Congressman Chris Stewart urges state-federal cooperation and entitlement reform in House remarks

Congressman Chris Stewart visited the Utah House on Feb. 1 and spoke to members in a Committee of the Whole session about federalism, fiscal pressure in Washington and opportunities for state innovation.

Stewart described himself as "a federalist," saying many problems are best resolved at the state and local level and that states should be a source of innovation for national policy. He asked members to view him as an ally in Washington and pledged to listen to the state's concerns.

On budget matters he addressed sequestration and entitlement reform. In response to Representative Ivory's question about steps states can take, Stewart said the federal political process is fractured and states should prepare to act independently in some areas. On entitlement spending, he said the decision to pursue reforms motivated him to run for Congress: "That's the only reason that I ran," he said, and he argued that reforming programs such as Medicare and Social Security is necessary to avoid insolvency.

Stewart also described bipartisan outreach among House freshmen as a tactic to break gridlock, saying groups of freshmen from both parties are preparing a letter supporting principles for addressing entitlement spending.

The appearance concluded with members thanking the congressman; the House then dissolved the Committee of the Whole and continued floor business.