{"id":49925,"date":"2020-12-08T15:38:25","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T22:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/from-western-slope-to-capitol-hill-lauren-boebert-prepares-for-new-job\/"},"modified":"2020-12-08T22:38:25","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T22:38:25","slug":"from-western-slope-to-capitol-hill-lauren-boebert-prepares-for-new-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/from-western-slope-to-capitol-hill-lauren-boebert-prepares-for-new-job\/","title":{"rendered":"From Western Slope to Capitol Hill: Lauren Boebert prepares for new job"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"GOP
GOP businesswoman Lauren Boebert said freshmen orientation for newly elected congressional members is at times unproductive. Too much time went to things like educating members-elect on the use of masks and not enough to legislation, she said.<\/span>Hart Van Denburg\/CPR News file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Walking to the rotunda in the Cannon House Office Building, incoming Rep. Lauren Boebert said she\u2019s trying to share her experience in Washington with her four sons back in Rifle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI FaceTime my kids just about every day. I take them on walks with me. I show them the Capitol buildings and we talk about the different areas we\u2019re passing through. They\u2019re very excited,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Western Slope Republican has spent the past few weeks in new member orientation, a rite of passage that is often their first real taste of being a member of Congress. It covers everything from the practical (like how to sponsor and advance a bill) to the mundane (figuring out the maze of hallways and tunnels that make up the U.S. Capitol complex) to the fun (like mingling with the other incoming freshmen).<\/p>\n

Boebert, a political newcomer who ran a restaurant before winning the race to represent Colorado\u2019s sprawling 3rd Congressional District, was underwhelmed by the orientation itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean really, if I\u2019ve learned anything, it\u2019s that the federal government does a great job at wasting money,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely been some value in some of these meetings, but I feel like it could have been a lot more productive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like most things, the pandemic has thrown a wrench into orientation. It was longer than past years, the schedule was in constant flux, and some traditions \u2013 like the freshman class photo \u2013 had to be postponed until the new year.<\/p>\n

Boebert thinks too much time went to things like educating members-elect on the use of masks \u2013 something she notes the news media already does \u2013 and not enough to legislation. Boebert herself made national news during orientation by asking Capitol Police about congressional rules for carrying a gun here.<\/p>\n

She said the best part of her first weeks on the Hill have been the opportunities to get to know her colleagues among the other new representatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a dynamic freshmen class and they are also inspiring.\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re also encouraging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boebert is part of a new crop of conservative women who won in November, helping the 117th Congress set a record for both the total number of women serving and the largest number of Republican women ever in the House.<\/p>\n

Boebert said the new Republican and Democratic members talk policy and bill proposals, asking each other what they want to do and what they want to accomplish.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally it comes down to: if there was one simple answer, it would have been done. If everyone had it figured out, they would be doing it. So right now, collectively, we\u2019re all sharing ideas and seeing how to best direct those ideas next year in Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n

She thinks the slim Democratic majority means people will have to deal, and that could help Republicans be productive \u201cbecause we don\u2019t need too many people to come across the aisle to actually get some work done.\u201d On the campaign trail, though, Boebert stressed she wasn\u2019t coming to Washington to compromise.<\/p>\n

\"Representative-elect
Representative-elect Lauren Boebert was in Washington, D.C., over the last few weeks for new member orientation, learning the ins and outs of being a member of Congress.<\/span>Caitlyn Kim\/CPR News file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

For now, Boebert is focused on practical things, such as getting up to speed by doing a lot of reading and setting up her office (She was 11th in the office lottery and will set up shop in Longworth, and not in the basement). She is also getting her staff together and said she\u2019s hired \u201ca great team,\u201d one that she expects to announce soon.<\/p>\n

Boebert also used her first weeks to lay down a marker with Republican leadership on committee assignments. She\u2019s hoping for seats on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has broad jurisdiction, and the House Natural Resources Committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want (leadership) to know that I have a goal and this is where I want to be for my district,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Although she does acknowledge that it might be a tough sell; not a lot of freshmen make it onto Energy and Commerce, and Colorado already has one member sitting on both committees, the dean of the delegation, Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette.<\/p>\n

Those committees have a lot of power over one big industry in the 3rd Congressional District \u2013 fossil fuel development. Joining them would help with where Boebert\u2019s policy focus is: continued energy independence and to pursue, as President Donald Trump puts it, energy dominance.<\/p>\n

Colorado\u2019s oil and gas sector has been hit hard by the pandemic, as energy consumption has slowed. Boebert wants to see those jobs rebound.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my restaurant, when there\u2019s mud to clean up off the floor, that means that things are going really well because our energy industry is doing so great,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Besides DeGette, fellow representatives Democrat Joe Neguse and Republican Doug Lamborn are also currently members of the Natural Resources committee.<\/p>\n

The Colorado delegation has a chummy reputation in Congress. The Republicans and Democrats might disagree on policy but they generally get along personally and work together on issues specific to the state.<\/p>\n

Boebert will be new to that mix. She tweeted in November that she hopes the delegation will work together to help keep the Bureau of Land Management headquarters in Grand Junction. While she campaigned with Republican Ken Buck this summer and has met with Lamborn, she has yet to talk with Colorado\u2019s Democratic members, at least one of whom called her after her win but didn\u2019t hear back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have some meetings that are currently on my schedule to speak with them and connect with them and see how we can work together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Gov. Jared Polis\u2019 office confirmed he has spoken with Boebert.<\/p>\n

As she prepares to take office in January, one thing that\u2019s not high on her priority list right now is a COVID-19 stimulus bill. She said that\u2019s something the current Congress should work on.<\/p>\n

Even if that happens, the incoming Biden administration is expected to try to get more stimulus bills through next year. Boebert is skeptical of that idea, believing that loosening restrictions will do more to help the economy than passing federal legislation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Gov. Jared Polis needs to do more and let us reopen our state and get back to business,\u201d she said. \u201cThat is the best stimulus package, letting us do our jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boebert isn\u2019t willing yet to talk about how she might work with, or against, Biden\u2019s White House; she said she believes the presidential race is still unresolved and said as much to Trump that when she met with him recently at the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him, I want President Trump to use every bit of authority that he has to make sure that every legal vote was counted, only,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Trump campaign has not shown any evidence of widespread voter fraud or any fraud of any amount that could change the outcome of the race \u2013 a Biden win.<\/p>\n

Boebert said she was able to call her boys on her way out of the Oval Office; she said they were thrilled.<\/p>\n

For more stories from Colorado Public Radio, visit www.cpr.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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