Frustrated conservatives ready to start winning under Trump

Barely three months into the Trump administration, conservatives are already demoralized by their lack of progress on a host of major issues despite unified Republican control of the federal government, and are wondering when they are going to start to see all the winning President Trump promised during the campaign.

The spending deal struck over the weekend to avoid a partial government shutdown is just the latest failure of GOP-controlled Washington to deliver for conservative activists. To them, that bill is part of a larger pattern of putting off fights with the Democrats for another day only for tomorrow to never come — a trend they were already experiencing with run-of-the-mill Republicans, but one they hoped would end under Trump.

"In December, the plan was to do a short-term continuing resolution so the Trump administration and a Republican Congress could deliver on conservative priorities," said Dan Holler, vice president of communications and government relations at Heritage Action. "Those are hard to find in this bill, and now conservatives will be told that we have to punt until September to deliver on those promises. That won't happen either unless Republican leaders are willing to call the Democrats' bluff."

The spending bill funds Planned Parenthood, sanctuary cities, refugee resettlement, a Puerto Rico bailout and other Democratic priorities without any money for Trump's proposed border wall. The president had initially demanded wall construction be included in the measure to fund the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year, only to back down as the deadline loomed.

All this took place even though Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress. "Republicans expected a home run," said Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va. "This isn't even a single. It's an error."