When Reid Ribble was elected to the United States House of Representatives in the 8th Congressional District in 2010, his intention was to make a difference.
He said he often told his kids that if you don’t like your circumstance in life, your response should be to change it. That was Ribble’s intention when he went to Washington D.C.
“When I went to Washington and saw its dysfunction, how difficult it was to beat down political barriers, I said, ‘What am I doing? How can I control my behavior? How can I be more civil and how can I reach out to anybody in the House that’s willing to be a problem solver,'” Ribble said. “I began to go and seek out problem solvers in both parties and I began to make friends with them. I’m going to continue to work with problem solvers because I don’t care who gets credit. I care about results.”
Ribble is up for re-election in November and said the key issue facing the country is jobs and the economy. He said jobs and the economy is directly related to how government spends money.
“Focusing on jobs and the economy and getting our fiscal house in order is the priority everywhere I go,” Ribble said.
Going forward, Ribble said he plans to continue to work on policies that give “regulatory and tax certainty to business, particularly smaller businesses.”
He said the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act needs to be fixed because it is impacting community banks.
“It was intended to get at the too-big-to-fail banks, but it got into the community banking in the exact same way,” Ribble said. “Entrepreneur startups can’t find money. Sixty-five percent of the jobs in this country are created by small businesses under five years old. If they have no access to capital there is now way they can move forward.”
Ribble said there are several accomplishments he is proud of during the two years he has spent in the United States House of Representatives.
One of the highlights happened in July during the debt ceiling debate.
“The President of the United States invited every single Republican over to the White House to talk about the debt limit,” Ribble said. “The Speaker of the House, John Boehner, asked only five of use to address the President. I was one of those five and the only freshman [representative]. He wanted me to address the President on jobs and the economy. It was quite an honor to be selected.”
Another item Ribble is proud of is The Cut, Cap, and Balance Act he helped author.
“Cut, Cap and Balance was the Republican approach for cutting spending in the first year, capping spending in a downward trajectory in balancing the budget,” Ribble said. “We passed it with bi-partisan support out of the House and the Senate didn’t pass it.”
Ribble also said the passing of a $120 billion highway appropriations bill, which required working with Democrats, was an accomplishment.
“I’m an unusual member of Congress in that when I campaigned two years ago I told people what I would do and I went and did it,” Ribble said. “I said I would be willing to work across the aisle with any member of Congress who would treat me like an adult. I would work in a bi-partisan fashion when we could find agreement. I’ve done that.”
Ribble said his campaign for re-election is going well and that people are enthused wherever he speaks.
“I think it is a very clear choice for the American people, and they will make a decision,” Ribble said. “I think they are going to decide with us, I really do.”