GOP Freshmen Reflect on a Rough 100 Days
Today, freshmen congressmen mark their first one hundred days in office. FF surveyed the newly elected Republicans on the first days on Capitol Hill.
Today, freshmen Congressmen mark their first one hundred days in office. So what have they learned over their first hundred days?
FrumForum surveyed freshman Congressmen to track down the answer, and was told about a drug bust, how Congress is both like a dental practice and watching baseball, how to say no to a more senior colleague, and how many people it takes to set up a television in a Capitol Hill office.
“I knew coming in here that Washington, D.C.… was dysfunctional. I just didn’t realize how dysfunctional and broken down it really was,” said Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ1).
To illustrate the problem with bureaucracy in Washington, Gosar tells FrumForum that it took seven groups of workers to get a television working in his office. “I was just mesmerized by that,” said Gosar. “That goes to my saying how broken the system is.”
Many freshmen echoed this note, expressing how surprised they were at the problems in D.C. – that they arrived expecting trouble – and found even worse.
But Congressman Ben Quayle (R-AZ3) learned a notable lesson far from Washington, D.C.: near the U.S.-Mexico border on a visit with Senator John McCain and other members of the Arizona delegation.
“Just an hour before we got to the Douglas port of entry, border agents pulled over a car with a young woman and her child and confiscated over 200 pounds of marijuana,” Quayle told FrumForum. “It was a striking reminder of how far we have to go to secure our borders.”
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA3) tells FrumForum that she was taken aback by some aspects of the culture of Congress – some of which she says needs to change. “A more senior member of my party approached me with a bill and demanded, ‘Here, sign this,’” she said. “Having not read the bill and having no idea what was in it, I told him, ‘Thanks for your interest, but if I haven’t read it, I’m not signing it.’”
On the other hand, Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI8) pointed out to FrumForum how much clout the freshman class has developed with the Republican leadership. “Most surprising has been my interactions with GOP Leadership. I think I was expecting to be told how to vote. In fact, I was surprised to learn it was just the opposite – they wanted the freshman class’ input on what we thought about legislative priorities and they never once told me how to vote,” said Ribble.
Perhaps the most common experience for freshmen Congressmen over the first hundred days was how hectic it was.
“The biggest surprise has been learning to juggle an incredibly hectic schedule. I knew that I would be busy, but when you serve on three committees and six subcommittees, time management takes on a whole new meaning,” said Congressman Quayle.
“I think being a dentist actually prepared me pretty well for this. In my dental office we were scheduled in ten minute increments, just like we are here. The problem is that instead of three or four chairs, you’ve got a thousand chairs,” said Rep. Gosar.
Part of the blame for the frenzied pace can likely be laid at the feet of late meeting participants. “As a businessman, if I had a 10 am meeting, I'd show up at 9:45 and we'd begin. Meetings started and ended on time. In Congress, people who show up 10 minutes late are considered "early", as the trains never seem to run on time here,” Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH16).
And yet there is a sort of order to the madness. Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR1) was surprised at how orderly things were in the House compared to what one might expect.
“The most surprising thing is the high degree of organized chaos. When you watch votes on C-SPAN you don’t get the full picture. It’s kind of like watching a Major League Baseball game on TV. There is a lot that goes on between innings that you don’t see when you’re there in person. Despite the chaos on the House Floor, it’s all really quite ordered,” he said.
Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA3) pointed out that his staff has been the key to his survival through the first hundred days. “There is a steep learning curve that requires having a dedicated and passionate staff, which we have, to steer you through a sometimes seemingly overwhelming set of expectations,” he said.
But even with the many lessons learned over the last few months, a common refrain amongst freshmen Republican members was that there is still much work left to do.
“The whole first four months have been interesting – and sobering. I knew we had a fiscal problem when I ran for Congress, but only when I got here did I learn how bad it was. Cutting funding to programs, some are programs that I like, isn’t enjoyable. But cutting spending and taking us off a trajectory to bankruptcy is what must be done right now,” said Herrera Beutler.
“The challenges facing our country are great but we are making headway in reducing spending and creating jobs. For years Washington has been on a deficit spending binge but those days are hopefully over,” said Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD).
Add Tim on twitter: www.twitter.com/timkmak
Tweet