Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Rep. Celeste Maloy emphasizes the strong influence of Utah's congressional delegation in Washington.
- Maloy highlights committee roles and collaboration with state and federal officials on policy.
- Rep.-elect Mike Kennedy aims to uphold limited government principles and address key issues.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's federal delegation is laying the groundwork ahead of the next congressional session in January and that means new committee assignments, a few new colleagues and a need to start off on the same page.
Rep. Celeste Maloy is learning a lot through the process, she shared during her appearance on PBS Utah's "The Hinckley Report." Maloy, who worked for former Rep. Chris Stewart's office, won the special election for the 2nd District in 2022 and was elected to her first full term in November.
Maloy navigates new committee roles
Currently, Maloy is on the House committees for Transportation and Infrastructure, and Small Business, but she wouldn't say what panels she's vying for.
"Those were committees that had openings when I got there in the middle of the Congress. I am working on getting onto committees that I think are really important for Utah's priorities," the Utah congresswoman said. "But I don't want to jinx anything."
"I've never done this before, but I know the steering committee makes all of those assignments," she said.
The congresswoman explained that Utah's congressional lawmakers are well-positioned and have sway over this influential panel. A regional representative from different parts of the country is elected to this assignment panel.
"Our region is Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Oregon. Arizona has six votes, and then the other three states combined have six votes, and yet, Burgess Owens managed to get elected to be our regional rep on the steering committee, which is great news for Utah," Maloy said. Rep. Blake Moore, the vice chair of the Republican Conference who represents Utah's 1st District, also has a vote on the committee since he is in leadership.
"We say all the time at the federal level that Utah punches above its weight, but we really are positioning ourselves to punch well above our weight," she said.
Utah delegation prepares for new congressional session
Former Rep. Ben McAdams, a Democrat who represented Utah's 4th Congressional District, said the steering committee will go through some changes to establish a Republican majority. Members consider several factors when lobbying for an assignment, like their skills, background, and most importantly, issues that are important to the state they represent.
He noted that "Utah always wants to have somebody on natural resources because so much of our land is controlled by the federal government." For the upcoming congressional cycle, Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee announced he will be the next chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
McAdams, who was on the science committee so he could advocate for the University of Utah, a tier 1 research center, said the Education Committee is another priority for the Beehive State, and Owens, who represents the 4th District, is jockeying to be the chair of that panel.
Maloy added that Utah's state and federal elected officials were well coordinated on education policy. The state Legislature passed bills that ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs in universities last year. To solidify this policy win, Owens introduced a bill in Congress that would prohibit college accreditors from requiring college professors to include topics like diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory.
"If the state's telling universities you can't do this, the federal government's telling them you have to, it puts universities in a bind where they don't know how to follow the law," Maloy said. But with a well-coordinated state and federal government, "we can have policies that make sense, so people know when they're following the law," she added.
What Mike Kennedy is hoping to accomplish
Rep.-elect Mike Kennedy brings his experience and connections from his time as a state senator to his role in Congress. He met with Maloy, Moore, Owens, Kennedy, Sen.-elect John Curtis, and Sen. Mike Lee in recent weeks to talk about what's next.
Alongside a picture of the meeting he released on the social platform X, Kennedy, who will represent Utah's 3rd District, wrote he is committed to collaborating with the team and promised to uphold the principles of limited government.
"In the next Congress, we have a lot to accomplish: from making the Trump tax cuts permanent and making life more affordable for families to securing our border and restoring common sense in Washington," he wrote.
Maloy said she thinks "it's really going to be helpful to have him be part of the federal delegation." The goal is to work with each other effectively, whether it's on issues related to public lands or education.
"Republicans are going to have a lot of influence in Washington, D.C., for the next two years," the GOP congresswoman said. "Utah is a very red state, and sometimes when Republicans have a lot of these things lined up, we start fighting with each other, and we've got to be really careful not to do that."
Correction: An earlier version said Lee will be the next chairman of the Senate Energy and National Resources Committee but should have said the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
