But the changes being made right now won’t last without action by Congress, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Michigan) said on Washington Watch Thursday.
The House and Senate must strengthen Trump’s wave of executive orders by writing most of them into law, but the pursuit of permanence is a great challenge, he told show host Tony Perkins.
“He will do executive order, and it will have the weight of law,” Walberg said, but without congressional action they’ll only last “as long as he's there, or another president who will abide by those and continue those policies."
That means, the Michigan lawmaker explained, both the House and Senate must "find a means" to codify Trump's executive orders.
"That’s not going to be easy," he warned, "with the vote count that we have.”
Republicans currently have a six-seat majority in both chambers.
Voters will decide on the House – where term length is two years – and on 33 Senate seats in the 2026 midterm elections. A Senate term is six years.
“The only way this president has four years in office is if he has a majority Republican Congress for two more years after these two," the lawmaker said. "If that changes, and the House or Senate move to the Democrat side, then all we will hear is impeachment, impeachment, impeachment again, and it stops Trump with his ability to make (things) permanent through legislative action."
Some Dems inching toward middle
Right now Walberg sees some movement toward the center from some Democrats, such as Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman. The junior senator's common-sense comments, from Israel to Trump's popularity, have caught the attention of both parties.
These rumblings come after four years of Joe Biden’s administration leaning toward the far left of the party, with its rewrite of Title IX, the landmark women’s rights legislation of 1972 to include protections for men and women who seek to identify as the opposite sex.
The Biden administration also circumvented the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to return control of abortion to the states by paying for official leave, travel and other expenses for military members and their dependents who sought abortions while based in states where the procedure is restricted.
“I think the bully pulpit will bring some Democrats across," Walberg predicts. "Look at what Fetterman is doing now, and a few other Democrat senators who are starting to talk sense, seeing that the American people are tired of this progressive socialist philosophy that takes away freedoms from common-sense individuals with traditional values."
At work while McMahon waits
Education has been one of the key battlegrounds for Trump.
While the department awaits the Senate confirmation of Linda McMahon, his pick for Education Secretary, Trump officials have already written K-12 schools and institutions of higher learning advising them that the Office of Civil Rights will enforce the 2020 Title IX rules, not the Biden administration’s gender-identity rewrite that paves the way for biological males on women’s sports teams and in their public spaces.
Indeed, Trump has already signed an executive order calling for enforcement actions against schools and athletic associations comprised of schools that deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms.
Walberg predicts the Trump administration will “very shortly” begin an effort to promote school choice.
Tennessee earlier this month became the 13th state to pass universal school choice available to all families regardless of income.
School choice advocate Corey DeAngelis tells AFN that more states will follow.
Trump has said he ultimately wants to disband the Department of Education and return control to the states, much like the Supreme Court did with abortion.
Walberg isn’t so sure the DOE goes away but says its authority certainly will.
“It certainly gets de-powered,” he said. “The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Education did not stop antisemitic activity on campuses. Let’s give that to the Justice Department. The Treasury Department can cut checks for student loans.”
Walberg, a former church pastor, represents Michigan's 6th District. He announced in January he will chair the House Committee on Education and Workforce. One focus for the lawmaker is using Pell Grants for job training as an alternative to a four-year university degree.
He told Washington Watch the DOE has “hurt us” since its inception in 1979 with “no good outcomes” to correspond to more than a trillion dollars in spending. He believes Trump’s moves will empower classroom teachers.
“I think teachers will see again that they are going to be vaulted to the top of the food chain, as it were, as being respected because of what they do in getting the job done in education,” Walberg said.
Schools, universities want to comply
Response to Trump’s education moves from schools at all levels has been good, Walberg said, but some are looking for guidance. They want to make sure they understand how best to comply with federal law.
“I'm getting calls from college presidents, both community college, independent colleges, universities, as well as major universities saying, ‘We want to do this. We want to commit ourselves to following the law, but you have to help us to understand what that fully means.’ I think that's a good statement.”
Education needs to rid itself of antisemitism, pushback against traditional values, DEI hires and promotions, and conflicts with free speech, Walberg said.
“The President is already having some significant impact putting through executive orders and saying, ‘I’m going to back this up until Congress is able to get its act together,” Walberg said.
