As the world braces for a US President Donald Trump, it's time to look at whatever potential for moderation is left in US institutions against the type of right-wing populism that has like-minded leaders here and abroad celebrating.

In this time, Congress will have a special responsibility. For one, lawmakers have an enormously packed schedule, with the passage of not only a budget for the remainder of fiscal 2017, but also a new spending plan for fiscal 2018. Add the defense-authorization bills for both years, plus a debate over raising the debt ceiling, resolving sequestration, and the list becomes downright daunting.

All of those agenda items are crucial, and failure to work through them appropriately could lead to a serious crisis early in the young Trump administration.

Besides the must-pass items, lawmakers from both parties, especially those with long foreign-policy and national-security resumes, should keep an eye on those long-standing pillars of US policy that have served their purpose well regardless of who occupies the White House.

The rules governing US weapons sales are a good example. Defense News reporters Aaron Mehta and Pierre Tran, in an article this month, explore how the foreign military sales regime might be shaped by the next president – if Congress plays along. Their article cites a RAND Corp. analyst as describing the real-estate mogul's expected approach to US arms deliveries as "transactional," meaning it likely would pay little attention to questions over human rights in the recipient country, or second-order strategic effects that may be hard to discern at first.

Immediate business interests should not be allowed to trump America's long-term security and stability objectives.

Similarly, Congress should scrutinize how a Trump White House treats the US relationship with Russia. While cooperation with Putin's Russia is desirable in many respects, a rapprochement animated primarily by a kind of man crush over shared affinities for toughness and strongmanship is sure to leave some key American ideals steamrolled.

When it comes to spending, lawmakers also must pay close attention. Increasing the defense budget does not automatically lead to more security. In fact, a deluge of new money combined with lax oversight could endanger the Defense Department's newfound discipline in reforming its processes toward more combat power at less cost.

Given the fervor of the Trump campaign's rhetoric and his known penchant to punish those he perceives to be disloyal, it may be hard for Republicans to speak their minds on national security matters whenever their views collide with the next president's.

But speak up they must.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

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