Interview: One-on-One with Congressman Jody Hice

“There’s not a single one of us who has not made mistakes in our lives, and we have a number of people who were in jails and prisons that made mistakes that they regret.”

Congressman Jody Hice has represented Georgia’s 10th Congressional District since 2014. The Congressman joined us around this time last year to discuss priorities important to him. He joins Merion West editor Erich Prince for a conversation about some of the same priorities he outlined in 2018, including cutting back on federal waste and finding points of agreements with those on the other side of the aisle. This year, the discussion also included the issue of illegal immigration, the FIRST Step Act, and his membership in the House Freedom Caucus.

Congressman, good afternoon. Happy to have you back. Last year, we spent some time discussing the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act, which I understand has been a priority for you and Congressman Elijah Cummings. For one, it’s a notable recent instance of bipartisanship, and it also speaks more broadly to the issue of cutting down, in many people’s minds, federal waste. Could you speak about other areas, in addition to allowances to former presidents, where we might reduce waste in the federal government?

That particular bill was marked up out of committee yesterday, so I’m really excited. Chairman Cummings was very supportive of it, and I’m excited to see where that bill will go. Hopefully, the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act will cross the finish line this year. We’ve had a lot of help from Senator Joni Ernst, and we’re glad for that.