Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Utah's new Republican Rep. Mike Kennedy shared how he is adjusting to his role in Washington.
- Kennedy is focused on immigration, border security and working with Trump's administration.
- He aims to promote Utah's interests while adapting to the federal legislative environment.
WASHINGTON — The first several weeks as a new House member is a turbulent time for all incoming representatives as they seek to staff up their office and learn to navigate the geography of Capitol Hill and the politics of working with hundreds of new colleagues from across the nation.
For Utah's newly sworn-in Republican Rep. Mike Kennedy, his first weeks in office have come with the added complications of a state funeral for late President Jimmy Carter, followed just weeks later by the second inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Kennedy — who was elected in the fall to replace John Curtis in Utah's 3rd Congressional District — has more than a decade of experience in the state Legislature. While that experience has helped him adjust to things in the nation's capital, the relative size of the federal legislative branch far exceeds what he is used to in Salt Lake City.
"I know Utah and its issues well; I've been working those for 10 years in the part-time Legislature," Kennedy said. But, he added: "The magnitude is so much. There's so much more money, so many more people, so much more power, but also so much more inertia to move things forward."
He spoke with KSL.com at his Washington, D.C., office on the sixth floor of the Longworth House Office Building Tuesday. As one of the newest members of the House, he is at the bottom of the seniority list, meaning he is among the last to pick which committees he would like to serve on and which office he works out of.
The magnitude is so much (in Washington). There's so much more money, so many more people, so much more power, but also so much more inertia to move things forward.
–Rep. Mike Kennedy
With Trump taking office for his second presidential term, and Republicans controlling both the House and Senate by narrow margins, Kennedy and the rest of Utah's delegation are focused on helping Trump pass his agenda. Kennedy has specifically hoped to work on immigration and border security issues and praised Trump's executive orders declaring a national emergency at the southern border.
Prior to his election, Kennedy told KSL.com he hoped to find a group of like-minded representatives with whom to begin working on immigration policy. Several weeks into his first term, Kennedy still has that goal on his to-do list,but he is first focused on trying to get to know the names and backgrounds of the 435 lawmakers in the House.
He has dozens of photos of House colleagues pinned up in the closet of his office to help him try to memorize the names and districts of those in the GOP conference.
"Of the 435, if you put them all in front of me, I could probably name 30, maybe, and maybe even tell you some of their wives' names and some of the personal details in their lives," Kennedy said.
"I'm actually really privileged," he added. "Some of these people are amazing people. ... I've been really impressed with the caliber of people that we have."
As he continues to settle into his new role, Kennedy has set up a twin bed — covered in an American flag quilt knitted by one of his former primary care patients — in the small closet of his Washington office to sleep on, reminiscent of former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who famously slept on a cot in his congressional office throughout his time in Congress.
Kennedy has also been impressed by the proximity to powerful politicians in Washington and expressed a "deep inclination" to promote Utah's interests in Congress.
"I feel a deep inclination to want to work for the people of Utah, and the country, to find out how is it that this place works and how are these various people working through this process?" he said. "And how ... do I fit in to try to help it all move forward in a better way — not only for the people of Utah, but for the whole country. ... I believe that this is a place that I can work here and actually be of use."
