As the first year of the 119th Congress draws to a close, House Republicans are pointing to an aggressive legislative record they say advances President Donald Trump’s America First agenda, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., highlighting a slate of bills aimed at border security, public safety, energy production, tax relief, and regulatory rollback.
In a statement released this week, Scalise said House Republicans spent the year working “closely with President Trump and his administration” to deliver on campaign promises to boost the economy, secure the border, lower costs, and rein in what they describe as government waste and overreach.
“During the first year of the 119th Congress, House Republicans worked closely with President Trump and his administration to fulfill our promises,” Scalise said, pointing to legislation codifying 70 of Trump’s executive orders and 61 bills signed into law. Among those were 22 Congressional Review Act resolutions — the most approved by any Congress — used to overturn Biden-era regulations Republicans argue drove up costs and constrained domestic production.
A centerpiece of the year was passage of the Working Families Tax Cut, which Scalise called the largest tax cut in U.S. history. The bill expanded the Child Tax Credit for more than 40 million families, created deductions to offset taxes for most Social Security recipients, eliminated taxes on tips and overtime, and included more than $1 trillion in spending reductions. Republicans also touted the Rescissions Act of 2025, which clawed back $9 billion in what they labeled wasteful spending, including funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and certain foreign aid programs.
Public safety and border enforcement dominated much of the House’s agenda. Lawmakers passed a series of bills tightening immigration enforcement, increasing penalties for illegal entry and reentry, expanding detention requirements, and giving states new authority to sue the federal government over border enforcement. Measures like the Laken Riley Act and the HALT Fentanyl Act, both of which became law, were framed by Republicans as responses to violent crime and the fentanyl epidemic.
House Republicans also moved to assert congressional authority over Washington, D.C., approving multiple bills to reverse local crime policies, lower the age thresholds for serious offenses, expand police authority, and require stricter pretrial detention rules for violent crimes. Party leaders argued the measures were necessary to restore safety in the nation’s capital.
Energy policy was another major focus. The House passed a sweeping package of bills aimed at expanding oil, gas, coal, and nuclear production; streamlining federal permitting; and reversing land-use and environmental rules adopted under the Biden administration. Several resolutions nullifying Bureau of Land Management and Environmental Protection Agency regulations were signed into law, including measures affecting energy development in Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota. Republicans said the changes would strengthen energy independence, lower household costs, and support job growth.
Beyond energy and crime, the House advanced legislation addressing online safety, national defense, veterans’ benefits, election security, digital assets, and consumer choice. Bipartisan bills included measures to combat nonconsensual explicit images online, boost veterans’ benefits to keep pace with inflation, and crack down on pandemic-era fraud. Other legislation targeted Chinese influence in U.S. schools and universities and reinforced U.S. ties with Taiwan.
Scalise emphasized that the year’s accomplishments were only a starting point.
“These are just a few ways House Republicans have delivered for the American people this year and followed through on our promises — and we’re far from done,” he said. “Next year, we will continue working with President Trump to carry out his America First agenda and achieve real, commonsense wins.”
With divided views in Congress and sharp partisan splits on many of the measures, Democrats have criticized much of the agenda as overly restrictive, particularly on immigration, social issues, and environmental policy. Still, Republican leaders argue the legislative record reflects voter priorities and sets the stage for continued battles in the second year of the 119th Congress.
By: Montana Newsroom staff
