Some say seniority is everything in Washington. And I have none. In 2008, I asked the voters of Utah to trade in 12 years of seniority to take a chance on someone new. It was a hard sell.
Some say seniority is everything in Washington. And I have none. In 2008, I asked the voters of Utah to trade in 12 years of seniority to take a chance on someone new. It was a hard sell.
A year ago this week I packed up my cot and flew to Washington for freshman orientation. It was my first chance to meet fellow members of the freshman class. It's a fascinating experience to realize that someone in the class could potentially be a future speaker of the House, while someone else may serve two years and never come back.
At the House Republican strategy session in January, I stood before the Republican Conference and said, "I am your worst nightmare." It was a figure of speech, of course, but my point was that our campaign helped change the political equation for winning elections.
In reality, there's a lot more to serving in Congress than simply voting on the House floor. There are plenty of tasks -- technically optional -- that are essential for someone who wants to do this job well.
Amid charges of incivility, lying and even racism, the health care debate has gotten nasty. Although many Americans voted for this president, they seem to have doubts about his health care ideas.
Fundamentally at its core, I simply disagree with the president.
As a candidate for Congress two years ago, I spent my summer on the phone.
This July brought a very pleasant first experience -- my first Fourth of July holiday as a member of Congress.
If you ask each of the 435 members of the House of Representatives whether they believe in cutting government waste, I'm willing to bet they'll all say yes.
I knew when I ran for Congress that fighting would be part of the job description. I came here to fight for what I believe in, to fight to be heard and to fight for the interests of the people I serve. The problem is, so did everyone else.
As a freshman in the minority party, I have to work hard and work smart if I want to get legislation passed. I'm in the very familiar position of having the odds stacked against me.
I spent a week during the congressional recess in the presence of true heroes -- men and women serving in our armed forces who live in the war zone, fight the enemy, risk their lives and depend on our support.
On April 1, I got ambushed by Democrats. Upon returning from the House floor, I found that my living quarters in my office had been sabotaged by staffers of Rep. Jared Polis.
I came to Washington, DC, for one reason -- to represent Utah to Washington. When I'm in our nation's capital, I am a voice for the people of Utah. But when I come home, it's their voices I want to hear. I want to be there to listen to frustrations, but also to celebrate successes.
The United States Congress inhabits a very different world than the one I came from.
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