Rep. Harris details GOP strategy to codify Trump’s policies

With President Donald Trump signing a wave of executive orders to dismantle the Department of Education, secure the border, and slash wasteful spending, Republicans in Washington are discussing ways to make his directives permanent after he’s out of office, Rep. Mark Harris, NC-08, explained during a town hall event this week.

Republicans are only guaranteed majority powers in Congress for the next two years, which means political controls could shift for the second half of the Trump administration. One constituent asked Harris what could be done to ensure Trump’s work lasts past his time in the White House and past Republicans’ control of the US House and Senate.

“That is foremost on all of our minds, on how we can bring permanence to the actions that President Trump has done by executive order,” said Harris. “In fact, we actually had a conference meeting this morning, and in that conference meeting, that conversation actually came out, that we are actually forming, as I understand it, a team that is looking at every executive order and how we can find one of our Republican colleagues to sponsor that as a bill.”

By getting legislation through committees and onto the floor for a vote, Congress can provide additional assistance to the President by making his orders law through the legislative process.

“Our congressional term for the 119th Congress is two years, which means that we’ve got to get done everything we can get done in these two years,” Harris added. “We’re going to do everything we can do in these next two years.”

In a Thursday town hall, Harris revealed that House Republicans are mobilizing this week to assign sponsors to each order, racing against the clock to codify Trump’s agenda amid a razor-thin GOP majority and the looming 2026 midterms, where a Democratic resurgence could unravel it all. “We’ve got to get this done now,” Harris urged, “or the next administration could undo everything we’ve fought for.”

During a conference meeting this week, Harris and his colleagues discussed assigning Republican sponsors to each executive order, aiming to transform them into permanent legislation through committee markups and House votes.

“The conversation actually came out that we are forming a team looking at every executive order and how we can find one of our Republican colleagues to sponsor that as a bill,” Harris told thousands of constituents from North Carolina’s Eighth District during the tele-town hall. “We’ve got to codify these things so that the next administration can’t undo what we’ve been able to do.”

With the GOP holding slim majorities in both the House and Senate, Harris stressed the urgency of acting within the current two-year congressional term, warning that a Democratic resurgence in the 2026 midterms could stall progress with “impeach, impeach, impeach” tactics.

Harris’s comments come as Trump, barely two months into his second term, has issued a flurry of executive orders targeting government efficiency, border security, and education reform.

One notable order calls for dismantling the Department of Education, a move Harris enthusiastically supports. Citing dismal academic outcomes—such as 70% of fourth and eighth graders lacking proficiency in reading and math—he argued, “We’ve spent $3 trillion since 1970, and it’s just not working. President Trump is taking action on something we’ve talked about for 40 years.”

Harris, a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, pledged to transition services to states, ensuring funds reach students without bureaucratic bloat.

Another executive order Harris backs is Trump’s directive to the Department of Interior to advance federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe, a cause he has championed with a co-sponsored bill alongside Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC). “President Trump issued an executive order, and we’re expecting a report within days,” Harris said, expressing hope that bipartisan support will finally see the 136-year effort “across the finish line” with Trump’s signature.

On border security, Harris praised Trump’s order empowering deportations, aligning it with his own “No Asylum for Criminals Act” to prevent felons from exploiting asylum claims. “Our border is under control at a rate that is absolutely phenomenal,” he said, citing a drop to 200 daily encounters at the southern border compared to thousands under Biden. He acknowledged potential hiccups but insisted, “We’ve got to keep moving in the direction we’re going.”

Harris also addressed Trump’s orders pausing funding to agencies not complying with efforts to end “woke and wasteful spending,” a cornerstone of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) initiative led by Elon Musk. Responding to privacy concerns, he reassured constituents that Musk’s security clearance and legal safeguards protect sensitive data, framing Doge as a long-overdue audit of federal agencies. “For the first time since FDR, these agencies are being looked at,” he said, noting public support for fiscal reform amid a $36 trillion national debt.

The push for permanence reflects Harris’s broader mission to lock in Trump’s vision, a theme echoed in his closing remarks: “I came to Washington to be a voice for the Eighth District, and I’m honored to represent you.” With Trump’s policies already yielding results—like gas prices dropping from $4.67 in 2022 to $2.75 in North Carolina—Harris sees codification as the key to sustaining momentum. Whether this week’s Republican strategy succeeds, he warned, hinges on maintaining congressional control—a challenge he’s ready to meet head-on.

The post Rep. Harris details GOP strategy to codify Trump’s policies first appeared on Carolina Journal.