House Republicans attempted to gut an ethics panel before being called out by President-Elect Donald Trump on Tuesday. Though Trump called the panel “unfair,” he criticized House Republicans for making that their first move of the 115th Congressional Session.

Trump may have made controversial comments and decisions this past year, but he had it right this time around. The ethics panel is an important watchdog function important for preventing corruption in government affairs.

For context, the committee is a non-government funded group that analyzes potential wrongdoing by lawmakers. House Republicans targeted the group alleging that it had unfairly targeted them while investigating public concerns of wrongdoing. With pressure from voters and the incumbent president, House Republicans backed off.

President-Elect Trump claimed that the Congress must focus on tax and healthcare reform, among other things of “greater importance.”

But there's an important component of the failure of this measure: the participation of the people. Flooded with cries from regular voters, House Republicans backed down from the idea.

There is clearly tension between senior Republican leadership and the incumbent president. Former candidate for president Senator John McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have openly expressed their unhappiness with a Trump presidency, most recently disgruntled by Trump's criticism of the intelligence community. Undoubtedly, there are more Republican leaders as well as Democratic ones unhappy with the incumbent president, but the intervention from ordinary people is important. Public outcry can be a critical factor in ensuring the safety of such measures as Obamacare, Roe v. Wade, and same-sex marriage rights. Working together with the people, disgruntled Republicans and Democrats to maintain the progress been made, rather than allowing President Trump to undo such progress, as he claims he will.

The idea that House Republicans even suggested the measure is concerning. House Republicans have unilateral control of government at the moment, carrying a majority of the House, Senate, and now control of the Oval Office. Republicans are increasingly in favor of deregulation; gutting the ethics panel is just one way they could have extended deregulatory measures. House Republicans are also trying to pass a State Reins Act, which would lift the responsibility of regulatory lawmaking from Congress. Under the Bill, Congress would have a choice to pass, deny, or completely ignore regulations under consideration. Deregulation puts more money back into the hands of big corporations, begging the age-old questions: What is the government for? Who is the government really working for?

This is not the first time House Republicans have attempted to pass the Reins Act; the past two times the attempted to pass it, it got through the House but not the Senate. It could be successful this time around, now that the Senate is also controlled by Republicans.

Should we be concerned about unilateral Republican control? Yes. Republican control means a favor for the wealthiest Americans, and it means making decisions in Congress that will ultimately be good not only for the nation but also for politics in general. It means putting important progress, such as universal healthcare and the protection of same-sex marriage, at risk.

Since Donald Trump’s election, there has been a focus on 2020. But elections are held every two years in this country. There is an opportunity to turn the House blue once again in 2018. The work starts now.

To register to vote in time for the 2018 election, go to www.vote.org