The "New" Congress: What to Expect

The election results are in. For the next two years, Congress mill again he ruled by the GOP by a very narrow majority. This means that the new Congress will probably continue to work in the same general direction as its predecessor. However, there may be several important differences in the way the new Congress works.

First, the GOP's majority is not as significant in this congress. Winning by a nose does not provide the momentum of a larger victory.

Second, GOP leadership should be less outspoken. The rallying cry of "Contract with America" is no longer ringing in anyone's ears. The Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, should be somewhat subdued, following a wing-clipping because of admitted ethics violations.

Third, leadership of committees and subcommittees is seasoned. The sounds coming from key people indicate that they learned a great deal from the mistakes of the previous Congress. We should expect to see more effective work coming from Congress. And the work product may finally toss some real gains to the banking industry.

Copyright © 1996 Compliance Action. Originally appeared in Compliance Action, Vol. 1, No. 20, 12/96