregulation, energy security, tax reform or health care reform, we’re seeing power flow away from Washington, navigating its way back to the people – where it should have been all along.