January 20th, 2018 marked the one year anniversary of the GOP having full control of the government through the Senate, the House, and the Presidency. In this past year, they have promised many legislative actions would take place; unfortunately, this was not always the case. Whether it be Repeal and Replace ObamaCare or passing a budget on time, the Republican Senate has not had the year they guaranteed to the country.

As President Trump’s Cabinet filled with high ranking Senate Republicans, there were many special elections taking place throughout the country. One that caught the nation’s attention was that of Judge Roy Moore of Alabama. He ran against now-Senator Doug Jones. Judge Moore was accused of sexual misconduct against underage women while ADA, sparking a national debate about political conduct. After the GOP and the president threw their support behind Moore, he suffered a critical loss to Jones, 49.9% to 48.4%. This shocked not only the country, but the GOP itself. Many thought Alabamians would still vote based on their famous Republican preference, as they have not seen a Democratic senator in 25 years.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan also had an agenda to accomplish this year. At the top of it: ObamaCare. Efforts to reform the Affordable Care Act began early into the year and lasted through September; all those failed, however, with well-known Republicans voting against the repeal. President Trump campaigned on repealing the Affordable Care Act, which he characterized as a “disaster.” Another legislative action Speaker Ryan wanted to address was DACA. He went back and forth on whether DACA renewal would be in the budget. In the end, it wasn’t included and will instead be voted on later.

With no new healthcare action, DACA renewal, border wall, or Republican wins in the Senate and House, this definitely was not a year for Republican success from a legislative standpoint. However, they did accomplish two key legislative actions; they passed a new tax bill with major cut, as well as passing most of President Trump’s Cabinet and Supreme Court Justice nomination, Judge Neil Gorsuch. 2017 proved the that GOP knew what they wanted to do, but they failed to come up with successful plans and replacements for many legislative actions from the Obama Administration.

Now in the beginning of 2018, we look ahead to the upcoming midterms in November, with many Republicans up for re-election. With this past year of inaction, however, Americans will be voting not only according to their political preference, but also based on the GOP’s lack of legislative achievements.