WASHINGTON TIMES: DAVID BOSSIE: Democrats bank on failed policies to win in 2026

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is making moves on social media in a desperate attempt to remain relevant, so it’s a fitting time to talk about what’s at stake in the rapidly approaching midterm elections. It’s also a good time to note that the Democrats are doubling down on their policy failures of the past.

Ms. Harris’ name is synonymous with failure not only because she lost the historic 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump in spectacular fashion but also because of the horrendous policies she and “Autopen” President Biden imposed on the country for four long years.

By now, every American knows full well the devastating impact of their open border invasion on our beloved country. The same goes for their catastrophic inflation disaster and the constant reminder of what out-of-control spending can do to a nation’s economic well-being.

Absolutely no one needs to be reminded of the weakness the Biden-Harris team projected on the world stage and all the trouble that brought us.

As we barrel toward the critical midterms, the problem for congressional Democrats is that people are concluding that they didn’t learn any lessons from the infamous Biden-Harris years. In fact, it’s becoming more evident by the day that the Democrats have decided to lurch even further to the left on many issues.

So for anyone expecting to vote come November, rest assured: Democrats won’t be offering any innovative solutions this year, just a return to the same old, same old.

At important pivot points throughout President Trump’s incredible second term in the White House, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have let Trump derangement syndrome cloud their judgment each and every time.

When faced with the opportunity to move on from their reckless open borders agenda and get serious about our national security, Democrats instead chose to protest, defund and criminally obstruct U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from enforcing the law and deporting criminal illegal immigrants.

The fact that Democrats appear willing to block funding and shut down the Department of Homeland Security, the agency created to stop another 9/11-style terrorist attack, should be of paramount concern to every American.

On “no-brainer” election integrity measures such as the SAVE Act and voter ID, Democrats on Capitol Hill have made it clear that they will fight these commonsense reforms with every fiber of their beings. Instead of fortifying our elections and siding with the 80% of Americans who want this legislation enacted, the radical left is fighting simple requirements such as proving you’re a citizen in order to register to vote.

Make no mistake about it: When the time comes to debate the Equal Representation Act, which would add a citizenship question to the census so illegal immigrants are no longer counted when it comes time for congressional reapportionment, Democrats will fight tooth and nail against this popular policy as well.

With regard to tax relief and lowering the cost of living for every American, Democrats in Congress voted en bloc to let the Trump tax cuts expire and also deny hardworking families a slew of consequential new tax abatements. The thought of allowing a massive across-the-board tax increase to hit the American people, as too many still struggle with the Biden-Harris inflation crisis, should be fresh in the mind of every voter when they go to cast their ballot less than nine months from now.

The nightmare scenario of Democrats taking control of Congress would lead to an immediate vote to repeal Mr. Trump’s pro-growth tax cuts and everything else in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This is exactly the kind of recession-causing change Americans don’t need right now.

On the issue of rising health care costs, stubborn Democrats still haven’t received the message either. Despite Obamacare’s many massive failures, the left remains too invested in it and costly, fraud-prone subsidies to change course. Only Mr. Trump could make unhinged congressional Democrats take the side of padding the pockets of insurance companies on the backs of the American people.

The bottom line is, if you’re looking to fix our broken health care system with market-based reforms and competition to drive down premiums, the Democrats have nothing to sell except the broken status quo.

Democrats have also made it apparent that they would rather sweep the rampant defrauding of social safety net programs under the rug than deal with it responsibly. Many believe that the multibillion-dollar fraud investigation in Minnesota is just the tip of the iceberg.

If Democrats wrestle back control of Congress next year, they will prioritize making it more difficult for the Trump Justice Department and FBI to investigate welfare fraud across the country, when such investigations could end up saving taxpayers $1 trillion or more.

It should also come as no surprise that the Democratic Party isn’t interested in dealing with our $38 trillion national debt. By contrast, from the jump, Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans got busy empowering the Department of Government Efficiency to identify hundreds of billions of dollars in savings, dramatically streamlining the federal bureaucracy, enacting rescissions packages and passing all congressional appropriations bills with transparency through regular order.

Unfortunately, Messrs. Schumer and Jeffries have fought it all, every step of the way. So, if you’re interested in fiscal responsibility, voting Democratic in November would be a complete mistake.

In the run-up to the November elections, we will all be hearing lots of gibberish from the likes of Ms. Harris, Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries about Democrats’ plans for next year. Going forward, it’s extremely important for the American people to remember the left’s record of failure and think about what it would mean for our country if Mr. Trump’s “America First” agenda were undermined at this vital juncture.

It’s not hard to see that it would mean a return to higher crime, higher taxes, unchecked welfare fraud and Biden-Harris malaise.

David N. Bossie is the president of Citizens United. He served as a senior adviser to the Trump 2024 and 2020 campaigns. He served as deputy campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President in 2016 and deputy executive director for the Trump transition team.