Just before noon on March 30, the GOP-led House passed H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. The bill would end some restrictions on the import and export of oil and natural gas, prevent the president from banning fracking, streamline permitting processes, and implement other measures to lower energy costs while improving transparency and accountability from the federal government. It’s smart policy and politics, and polling suggests it’s a good decision. While “climate change” doesn’t rank high on voters’ lists of concerns, inflation does. The bill addresses inflation and pocketbook issues in tangible ways by reducing the cost of energy, which affects the costs of everything. 

For about seven hours, the GOP was in a great place. 

Then, at 7:15 p.m., Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs’ office tweeted a statement announcing his indictment of former President Donald Trump. While a majority of Republican members would have preferred to keep talking about H.R. 1, too many regressed into reflexively defending Trump.