While work continues in Congress as the Presidential Primary advances, U.S. Rep. Phil Roe said much of the work and speculation is focused around the election and plans for the Presidency.
“Speaker (Paul) Ryan has put together six special task forces,” Roe said. The goal of these task forces, Roe said, is to help the Republican party develop plans and goals for a Republican president.
“If we win the White House and we wait until next January to decide what we are going to do, then we won’t get anything done,” Roe said.
One of the special task forces is working on healthcare reform, Roe said. Roe has a seat on this task force and said the group is already working to brainstorm a Republican plan to replace current President Barack Obama’s controversial and often criticized Affordable Care Act.
“I am pleased to see that many of the ideas coming out of this group look a lot like the healthcare reform bill I previously drafted,” Roe said.
Members of Congress are also keeping up with the Presidential primary elections, and are particularly looking toward March 1, also known as Super Tuesday, when voters in 10 states will held to the polls to cast ballots in the Republican and Democrat primary elections.
Roe said he expects voter turnout to be high due to the current political climate and the mind set of voters.
“I think there is a lot of pent-up anger out there about the way this country is going,” Roe said.
So far, polls and primaries have indicated that Donald Trump is the lead candidate for the Republican party.
“Right now it certainly seems like it is Mr. Trump’s to lose, but anything can change in this business,” Roe said, adding he feels Trump may be the current leader in Tennessee’s First Congressional District.
Roe said one thing he would have like to see more out of during this election is a focus on the issues rather than attention-seeking statements.
“I don’t particularly like the political part of this,” Roe said. “I like the policy part.”
To demonstrate his point, Roe referenced the Republican debates and said certain candidates have not articulated what plans they have for office if they are elected or what policies they would like to implement.
“You should have a pretty good idea of what you’re going to do if you are running for President,” Roe said.
Some members of Congress along with state governors have announced endorsements of their favored candidate in recent weeks, but Roe said that is not something that he plans on doing.
“People are well informed and they can make their own minds up about who they want to vote for,” Roe said, adding that with voters able to do their own research on candidates he feels that endorsements don’t carry much weight.
“I don’t mind telling you who I voted for though,” Roe said. “I voted for Marco Rubio.”
“I want to win in 2016,” he added. “I want to win the White House, and I think Marco Rubio can do that.”
Congress is also waiting to see if Obama will attempt to appoint a new justice to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Some members of Congress have said the new appointment should wait until the new president is elected while others have called for an appointment to be made.
Roe said he is not certain any potential appointment would be able to gain Congressional approval.
“I think it would depend on the nominee,” Roe said. “There has only been one time in a lame duck year, and that was decades ago, that a Supreme Court justice has been confirmed. I think it’s unlikely it will happen.”