It’s time for Congress to break the cycle of political payback


Political polarization has split families, ruined friendships, and even decimated swing seats in congressional elections. It’s even become fodder for a recent M&M’s Candy campaign.

It’s also created a contentious environment in Washington. When House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) removed Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) from the Intelligence Committee, Democrats argued it was retribution for Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) being kicked off committees in 2021 by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

Straight Arrow News contributor John Fortier says legislative warfare has become more prominent in recent years. He adds that it’s time for Congress to break the cycle of political payback so it can focus on doing its job.

What are some examples of this cycle of retribution? First, in the late 1970s, as part of a larger ethics reform, Congress passed the Independent Counsel Act. The idea was to create a special counsel who was extremely independent of political control of the current administration, which would allow this counsel to investigate misdeeds of the sitting president without interference. While in theory the goal was to remove political influence from corruption investigations, in practice it created investigations that were nearly uncontrollable, unaccountable, and unending.