First District U.S. Rep.-elect Alan Nunnelee is finished with freshman orientation and home for Thanksgiving break.
While in Columbus Monday for Aurora Flight Sciences” introduction of its Orion unmanned aircraft, Nunnelee compared his 10-day introductory trip to Washington to his freshman orientation at college 36 years ago.
“It”s a new environment. I had to learn who my classmates were. I had to learn about the new job, what”s in front of me, the layout of the land, where buildings are, where rooms are,” he said.
Now it”s time to hit the books, where Nunnelee and his fellow conservatives hope to overturn recent health-care reform legislation.
“I”m hoping very early we can pass a repeal of Obamacare,” said the former state senator from Tupelo. “We need to go on the record as saying we want to get it off the books and let the Senate deal with it.”
He”ll also try to bring jobs to the 1st District, just as Aurora plans to do in coming years at it expands its workforce from 60 to more than 200. But Nunnelee says he has no plans to gauge the needs of his participants via phone or e-mail.
“I want to stay very close to the district. I”ll continue to live in the district and work in D.C. That”s the only way you can be an effective voice,” he said. “We”re in the process now of putting our staff together. We know the most important issue facing the district today is jobs. I want to be a part of creating an environment where private industry can invest money and create jobs like we have seen at the Golden Triangle Industrial Park.”
Nunnelee points to the production of the Orion as proof Mississippi can compete with any state or any country for jobs.
“This is state-of-the-art 21st century technology put together by Mississippians. Whether we”re doing that in aerospace in the Golden Triangle or there”s a company relocating from Silicon Valley to DeSoto County, Mississippians can compete. And I”m convinced as we get out of this recession people are going to look to Mississippi because they like what they see here,” he said.
During his time in Washington, Nunnelee was excited to meet the people behind the Republican and tea party victories around the country. He says those new representatives who won election preaching fiscal accountability must now hold themselves to the same standard.
“We spent a lot of time talking about how to remain true to the calling that brought us into the race. We don”t want a repeat of what happened in 1994 when we had a class of real strong members but six to eight years later congress seemed to lose its way. We”ve got a commitment to reduce spending.”
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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