It’s October, roughly 10 months into the 115th Congress. Apart from the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, as well as the confirmations of administration posts, what exactly has the Senate done this year?

Well, the Republican-controlled Senate did manage to sell the farm to Democrats in March with the passage of a terrible omnibus spending bill. Oh, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did manage to get a debt ceiling increase through the chamber. These aren’t wins for grass-roots conservatives who were promised that all Republicans needed was to win control of Congress and win the White House to deliver on campaign promises to reduce the size and scope of government.