Biden’s departure gives congressional Republicans a chance to seize the moment | Opinion

President Joe Biden’s farewell address to the nation was quintessential Biden.

He wove in folksy stories of America’s past. He fumbled his words as he tried to wax poetically about the American Dream. His love of country was on full display. He relied on hyperbole and embellishments to make points. And he didn’t spend much time on accomplishments, although he did take credit for orchestrating a cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, creating jobs and making an unprecedented investment in infrastructure.

The speech was also a dark, apocalyptic warning that felt like it came from a place of anger and bitterness for a president that history may forget.

After 50 years in government, Biden’s legacy is complicated. It was certainly a failed presidency, marked more by what Biden didn’t or couldn’t do than by any of his accomplishments. Despite visible signs of mental decline and questions about his ability to perform his duties, Biden clung to power too long. He bears much of the blame for the staggering losses the Democratic Party suffered in November, losses that transcended the White House.

In 2020, Biden saw himself as a bridge to the next generation of Democrats. Instead, Biden will be a bridge between two Donald Trump presidencies, the second a historic return to power.

On Biden’s watch, America endured a border crisis, high inflation and a dismantling of institutions and norms that make us uniquely American. Look no further than the U.S. Senate confirmation hearings that have become useless as a vetting process or a check on presidential power. Americans have concerns about the qualifications of some of Donald Trump’s nominees, and both Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats are failing the American people.

Pete Hegseth, for example, is an unconventional choice for Defense Secretary. Serving in the military, running nonprofits and being on TV does not automatically qualify Hegseth to run the largest agency in the federal government — overseeing a budget of $842 billion and 3.4 million service members and civilians. That’s more people than the population of 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Instead of asking Hegseth about his qualifications or how he would lead the Pentagon, Senate Democrats chose to focus their time delivering mindless monologues, asking accusatory “yes or no” questions or delving into salacious allegations of infidelity and excessive drinking.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the Democrats who embarrassed themselves during the confirmation hearings. Senate Republicans spent most of their time fawning over Hegseth and asking tough questions like “How many pushups can you do?”

These are not serious people who take their role of “advice and consent” seriously.

That’s not to say Hegseth isn’t capable of doing the job, but the confirmation hearings provided no answers and offered zero insight.

Senators should have used their time to ask real questions about the nominee’s plans to transform the Department of Defense, not to try to score cheap political points intended for the next fundraising appeal.

Confirmation hearings have become nothing more than political theater. Once an essential component of the system of checks and balances, Congress now functions as little more than a lapdog for the presidency. And that remains as much a part of Biden’s legacy as any of his achievements over his five decades in office.

The Republicans now in power shouldn’t let this become part of their legacy, too.

Republicans in Congress should commit to seizing back constitutional power and to a return to conservatism. They can start by rejecting the “one big, beautiful bill” that Trump has called for.

For decades, we demanded standalone legislation that could be debated on its merits. Republicans should bring up immigration reform, debate it and pass a bill that would actually address the problem. Let the Democrats oppose it. Republicans have the American people on their side. Then Republicans should follow the same steps with domestic energy and taxes.

GOP leaders should let Americans see them in action. They should show the nation what it means to govern in a truly conservative way and take things out of the smoke-filled backrooms of Washington and shine the light of transparency on government, inviting all Americans to look in.

This story was originally published January 16, 2025 at 12:17 PM.