CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
April 26, 2012 – 11:18 p.m.
Cantor’s Legislative Strategy Draws Notice
By Richard E. Cohen, CQ Staff
Majority Leader
Some rank-and-file Republicans acknowledge that the bills Cantor has drafted and managed have not been landmark legislation. But they appreciate a chance to show that the House can do things without triggering bitter partisan standoffs.
While President Obama recently signed one of Cantor’s bills into law, Democratic lawmakers and aides dismiss the majority leader’s agenda as a collection of minor bills and low-hanging fruit.
It is common for a majority leader to determine the timing and general scope of legislation, but the No. 2 Republican in the House has expanded his role to include shaping bills and serving as their chief sponsor.
The Virginia Republican has been out front this month in trying to work out compromises on reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank and renewal of the Violence Against Women Act — two measures that Democrats have put at the top of their legislative agenda and that have divided Republicans. He also has worked closely with multiple committees that drafted a package of cybersecurity bills, the last two of which (
During the past few months, Cantor has steered House Republicans away from a steady diet of legislation appealing to the party’s conservative base but lacking any prospect of enactment, and toward bills that protect the GOP’s standing with business groups and middle-of-the-road voters and have a chance of being signed into law.
The majority leader assembled the six-part “JOBS bill” (PL 112-106) that reduces regulation of businesses and led the drive in the House for tougher insider-trading restrictions on lawmakers and executive branch officials (PL 112-105).
Cantor also helped shape a bill (
Cantor’s aggressive legislative approach may help the GOP majority counter a public perception of a dysfunctional Congress, as evidenced by record low approval ratings in public opinion polls. Cantor’s scorecard may also allow Republicans to point to legislation achieved without the brinkmanship that marked last year’s showdowns on the debt limit and this year’s extension of the payroll tax cut.
But Cantor’s hands-on approach will also renew speculation about his relationship with House Speaker
Up until recently, Cantor took charge when the majority was primarily laying down a marker, while the Speaker stepped in when House Republicans were divided or some accommodation had to be reached with the Democrats and the White House.
“The Speaker has asserted himself on much bigger issues. There is no comparison between the JOBS bill and what [Boehner] did in the debt-ceiling debate,” said
But Boehner’s most recent legislative foray, his proposal to overhaul surface transportation programs, has been largely unsuccessful. House and Senate versions of the bill (
Cantor’s Legislative Strategy Draws Notice
Cantor said he relies heavily on the expertise of committee members and aides in preparing and vetting initiatives. On the business tax cut bill, Cantor worked with members of Ways and Means and Chairman
Leadership Rivalry
The contrast between the hard-driving and ambitious Cantor and the more laid-back Boehner has made at least some tension between the two almost inevitable. Boehner has said repeatedly that the two get along, but he earlier acknowledged conflict between his senior aides and their Cantor counterparts. “There’s been a couple of staff rumbles from time to time,” Boehner said in February. “That’s to be expected when you’re doing big things.”
But staff tensions have apparently not completely faded. A Boehner aide said Cantor’s focus has been on “soft balls, not heavy lifting. . . . Clutch hitting is more important.”
Many House Republicans have applauded Cantor’s work this spring. “Leader Cantor has led the effort to get the House to do its work, and on a bipartisan basis,” said
Rank-and-file lawmakers have noted that recent bills have been relatively limited in scope, especially compared with legislation that involved Republicans in bitter battles last year. But they welcome the opportunity to show voters the GOP majority can advance legislation and reach agreements with Senate Democrats.
“These are not substitutes for comprehensive tax reform” or deficit reduction, Schock said. “That is not going to happen this year. . . . In the meantime, there is nothing wrong with debating current policy.”
Cantor and his aides acknowledge that recent legislative successes have been easier because of the relatively modest reach of the measures. The Republican majority will face a much different situation during a post-election session, when major tax and spending policies will be at stake.
Democrats downplay Cantor’s achievements. Minority Whip
Still, Obama hailed the JOBS bill as “a potential game-changer” for business startups. Cantor stood prominently behind the president during a signing ceremony on April 5.
Their collaboration offered a striking contrast to their relationship last year, particularly when Obama sought a debt limit and deficit deal with GOP leaders.
Cantor’s recent work on an Export Import Bank reauthorization has included an unusual amount of collaboration with Hoyer. Democratic support is essential because many conservative Republicans oppose the export financing entity’s cost and role.
Cantor’s Legislative Strategy Draws Notice
“We have a very positive relationship that is very productive,” Cantor said of his work with Hoyer. In particular, he said the two are “locked arm-in-arm” on issues dealing with Israel. “There are no games played. It’s an open exchange of ideas,” he said.
In an interview, Hoyer pointed to work on the Ex-Im Bank bill as an example of collaborative effort. “From time to time, he has asked for help,” Hoyer said. “Our staffs have worked together in a positive way in some cases. Sometimes, we don’t agree.”
Cantor is the youngest majority leader in more than five decades, and some contend that influences his approach.
“He has come of age in an era when leaders are more hands-on,” said a senior House Republican aide who deals regularly with leadership offices. “This is a different role. That doesn’t make it bad. The notion that a committee needs to originate a bill is no longer valid.”
But others see naked ambition in Cantor’s approach. “He clearly is trying to establish his policy chops,” the Boehner aide said. “Eric wants everything. Now, he wants to make his name as a legislator.”