Trump can’t call it ‘mission accomplished’ yet
With a divided Congress and the clock likely running out on GOP control, President Trump’s decision to forgo a second budget reconciliation bill is puzzling. Reconciliation is the only tool available to pass major priorities without a filibuster. So why refuse another chance to make the America First agenda permanent?
At a recent meeting with Senate Republicans, Trump told lawmakers, “We don’t need to pass any more bills. We got everything” in the big, beautiful bill earlier this year. “We got the largest tax cuts in history. We got the extension of the Trump tax cuts. We got all of these things.”
The first Trump presidency showed what executive courage can do. The second must prove what lasting law can achieve.
Really? That answer ignores reality. Tax cuts were never the full measure of the Trump revolution. The movement promised structural reform — from securing the border to dismantling bureaucracies. Limiting the victory to tax relief leaves unfinished the hard work of codifying executive policies into law before the next Democrat in the White House wipes them out with the stroke of a pen.
Biden’s first weeks in office in 2021 proved how fragile executive action can be. Nearly every Trump-era reform — on immigration, energy, education, and national security — vanished within days. The same will happen again if core policies remain tied to presidential discretion instead of actual statutes.
Immigration is the clearest example. Trump moved the country in the right direction, but many key policies remain blocked by courts or enjoined indefinitely. These include:
• Ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants,
• Defunding sanctuary cities,
• Cutting federal assistance for noncitizens,
• Requiring states to verify lawful status for benefits under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act,
• Expanding expedited removal of gang members under the Alien Enemies Act,
• Authorizing ICE arrests at state courthouses,
• Deporting pro-Hamas foreign students,
• Returning unaccompanied minors to Central America,
• Suspending refugee resettlement, and
• Ending “temporary” protected status for long-term illegal residents.
Each of these reforms can and should be codified through legislation. Courts can’t enjoin what Congress writes into law.
The same applies beyond immigration. Critical Trump policies remain trapped or reversible, including:
• Abolishing the Department of Education,
• Keeping male inmates out of female prisons,
• Blocking federal funding for hospitals that perform gender “transitions” on minors,
• Removing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, and
• Requiring proof of citizenship to vote and restricting mail-in ballots in federal elections.
All of these measures would fulfill campaign promises. All of them will vanish the instant Democrats reclaim the White House — unless Republicans act now to make them permanent.
RELATED: While the lights are off, let’s rewire the government
Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
Meanwhile, the economic front remains unsettled. Inflation continues to crush families, and Washington’s spending addiction keeps prices high. Health care remains broken, with no Republican alternative to stop Democrats from reinstating Biden’s Obamacare subsidies. The challenges are mounting, not receding.
The reconciliation process exists precisely for moments like this. It allows a governing majority to bypass the filibuster and pass budget-related priorities with a simple majority — the same procedure Democrats used twice under Biden to jam through massive spending and climate legislation. Refusing to use it again would be an act of political negligence.
Trump has accomplished much, but claiming “mission accomplished” now risks repeating the failures of his first term — executive orders that were erased within weeks and policies undone overnight.
The task ahead is to legislate the revolution. Codify the border. Dismantle bureaucratic strongholds. Rein in judicial activism. Secure election integrity. Cement economic reform.
The first Trump presidency showed what executive courage can do. The second must prove what lasting law can achieve. If Trump wants his achievements to outlive his term, he must act now — not by declaring victory, but by legislating it.
19-year-old fatally attacked 52-year-old worker at Chick-fil-A with knife and hammer, police say
A 19-year-old man was arrested for attacking and killing a 52-year-old delivery worker at Chick-fil-A in the middle of the night, Illinois police say.
Darryl Lee Jr. of Kankakee allegedly broke into the restaurant at about 3 a.m. and attacked Tracey Land of Bridgeview with a knife and hammer.
‘The guy got my son on the floor, so I got out of the car, and I was trying to get him away from my son so he couldn’t hit my son anymore.’
Land died from the alleged attack.
Lee then reportedly attacked a 20-year-old maintenance worker at the same location. The man was stabbed but fought with Lee and was able to subdue him until police arrived.
He was helped by his mother, who was also a maintenance worker and happened to be in a car nearby and rushed in to help her son.
“There were hitting each other,” she said anonymously to WLS-TV. “The guy got my son on the floor, so I got out of the car, and I was trying to get him away from my son so he couldn’t hit my son anymore.”
Lee was charged with nearly a dozen counts related to the incident, including the following:
- First-degree murder, a class M felony
- Attempted first-degree murder, a class X felony
- Concealment of homicidal death, a class 3 felony
- Aggravated battery, a class 3 felony
- Armed robbery, a class X felony
- Armed violence, a class X felony
- Burglary, a class 2 felony
Oswego Police transported Lee to the Kendall County Jail.
“This was an unprovoked attack and resulted in a tragic loss of life. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this tragic incident,” reads a statement from Oswego Police Chief Jason Bastin.
“We are grateful for the bravery of those who intervened and for the coordinated response from our officers, fire personnel, and assisting agencies,” he added.
WGN-TV reported that Lee’s defense attorney expressed concern that he was not fit to stand trial.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Vhong Navarro, Jhong Hilario, more celebrities pay tribute to veteran choreographer Anna Feliciano
_2025_10_28_18_04_49.jpg)
Celebrities and fellow dancers have gathered to honor veteran choreographer Anna Feliciano following her passing. She was 65 years old.
Cloudy skies, rains expected as ITCZ covers most parts of PH
The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) are expected to bring rains to various parts of the Philippines, the state weather bureau PAGASA said Tuesday afternoon.
PAGASA debunks fake news on super typhoons to hit PH
The state weather bureau PAGASA on Tuesday denied the false information circulating online that there will be two super typhoons to hit the islands of Luzon and Visayas in November.
DOST: Technology use in infra projects to boost anti-corruption efforts
BACOLOD CITY – Technology can be utilized to help evaluate infrastructure projects for potential anomalies, according to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
PH Embassy in Rome stresses Rule of Law at Festival della Diplomazia 2025
The Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Rome hosted a lecture by Filipino maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal on the South China Sea territorial dispute during the Festival della Diplomazia 2025 in Rome.
LIVE UPDATES: Alex Eala vs Katie Boulter — Hong Kong Open Round of 32
Alexandra “Alex” Eala will make her final push of the WTA season as she competes in the Hong Kong Tennis Open, starting with her Round of 32 match against Katie Boulter on Tuesday.
Mark Denver Omega makes mark in Letran, thanks to former Perpetual coach
Mark Denver Omega made his mark for Colegio de San Juan de Letran last Sunday as the Knights defeated Arellano University, 83-65, in the NCAA Season 101 men”s basketball tournament.
