4th District Congressman Trey Gowdy says his first term as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives has been exciting, challenging, and enlightening. In a recent interview with WCRS radio in Greenwood, Gowdy said the life of a lawmaker in the nation’s capital can also be frustrating, especially working within the confines of a politically-divided Congress.
Rep. Trey Gowdy (File)
“The House can do what it’s done. They can pass 70 to 80 bills and send to the Senate, where they collect dust,” he said. ”Until we get both branches of government equally interested in something, it won’t be done. It’s because you have the Senate controlled by one party (Democrats), the House controlled by another (Republicans), and it’s a presidential election year.”
Gowdy, one of four South Carolina GOP freshmen elected to Congress in 2010, has been a staunch critic of the Obama Administration, especially over the handling of Operation “Fast and Furious” by the U.S. Justice Department.
Gowdy says the recent scandals involving the Secret Service and the General Services Administration should not be politicized.
“I’m nor blaming the president for GSA. I’m not blaming the president for the Secret Service scandal,” he said, ”That’s the other part of it. Everyone should be outraged separate and aside from politics. If anything, it ought to bring us together that our money is being wasted.”
Looking ahead to the presidential election, Gowdy says the race between President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney will be a tight battle decided by a couple of important factors. “I think it’s extremely close. I think it will stay close. I think it will come down to women under the age of 50 and about nine swing states.”
Anne Eller of Greenwood affiliate WCRS contributed to this report
