In the words of Abraham Lincoln, a house divided against itself cannot stand.

As of Jan. 1, the United States saw a major shift in its congressional leadership. Voting on Nov. 4 welcomed Republican control of the Senate for the first time since 2006. The simple fact is, this change is a step in the right direction for the U.S.

The previous Congress was nothing more than unproductive. It passed only 296 bills, making it the most lame-duck Congress in American history. In fact, the 112th and 113th Congresses have passed fewer bills than any other two back to back Congresses combined. It is also important to note that of the 296 bills passed in 2014, more than 50 were simply proposals to rename federal buildings, such as post offices.

This staggeringly low productivity rate can be attributed to the constant turmoil in Congress between Democrats and Republicans. The split between the House and Senate, along with the Executive branch, have left the United States with practically no progress in any of the issues Americans face, and, if anything, have added more problems to the already growing pile.

However, this new Congress is different. The GOP has promised a lot, including stopping any legislation offered by Obama, including Common Core or Obama Care. Both of these policies infringe on the rights of the state and the people, and move America on a path to socialism. As a result, House and Senate Republicans continue their efforts to stop any proposal by Obama.

In addition, we have seen drastic spending cuts to programs essential to the United States, all in the name of balancing the budget. Programs such as NASA or the defense budget have seen severe cuts to their funding, with NASA abandoning several different replacements for America’s Space Shuttle, and the Department of Defense having to cut pay to members of the armed forces.

The money that the government then supposedly saves is put back into programs that have for years been in disarray, such as the Department of Veteran Affairs, or the food stamp program. These programs severely need restructuring, but with Democrats pushing other bills, that action is not even close to reality. 

Many Republicans can point to other, more external, threats and issues. Threats such as ISIS and Iran serve as proof of Obama and the Democratic Party’s tardiness and lack of bipartisanship to address the country’s issues. With Republican control, America can finally make the decisions necessary to combat these threats.

For instance, a much harder stance should be taken against ISIS, including ramped up airstrikes and possibly even small deployments of troops, measures that most Republicans would agree to fund. Democrats have preached that our current actions have been sufficient for holding the terrorists at bay; however, the continuing hostage execution has proven otherwise.

Another foreign issue mishandled by Democrats is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The toned down response and delayed sanctions were practically shrugged off by Vladimir Putin, and only recently have seriously hit the Russian, and only by chance. Again, this is an example of the failure of America’s foreign policy. And with bipartisanship failing in these circumstances, the only answer the GOP can give is to veto any bill sent by Obama.

This stance may seem excessive; however, it is exactly what the people want. Obama’s approval rating remains 46 percent, indicating Americans’ generally unfavorable opinion of the President. We are in an era of conservatism that could sprout into an almost Reagan-like renaissance, albeit without the cooperation of the Executive Branch. The new Congress is not only a victory for the GOP, but also for the American people.