Since the midterms, I’ve linked to a string of columns expressing hope the GOP would move on from Donald Trump. I’ve expressed that hope myself, certain the party would finally split from the former president after his latest round of election meddling. It seemed a reasonable position… then John T. Bennett of Roll Call shared his most recent column with me. His conclusion — while some in the party might be done with Trump and his ilk, Trump and his ilk aren’t done with the party, so stop counting your chickens.

As Bennett points out, the upcoming Congress will be in session for only 117 days in 2023. That’s not a great deal of time to do the people’s work, much less be seen doing it. Add to this the investigations promised by Trump’s House acolytes, and the GOP’s window for demonstrating competence before the start of the presidential election season grows ever smaller. That’s not to say House oversight isn’t worthwhile — it is — but if it’s geared toward Trump’s interests (Hunter Biden) and not the nation’s (the Afghanistan withdrawal), the independent and moderate voters who gave Republicans the House will only take notice long enough to wonder if their vote was misplaced. More than investigations, these voters want to see the party in charge govern. That means reasonably addressing issues and legislating fixes. If moderate Republicans can’t do this or keep the party’s fringe elements in check, their small majority could become a very small minority.