Name: Daniel Bunn
Hometown: Greenville, S.C.
Alma Mater: North Greenville University, class of 2009
Age: 30
Occupation: Legislative aide to Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
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Washington Examiner: So when did you join Sen. Lee’s staff, and what exactly do you do on it?
Bunn: About 18 months ago. I advise the senator on financial policy. [Lee is chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights, and vice chairman of the Joint Economic Committee.]
Washington Examiner: Family life?
Bunn: I’m married with two kids and third on the way in June.
Washington Examiner: Is politics what you set out to do?
Bunn: No, not exactly. I have a degree in business administration and a masters in economic policy. For a while I thought I would go into finance. I also thought I might go into ministry. I’m a deacon at my church. I did some short-term missionary work in Budapest. I spent another two years there later doing my graduate work.
Washington Examiner: Rewarding work in Budapest?
Bunn: Oh, yes. I really enjoyed the time there.
Washington Examiner: So then what brought you to Washington?
Bunn: Well, the first time I came was in 2011 to intern on [then-]Sen. Jim DeMint’s staff. The Republicans had just regained control of the House of Representatives so it was an exciting time. It made me realize the impact you can make through policy.
Washington Examiner: One would think that the worlds of ministry and finance do not overlap much.
Bunn: The worlds of finance and ministry absolutely intersect. The most important thing I do as a minister is to help my church and the people in my church manage their affairs.
Washington Examiner: How does that knowledge and experience apply in the world of policy though?
Bunn: One of the biggest things is to have an understanding of how the federal government encroaches on the role of other mediating institutions. Being careful not to let the government crowd out those other groups is an important policy focus for me.
Washington Examiner: What’s a typical day for you like?
Bunn: Well, I have a 45-minute train commute in from BWI. I use that time to get read up and prepared. Most of the day is spent pounding out memos and policy proposals as well as taking meetings. I have a fair amount of freedom, but of course you have to react to what is going on, too.
I like to tell people that my job is one-third projects that I’ve been given that I control, one-third meeting with my boss and his constituents and what my boss tells me to do, and one-third whatever [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell has going on the Senate floor that day or work going on in committees that I focus on.
Washington Examiner: How is Sen. Lee as a boss?
Bunn: Terrific. When we have meetings, he’ll go around and ask everyone what they’re working on at the time. He makes a point of telling everyone how much he appreciates the hard work they are doing. It creates a very positive work environment and makes you feel like you are appreciated.
You have to know what you are doing though — I have to be prepared to debate and discuss constitutional questions with the senator if what I have suggested doesn’t square with his originalist reading of the Constitution. That can be a pretty big challenge for someone who didn’t go to law school.
Washington Examiner: What is the biggest misconception that you have found that people have about working on Capitol Hill?
Bunn: The biggest misconception people have about a job on Capitol Hill is that you are constantly rubbing shoulders with the president.
Washington Examiner: What’s in the future for you? Do you intend to stay in politics?
Bunn: I am very happy where I am right now. I am really open. My wife and I have always talked about ministry overseas again.
