Senators Josh Hawley, Eric Schmitt and Roger Marshall: What will they do with power? | Opinion

What will Josh Hawley, Eric Schmitt and Roger Marshall do with power?

The three GOP senators — from Missouri and Kansas, respectively — haven’t had much of it during their relatively short careers in Congress’ upper chamber. The three men have been in the Senate minority for most or all of their tenures, so their efforts have largely been limited to railing against Democratic power.

They have been vocal. Very vocal at times. But they haven’t had much legislative muscle.

Now?

Republicans control the Senate. And the House. And the White House.

They have power.

Which means that Hawley, Schmitt and Marshall are finally positioned to steer policy, pass laws and see them enacted — if that’s what they actually choose to do. (The region’s fourth senator, Jerry Moran of Kansas, has been in Washington for three decades, time enough for him to have done repeated stints in and out of the majority.)

So what are they going to choose to do?

This was the first full week of real business in the new Senate. It’s early yet, but it’s worth checking out the trio’s early choices:

Eric Schmitt and DEI

Schmitt made perhaps the biggest splash this past week. Missouri’s junior senator regularly rails against DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to make workplaces friendlier to women and minorities — and he did so again once he grabbed the spotlight.

DEI “is rooted in cultural Marxism, the idea that gets the room, any room with oppressor versus oppressed,” he said during the confirmation hearing for defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. “It’s race essentialism, and it is poison.”

Unfortunately for Schmitt, he did so in front of a giant, misspelled chart under the headline “DEI in our miltary.”

The error attracted national coverage, as well as ribbing from Schmitt’s colleagues. Republicans were “complaining about reduction of military standards while using a chart that misspells the word military!” Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine wrote in a social media post.

Oops.

Josh Hawley on families

Hawley has sometimes followed his own muse in the Senate, openly embracing Trumpism but also trying to steer his party away from corporate power toward more worker- and family-friendly policies.

So on Tuesday, he took to the Senate floor to call for an expanded child tax credit — increasing the limit from $2,000 to $5,000 per child, and allowing families to receive it in payments throughout the year. (A similar system existed briefly during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

“The Republican Party has too often spoken up for corporate interests instead of the interests of families,” he said.

Sounds good. But will Hawley’s proposal actually go anywhere? Or will he remain an outlier in his own party? Just three Senate Republicans voted last year for a tax package that included an expanded child tax credit.

Roger Marshall on TV

Roger Marshall sponsored a new bill to ease restrictions on the import of ammunition, but he spent much of his time in the minority doing a lot of television hits with right-wing media outlets. If last week was any indication, that’s also how he’ll spend his time in the majority.

In the last few days, he has made at least three different appearances on Fox Business — including once with Maria Bartiromo, who frequently has Marshall on her show — as well as once on Real America’s Voice, defending Donald Trump’s cabinet selections.

“I think those 77 million people that voted for Donald Trump are going to like the people that President Trump has set forth,” Marshall said during a Tuesday appearance on Fox Business.

Marshall is on TV a lot. He doesn’t often say much that’s interesting.

One week is a small sample size. And of course these vignettes are just a snapshot of what each man has done.

What’s more, transitioning from relative powerlessness to actual power can be a tricky process.

Being against stuff — the job of the party that’s out of power — is easy. Governing is hard. We have the next few years to find out if Hawley, Schmitt and Marshall really, finally have what it takes to deliver for Missouri, Kansas and America — or if they’ll just keep being against stuff.

This story was originally published January 19, 2025 at 5:06 AM.