Want to ‘drain the swamp’? Implement regular order

The 2016 election cycle ended on a low note with yet another tired effort to revive the old campaign strategy of “draining the swamp.”  

As a lobbyist, I’m not only used to these attacks, I have come to expect them each election cycle.  It’s easier for incoming administrations and some in Congress to blame a profession voters don’t take time to understand.

It’s easier for the executive branch and Congress to turn the attention away from themselves and avoid explaining to their constituents that partisan gridlock exists in Washington because they won’t come together and get things done for the American people. This election was no different. 

Neither side seems to have heard the voters. This election wasn’t about draining the swamp. It was about jobs, immigration, healthcare, wages, and education – all the pocketbook issues that we face each and every day. 

These issues got lost in the shuffle during election season. Instead, the focus was on brutal personal attacks. We can’t be surprised that neither side spoke about the issues most of us care about.  

Instead of facing up to that reality, some have made lobbyists the scapegoats. It’s always easier to go home and say you are trying to clean up Washington versus doing what voters sent you to Washington to do. 

By making it your mission to drain the so-called swamp, you get to ride the media wave while sending warm and touchy updates back home of your problem-solving prowess. 

The public, not being any the wiser, buys into this rhetoric and jumps on your bandwagon. By focusing your attention on us, Congress takes the focus off governing. 

By putting the blame on lobbyists, Congress and the executive branch also get to avoid the dreaded calls for term limits and campaign finance reform. It’s called protecting job security.  

The current administration came in touting its promise to clean up Washington and, within hours of being sworn into office, we saw a wave of lobbyists picked to serve in the administration. 

In President Obama’s second term, we saw former U.S. Senator and lobbyist Chuck Hagel named as Secretary of Defense. It appears that, when it comes to who gets a voice in Washington, it really depends on who you know at the top. 

These same people seem to forget the Constitution gives every citizen in this country the right to petition their government. It appears the current administration, incoming administration, and some in Congress don’t mind trampling on the Constitution, just as long as it doesn’t infringe on their rights. 

Implementing regular order will break gridlock and give all elected members an opportunity for their constituents and issues to be heard. This will end the “backroom deals” that shut most voices out of the governing process.

Regular order means allowing legislation to move through the committee process. It means allowing more bills to get up or down votes on the House and Senate floors. 

Regular order is the process voters want to see instead of the name-calling and the efforting to derail all legislation.  

In 2015, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan accepted his post with the promise to restore regular order. Since that time, we have seen this process used sparingly. 

Yes, an open process will mean Congress is in session more and will spend more time voting, as it did during the Transportation Reauthorization debate in 2015. But, at the end of the day, it’s what we send them to Washington to do.

This is what voters want.  They want action and not partisan gridlock. Restoring regular order will begin that process of restoring citizens’ confidence in Congress and the executive branch. 

Next time you think about draining the swamp, think in terms of getting rid of the brutal and personal partisan politics we’ve seen. When you think about draining the swamp, think in terms of breaking gridlock and restoring the opportunity for everyone’s voice to be heard. 

If Congress and the incoming administration do this, the so-called swamp fixes itself.  If Congress and the incoming administration listen to the voters, they will focus on the issues that hit all of us in the pocketbook. 

Passing meaningful legislation that gets the economy rolling, puts people to work, increases wages, provides families with quality and affordable healthcare, strengthens our military and secures our borders, will drain the swamp.

Time to restore faith in Congress and the executive branch. It all starts with a simple process of regular order.

Paul A. Miller is the president of the National Institute For Lobbying & Ethics.

The views expressed by the contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.