newYou can now listen to Fox News articles.
This week marks the 30th anniversary of a national event that changed American history.
On September 27, 1994, House Republicans stood on the steps of the Capitol and signed a contract with the United States.
The conditions were simple. Electing Republicans, we will: If we don't keep our promises, throw us out at the next election.
Newt Gingrich: Happy anniversary, signing with America. The next chapter begins
After Democrats controlled the House of Representatives for 40 years (and 60 of the previous 64 years), Americans were ready to take a chance on this new ideas-driven Republican Party.
I tried to only promise what I absolutely could. There is no guarantee that things will become law. That would require passage in the Senate and President Bill Clinton's assent to sign the bill. There was no guarantee that everything would pass in the House. Our majority wasn't that big. We have committed to scheduling votes on all items in the contract during the first 100 days.
The 100-day deadline was born out of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's sense of crisis when he assumed office during the Great Depression. He wanted to pass a reform bill and an economic relief bill as soon as possible.
The contract with America had 10 specific promises. These include tax cuts, line-item vetoes, anti-crime legislation, tort reform, welfare reform, and changes to the way Congress operates.
Newt Gingrich denies Kamala Harris' 'word salad' interview, 'insane' position on Israel-Hamas
The special nature of the contract made it believable. It also followed the principle that any issue must have the support of at least 60% of the people. This has helped protect us from propaganda media's attempts to distort and attack what we are doing.
This deal was able to develop in part because we stood on the shoulders of President Ronald Reagan. Virtually every item in the contract had been proposed or supported by Reagan. In fact, as far back as 1965, he proposed welfare reform and requiring people to work in order to receive welfare. This law was so popular with the American public that it was finally passed in 1996. It took 31 years for welfare reform to go from common idea to full-fledged law.
40 years of power outages actually helped us develop the contract. Those who were tired of being in the minority sought to work together and build consensus in ways that the current House and Senate Republicans avoided. Even if we disagree about specific policies, we can put those differences aside and work together to achieve mutual goals.
I was also helped by the 16-year project that Joe Gaylord and I worked on to increase the House Republican majority. We described this long process in our recent book, Marching to the Majority. Lawmakers and candidates should read this book. Because this book documents the years of hard and necessary effort that ultimately won the contract and the Republican majority.
CBS reporter finds only three Harris supporters at three Nevada restaurants: 'People are really excited about Trump'
When people ask me how to deal with Washington's current disaster, my answer is to take the long view. We must steadily and systematically grow our majority based on the aspirations and values of the American people. That's the only way to build momentum in a large, chaotic system like Congress.
We began by developing the Conservative Opportunity Association as an ideas-driven parliamentary group. We were dedicated to winning the war of ideas against the big government socialism that was growing in the 80s and 90s.
GOPAC has developed a training tape program for Republican activists. At its peak, the company was shipping 55,000 tapes each month. Virtually every Republican candidate for the House had listened to that tape, so we had a common language and a common sense of strategy to build upon.
The idea of signing a contract and hosting a Capitol steps event dates back to then-Gov. President Reagan's 1980 campaign. He brought together candidates for the House and Senate and announced a deal that included five big ideas. As David Broder wrote at the time, it was an act of true courage for the underdogs of the Republican Party to stand by their party and try to elect Republicans to Congress. As a result, the Senate became Republican for the first time in 26 years (no one expected it).
The 1994 Contract with the United States and the Capitol Steps Incident changed history decisively.
House passes bill to block Biden administration's effort to require two-thirds of new cars to be electric within the next few years
First, they led to a change in the balance of power. Democrats held an almost uncontested advantage from 1930 to 1994. In those 64 years, House Republicans have had only two one-term majorities. When one party dominates an organization for 60 years, the overall balance of media, lobbying, and bureaucratic power shifts to the clearly dominant party.
Our victory was a complete shock to the Washington establishment. In the weeks since we began gaining a majority, we have regularly had to remind leading Democratic members to step down from their chairs at committee meetings.
We set another significant record by governing well and keeping our promises: In 1996, we became the first Republican majority in the House to be re-elected since 1928.
Since their 1994 victory, Republicans have controlled the House for 22 years and Democrats for eight years. This is a historic shift in control and influence.
Second, House Republicans passed major reforms. The system was changed from welfare to employment. We passed the largest capital gains tax cut in history. We created Medicare Advantage and reformed the Food and Drug Administration. It also revised the Telecommunications Act, enabling the evolution of the modern Internet. These are just some of our achievements.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, the deal with the Republican Party of the United States resulted in the only balanced budget for four consecutive years in a century. This should be a lesson to those trying to solve today's fiscal mess.
For more FOX News opinions, click here
When I left the chair, then-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan predicted that the United States would pay off its national debt in full by 2009.
If we succeed in balancing the budget, it should give hope to a generation seemingly drowning in debt and fiscal folly.
Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich laughs and sits with Vice President Al Gore during President Clinton's State of the Union address to Congress. (Wally McNamee/COBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
It's possible. Tax cuts and regulatory cuts can spur dramatic economic growth. Large-scale reforms can produce better results at lower costs. Cuts and reforms can be combined with prudent spending frugality. That money belongs to the American people, not politicians and bureaucrats. Doing these things will help you balance your budget.
The offices of former Congressman Todd Tierhardt and Speaker Mike Johnson organized the 30th reunion of the history-changing House Republican team. On Friday, we returned to the steps of the Capitol to commemorate this important moment in history.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
It was great to meet fellow patriots who are working, struggling, and working on what we call “joyful tenacity.” Our habit of “listening, learning, helping, and guiding” made our contract with the U.S. Congress historic.
How about a wonderful anniversary?
Click here to read more about Newt Gingrich
