Congressman John Rose and staff members were in DeKalb County on Monday and visited several locations including the DeKalb Senior Citizens, Chamber of Commerce, Smithville City Hall, DeKalb County Courthouse, Haven of Hope and the Smithville Review.
Congressman Rose talked about his first time in Congress as a freshman
“As a Republican I am in the minority,” said Rose, “and that probably means more to me at this point, and my fellow Republicans who are in the minority to the typical person who hasn’t been in Congress.
“I say that, because though I’ve heard that, I would not have had the appreciation for it had I not experienced it this past year; that the majority controls what happens in the House of Representatives.
“They set the agenda, they set the schedule of the speaker, and they run the committees. Nothing happens that they don’t want to happen basically. You can introduce legislation, you can talk and you can debate, but the bills that pass are going to be the bills they want to pass.
“That’s frustrating, obviously. I think this is a mistake on part of the Democrat majority that they spent this past year doing two things: one, very publically – pursuing the president. Culminating in the last really major thing we did, which was impeaching the president. It’s so very frustrating to see the amount of time and energy that went into that. They won the mandate to do something, yet they’ve squandered on it.
“Even prior to impeachment becoming a passion or fixation of theirs, the rest of the year they spent passing decidedly partisan legislation, bills, that will never become law. The senate won’t take them up.
“The loss there, in my opinion, is they have the majority, they can control the agenda, they can control the legislation, but if they had been more reasonable about it and provided some more room for compromise, keeping with their numbers of their majority, it might had had some chance of becoming law. If they would have accepted sixty-percent instead of one-hundred percent some of those would have become law. So, essentially they end up squandering the entire year.
“We did fund the government in the days before the Christmas break and we passed the USMA Agreement. Which could have passed last January, but they waited until the third week of December to pass it.
“The Democrats, because of the majority, did achieve some insinuates they wanted in those bills that will become law,” he concluded.
The freshman Congressman was named to one of the most powerful committees in Congress, House Financial Services.
“I feel honored and feel it is good for the folds in the district to know I was able to be appointed to that, one of only a handful of freshman Republicans put on an A Committee,” said Rose. “It is a place from which I can have influence around those issues around the financial services industries – banking, savings and loans, investment regulations and national finance.”
“One of the lessons I’ve taken is that watching our committee function, and to some degree the larger congress function,” he added, “I’m more convinced that I was before I went to Washington, the key to answer to the future is less federal government not more, less federal regulation not more. Because the larger the federal government gets the more intrusive it becomes, the greater the regulations of our lives that we’re faced with from the federal government the worse it is not only for us as individuals but certainly for business industry as well and economic activity and propensity for the country.”
As Congress was set to return yesterday, Jan. 7, the Review asked what was the first thing on the agenda.
“Well, that’s another thing with being a minority,” Rose said, “the majority doesn’t have to tell us what’s coming until they get ready to. That’s been something to get used to – not knowing what your schedule is going to be, in some cases the day before or day of. But I heard on the news that we are apparently going to take up legislation that would try to restrict the president’s job, as commander and chief. Supposedly the Democrats are going to introduce legislation relating to the War Powers Act, and the president’s ability to command the armed forces in response to the recent events in the Middle East.”
To the people of DeKalb County, Congressman Rose wanted to express what an honor it is to represent them.
“I want them to know it’s a great honor and privilege to represent them in the House, the people of the 6th District,” he said. “I and my people are working hard every day to make sure the people of the 6th District, DeKalb County and Smithville are represented well in the halls of Congress. When they need our help in dealing with the government, they should always reach out to our office to let us know what their concerns are.
“We are going to continue to make lots of visits here in the district with local office hours where folks can talk with me or one of the staff,” he concluded.
If you need help with getting a passport, social security benefits, or dealing with the veteran association, as a few, contact Congressman Ross’ office.
Congressman Rose and staff work hard every day to make sure the people in the 6th District get the treatment they deserve from the federal government.
You can contact his office in Cookeville at (931) 854-9430, Gallatin at (615) 206-8204 or in Washington at (202) 225-4231. A representative from his office will visit DeKalb County each month and will be available to talk to one on one. Dates and times will be announced in the Smithville Review and can also be found on his website www.johnrose.house.gov
The Sixth Congressional District includes DeKalb, Cannon, Clay, Coffee, Cumberland, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, White, and Wilson counties as well as portions of Cheatham and Van Buren counties.
