NE WISCONSIN (WTAQ-WLUK) – It’s been more than a month since Republican businessman Tony Wied was elected to represent Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District.
Wied was officially sworn in at the nation’s capital on Nov. 12.
As the Brown County native has been getting settled into his role in Washington, FOX 11 was able to talk with him about the transition.
Wied says it’s been quite the transition.
“I went to St. Norbert College right in the district, I’ve always lived in Brown County and never lived away from there,” said Wied. “You know, I tend to come out last minute and get to Washington, I’m flying days and then I come back home once our final votes are done.”
He’s started to settle in at his office in Washington, D.C., even ensuring that everyone who stops by knows which NFL team he roots for, with a Green Bay Packers area rug.
Wied takes over a seat that sat vacant since April, after Republican Mike Gallagher’s resignation.
The first-time congressman says he’s had numerous conversations with both Gallagher, and a fellow Republican who held the seat prior to Gallagher, Reid Ribble.
“I think it’s important to have those good relationships and to, you know, just to understand what it was like when they were there, certainly asking for advice on things, you know as it relates to offices or, you know, just a variety of things,” said Wied.
A major issue Wied is eager to find solutions for is the economy.
A recent report from the U.S. Labor Department shows wholesale costs increased last month by nearly half a percentage point, showing that some pressures remain.
Wied believes there should be less government spending to combat inflation.
“It comes from, again, reckless spending and finding efficiencies and I’m very excited about the DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) initiatives with Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, and really looking forward to leaning into that,” said Wied.
However, some Democrats are wary of what the Department of Government Efficiency could mean.
“How important is that for you to have those relationships across the aisle to get things done,” FOX 11’s Andrew Mertins asked Wied.
“You do have to have those relationships and again, I look forward to continuing to build those,” he responded. “You may not even agree with the person on much, if anything as it relates to policy. But, I think we all agree that we want to do what’s best for this country.”
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