A revolving door
By now, I suspect you are just as aggravated by the inaction in Congress on critical issues like climate change, reproductive health care, affordability — and a revolving door of funding deadlines and extensions. The rule of the Chaos Caucus has had a real, tangible impact on everyday Americans, but despite all reason they seem comfortable with that in favor of political grandstanding.
Voting out their Speaker and replacing him with another ineffective leader, expelling one of their members, stoking culture wars, attacking reproductive health care, and failing to get their act together long enough to pass a comprehensive funding package is not exactly the leadership I am looking for in Congress.
Unlike my MAGA extremist colleagues, my work in Congress and at home here in Washington is grounded in a lifelong commitment to getting real things accomplished for our community.
I was born and raised in Northwest Washington, attended public schools, and worked my way through college at Pacific Lutheran University. As the son of a union power line worker and a mom who managed the books while raising eight kids, I learned early in life the value of a dollar and the importance of hard work. With that many siblings, working together was a necessity and finding common ground was just part of growing up.
As an adult, I know that some folks and I may not always agree, but I will always listen respectfully, work to understand their views, and find places where we share values and priorities. Because feedback is important — even if someone is just there to tell me in no uncertain terms that they disagree with my priorities.
To me, that is at the heart of what it means to live in a democracy.
Rick
