Charlie Dent: There’s too much profit in political polarization

Rep. Charlie Dent said Friday that there’s too many people who profit off polarization in Congress.

“There’s not a whole lot of reward for seeking consensus and compromise. I think we have to build support for members of Congress who want to do this,” Mr. Dent said on MSNBC.

The Pennsylvania Republican announced last week that he would not seek another term in the House. He said that since the divisive government shutdown in 2013, he has been weighing the decision and feels now is the best time.

“Members of Congress don’t get a whole lot of credit for reaching agreements on the debt ceiling, or even this DACA situation and border security,” Mr. Dent said.

President Trump reached an agreement with Democratic leaders on extending the debt ceiling last week, which Republicans also agreed to after initially pushing for a longer extension.

Both parties have agreed that some form of legislation for recipients of DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is necessary before the program expires early next year. Mr. Trump said he was ending the program, but he urged Congress to pass a formal law to replace the Obama-era policy. Some of the president’s supporters say, however, that Republicans, and even Mr. Trump himself, are giving Democrats too much power.