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Newly elected GOP Rep. Derek Schmidt told Fox News Digital that DOGE’s efforts will be critical in the upcoming Congress and explained why he’s optimistic Republicans will be on the same page in January to move forward. President-elect Trump schedule
“It’s not business as usual anymore,” Schmidt, elected in November to represent Kansas’ 2nd congressional district, told Fox News about the impact of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as the two lobbied against a 1,500-page continuing resolution being debated in the House that was opposed by some conservatives as containing too much “pork.”
“Look, that was the primary message from voters last November. They want us to move forward on some of these issues, and we’re not going to move forward by continuing to do the same things and expecting a different result. So, you know, it’s going to be messy. It’s going to be tumultuous, but that’s what it takes to get this country back.”
Schmidt told Fox News Digital that the DOGE reforms are part of what Trump did.
‘NO CHOICE’: LEADERS DOGE RALLY HOUSE CONSERVATIVES AGAINST OVER 1,500-PAGE ‘PIG PARTY’
Former Kansas AG Derek Schmidt will represent Kansas’ 2nd District in Congress in January (Getty Images)
“This is what President Trump promised. This is what many of us ran for. And this is what I at least intend to be a part of achieving,” Schmidt said.
“So anything that helps put the genie back in the bottle, that helps us move back in the direction of this, you know, this federal system, this remarkable system of self-government that we’re give our founders and that we’ve drifted so far from, especially since the New Deal, I think it’s something that I want to be a part of trying to help fix that I want to leave this country better for my children than the I found, and this it won’t be true if we don’t get a handle on runaway federal spending. And at that, the grotesque federal bureaucracy that’s not accountable to the voters.”
Despite a net loss of two seats in the 435-member House in November, Republicans will hold a slim 220-215 majority when the new Congress convenes next month, giving them a razor-thin margin for error as they try to advance Trump’s agenda.
Schmidt told Fox News Digital that he expects some “dissension” in the next Congress, which he called “the nature of Democratic self-government,” but says he’s confident Republicans will come together on the big issues.
“I think we’re going to get the president’s agenda passed, look, I think a couple of things are true. First, as I’ve gotten to know my incoming classmates in the House and as I’ve talked to the current members of the House, there seems to be a broad sense that everybody knows we have to comply,” said Schmidt, who served as Kansas attorney general for more than a decade.
“We have this trifecta, called, that the voters gave us. They trusted us to do what we said we were going to do, and everyone, even if they have different points of agreement, understands that we have to deliver, and that means that we have to find ways to be together.”
Current Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt delivers his ‘Stump’ speech during the gubernatorial debate at the Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson, Kansas, September 8, 2018
Schmidt continued: “Number two. What’s different now, you know, a few times in the past when things have lined up, is that we have a strong Republican president. President Trump pulled no punches. He was very clear about the direction of the campaign. He wants to take the country, the kinds of policies he wants to enact, and the voters approve of that, not just a victory in the Electoral College, not just a victory for him on the ballot. popular, but also with the trifecta to help do that because we don’t have to figure out what the agenda is. We have to listen to what the voters said with the election of President Trump, what he articulated on behalf of the voting. to be together and deliver results.”
After winning both Electoral College and the popular vote, Schmidt told Fox News Digital that it’s clear that Trump has a “mandate” from the American people and that House Republicans understand that a shutdown in Congress is not going to be something voters are comfortable with. conform
“I think the voters knew what they were choosing and they made that decision and I also think it’s very important, you know, to keep in line what I think was the main message, which is to do something, to move forward on these issues.” , Schmidt said.
“If we don’t like it as an electorate, if we don’t like what you’ve done, we’re going to judge it two years, four years, six years down the road. But do something. This sort of stalemate of achieving very little. is a way unacceptable to lead the greatest nation on earth And so I think that sense is fairly accepted among at least most of us who enter public office, and we have the spirit to come together and act.”
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President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Fox News Digital asked Schmidt what he looks forward to most about serving in Congress, and he expressed his excitement about participating in what he called the “extraordinary experiment” in American governance.
“No, I don’t mean to sound like Mr. Smith is going to Washington, but there is some element of truth in the idea that each of us who are allowed to represent a group of Americans have a chance to be part of it. of this extraordinary experiment in self-government that still continues despite all its warts and imperfections,” Schmidt said.
“Many people who came before us paid a great price at great personal expense to make this country what it is today. We have the opportunity, those of us who serve, myself included, to be a part of rewriting or writing the next chapter in American history And I get excited every morning when my public service ends, whether it’s in two years, ten years, or at some point, I want to be able to look back and say, I. I left America better from what I found and so little people have this opportunity and I will never lose sight of what has been entrusted to me.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
