Republican Women for Progress Guiding Policy Principles

by the Republican Women for Progress Editorial Board

Republican Women for Progress (RWFP) is a grassroots policy organization created to: ensure the full spectrum of Republican women’s voices are represented in the media, develop and support the pipeline of Republican women who want to lead and run for office, and refocus the GOP on proper governance and policy.

The following nine policy principles reflect Republican Women for Progress’s vision for a modern “Big Tent” Republican party which upholds the values of small government and fiscal conservatism while being socially inclusive. RWFP feels these principles can pave the way to both good governance and thoughtful policy.

General Governance Principles

1. We believe in the sanctity of our democratic institutions and the rule of law. The check and balance system between the three branches of government is critical to the maintenance of a healthy and functional government.
2. We believe Congress needs to return to the business of legislating. Bipartisanship is necessary when working on the complex issues facing our country. Obstructionists have disrupted the functionality of Congress, setting our country on a dangerous path and causing our mechanisms of governance to atrophy.
3. We believe in the restoration of a “Big Tent” Republican Party. Party purity tests are poisonous to governance, inflame tribalism, and contribute to the erosion of public trust in the government.
4. We believe government can, and should, be part of the solution to the problems facing not only our country but also the world. However, government is not the first, only, nor often, the best solution.

Policy Principles

1. We believe our country needs to follow a sustainable fiscal path by reducing the national debt from its dangerous and unsustainable level. We believe discussions about the national debt require reasonable consideration and must balance both government revenues and expenditures.
2. We believe in reasonable regulation that balances environmental, worker, and citizen benefits against realistic costs. Regulation should not be treated as a zero-sum game.
3. We believe the GOP and our country are strengthened by all diversity. We categorically reject racism, antisemitism, sexism, ethnocentrism, and other forms of exclusionary language, ideas and policy.
4. We believe the United States has a leadership role to play in fostering a world order that supports the economic and social progress of civilization through security, stability, and the values of human rights and freedom. We believe we are stronger when we work with our like-minded allies and in conjunction with international institutions. In a changing world, we believe the United States should protect freedom at home and abroad through policies grounded in pragmatism.
5. We believe in policies focused on our national future, which includes prioritizing investment in infrastructure and education, establishing a reasonable approach to immigration, continuing to work on being good stewards of the environment and recognizing the important role global trade and international relationships play in our modern world.