Foxx Tells 'the Story of Promises Made and Promises Broken'

By Ron Fitzwater

Fifth District Congresswoman Virginia Foxx is currently serving her third term in Congress and has landed a

prime appointment to the House Rules Committee, where she has taken on the role as chief speaker on the floor for the committee. The Rules Committee is charged with deciding what legislation goes to the house floor for consideration and under what circumstances the legislation is considered.

This more prominent role has been an interesting change for Foxx, who finds sound bytes of her floor speeches being used more often by national news outlets and her actions in congress lampooned on late night talk shows.

Still, the congresswoman finds her job as rewarding today as when she first took office, even though she finds many aspects of serving under the new Democratic administration frustrating.

Foxx recently took a few minutes between votes on the house floor to talk about her current assignment and about serving in another session in the minority with the Democratic Party now in power in the White House.

"This whole session has been the story of promises made and promises broken," Foxx said about the climate in the House.

"It is a continuation of the last two years of Democratic control of the Congress, and it has been business as usual. "Basically what we are dealing with, is a group that is not spending like drunken sailors, because drunken sailors spend their own money; no, these people are spending our money and putting us, our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren into debt. It is just phenomenal what they are doing," she said

Foxx is not at all convinced that the current administration is dealing with the people honestly or upfront about what they are really doing and said that "[t]he American people were sold a bill of goods and there is nothing there. It's nothing more than a shell game, a scam. In fact, some people are calling it the land of Oz."

With the Democrats wielding so much power in Washington, it is difficult for Republicans, even moderates to get anything done even though the President has said he would be open to honest debate according to the Congresswoman.

"What we are doing is presenting alternatives to everything the Democrats bring up, alternatives which are sound principals. You know the President has made a big show of being bi-partisan and came and met with us [House Republicans], and he said 'I can understand if you disagree with me on principal.' Well, we are disagreeing with him and the Democratically-controlled Congress on principal.

"We know that raising taxes and spending money is not the way to have a good economy and so we are showing ways we can revive the economy using Republican principals, and we do that every day," she said.

Despite the obstacles Foxx sees before her and her fellow Republicans in their minority role, the Congresswoman has been sponsor or co-sponsor on approximately 40 of the 2,600 bills put forth so far, most of which are the alternative legislation.

"It doesn't always make the news, especially when you are in the minority up here, and you get an idea into a major bill when it is passed. Those ideas get into the bills through your input during committee work, but you don't have a bill with your name on it to hang on the wall."

In spite of being in the minority, Foxx is optimistic about the party's future effectiveness.

"We can't be discouraged about our position. Republicans have been in the minority before and they didn't get discouraged. This is an awful lot like the Carter years, and we are hoping it will be another Carter administration one term and out, or like the Clinton years where we took over in 1992," she said.

"In fact, I think we are in the best frame of mind we have been in, in a long time."

Foxx does have a more public face now than in her previous terms, due chiefly to her role with the rules committee. Regular viewers of C-SPAN broadcasts have seen Foxx speaking more on the floor of the House and even former Saturday Night Live comedian turned late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon singled her out during a musical spoof called Slow Jam the News. Foxx treats the newfound celebrity with a dismissive chuckle.

"I didn't know who Jimmy Fallon was until this came out. But we [Republicans] are being encouraged to be involved with the new media, and I use my Blackberry and Twitter and use Facebook, so I love the new media."

Foxx did admit to a fair amount of teasing about the Fallon recognition but said, "I've also gotten a lot of high-fives about it. How in the world he found out about me, I don't know, but it is funny."

To learn more about Virginia Foxx, read current legislation she is involved with and track her committee work click to http://foxx.house.gov/.

The Congresswoman may also be contacted by phone in Washington, DC at (202) 225-2071, in Clemmons at (336) 778-0211 and in Boone at (828) 265-0240. You can also keep up with Foxx by accessing her sites on Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.