GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – “How do you get congress back to basics and make it a place where people want to serve?”
U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher says the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump could have a long-lasting negative impact on the overall political environment.
“I am tired of all of the food fights and all the name-calling, and I am just like, why can’t you guys get anything done?”
Gallagher says what is happening right now is bad for future legislative governments.
“The overall political environment and the distortion of the institution of congress will make it very hard to get good people to step forward and serve in congress in the future.”
One fear he has is that people will no longer want to run for congress in the future because everything would hinge on the presidential election.
“We are going to go further down the road of putting all of our eggs in the presidential basket where everything hinges on the presidential election and people no longer want to run for congress and serve in the legislature which is supposed to be the dominant branch of government.”
He says he feels the weakening of legislative abilities will make it less attractive for future candidates to run.
“It has just become a platform for people to get famous. A chance to get on cable news and either defend the president or criticize the president.”
However, Gallagher did confirm that he plans to run for re-election in 2020.
“I am running again, but I am going to treat this like a deployment and not a career. I am not going to be in congress for 20 years,” Gallagher said. “While somethings that happen drive me crazy and while I am doing my best to deal with what is going on in Washington DC which is crazy and is a swamp, it is service, it is what can I do to serve and I want to keep doing that for a little longer.”
