Rep. Lynn Jenkins never aspired to a life in politics growing up on a Kansas dairy farm. Instead, her aspirations were focused on a profession likely off the minds of most kids — accounting. But an early career as a small-town CPA, coupled with a lifelong passion for volunteerism and Republican principles, provided a path that eventually made her the House’s second highest-ranking Republican woman.
As the House Republican Conference’s vice chairwoman, Jenkins, who was re-elected to the post this month for a second term, is the fifth highest-ranking member of the chamber’s GOP hierarchy. She also is the 25th woman in history to hold a leadership position in either chamber of Congress, a feat she achieved in 2013 after only four years on Capitol Hill.
The rising GOP star and sixth-generation Kansan, who represents most of the state’s eastern quarter, spoke with the Washington Examiner about her unexpected life in Congress, her hopes for a quiet lame-duck session, the role of women in her party and her membership in the Congressional Small Brewers Caucus. The following is a lightly edited version of the conversation.
Examiner: Republicans will control both chambers of Congress for at least the next two years while a Democratic president is in the White House. On the surface, this would appear to be a recipe for gridlock. So, what can Congress do to ensure that meaningful legislation gets passed and is signed by the president?
Jenkins: We would like to start with a lot of the work we’ve already done in the House. There are over 350 bills that passed in the House that died or are awaiting action in the Senate — 98 percent of those passed with bipartisan support, and half of them passed unanimously. And 55 of those bills were offered by Democrats. So, holy smokes, if the president wouldn’t consider starting with those 350 bills, I’d just be shocked.
Examiner: You have introduced legislation to prevent the House from passing major legislation during a lame-duck session. So, now that we’re in a lame duck until the end of the year, what do you hope gets accomplished, if anything?
Jenkins: A lot of these people are no longer accountable to the folks they represent — they’ve either announced their retirement or they’ve lost in a re-election, and so, I think just the bare minimum needs to happen in the lame duck. I would assume we’ll pass a [continuing resolution] to fund the government into next year, when the new Congress can be seated, and then do it the right way and pass appropriations bills. I would imagine tax extenders would be a must-do between now and the end of the year. There’s just going to be a short list, in my view of things, that will need to be dealt with in a lame duck.
Examiner: Looking ahead to January and beyond, what at are your goals — both for the party and personally — for the new Congress?
Jenkins: I think there’s just growing anxiety, for people here in Kansas and across the nation, whether it’s household incomes that are stubbornly flat and with the nation facing threats from multiple fronts, and so I think we have a lot of work to do. I don’t know if Congress can single-handedly turn the economy around, but if you take up these bipartisan bills we passed this session, the ones that are aimed at helping the economy, I think they are a sensible approach, and that’s the obvious first step. We’ve talked a lot about the Keystone pipeline, restoring the 40-hour work week, encouraging more businesses to hire veterans — those are all things that have bipartisan support and, I think, could be easily accomplished. [House] Speaker [John] Boehner has laid out a five-point plan — fixing the tax code, solving the spending issue, legal system reforms, regulatory reforms and education. So, I think we’ll have a renewed focus on those particular areas as well.
Examiner: The House Republican Conference has been criticized over the years for being too male-dominated, particularly at the leadership level. But this Congress, the conference’s top two officials are women — with Cathy McMorris Rodgers serving as chairwoman and you as vice chairwoman. Do you think the party has gotten a bad rap of being too male-centric?
Jenkins: I don’t think [some people] have recognized the fact that, yeah, the top three in the conference — Virginia Foxx is our secretary — are all women. Sad that that story doesn’t get told, because Republicans appreciate the need for diversity and I think they’ve proven that by electing some folks that represent that — certainly females.
Examiner: Is there still room for improvement within the GOP for providing more opportunities for women in its ranks?
Jenkins: There are always opportunities. I’m always a fan of the best person getting the job. Sometimes women unfortunately need a little extra push. I’m embarrassed to say that I had to be asked to run for office. But I tease with my guy friends a lot that it seems like, to us women, that men just wake up one morning, look in the mirror and say, “Gosh, I am so good, I’m going to run for Congress.” And women just don’t do that. … We have worked — [GOP Reps.] Ann Wagner, Renee Ellmers, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Diane Black, several others — worked really heard this year to recruit some strong females. And we’ve had some success at the ballot box, and we’ll just continue to make that a priority.
Examiner: You became vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference in only your third term. How did that come about? Did you actively seek the job, or did leadership suggest you run?
Jenkins: I decided that one on my own. I just felt that it was important that we [as House Republican women] stopped complaining. I remember vividly a conference call we had with the speaker one time in my second term, and a female was on the phone complaining that the women were not being given enough opportunities. And I remember him saying at the time, “Well, how about you run for something, then?” And that really struck a chord with me. Nothing should be handed to any of us. If we want to be part of the decision-making process, if we want to lead — and most of us do, that’s why we ran for office, to save the world — then, by golly, just step up.
Examiner: When did you first think about getting involved in politics?
Jenkins: We grew up with our parents telling us to get involved. [They would say] “You can’t complain about something unless you’re willing to make it better.” They were always involved. They started an Optimist Club, they were involved in the church, and they would always walk in parades and hand out literature for whoever the Republican candidates were that year. And I remember as a kid walking in the Jackson County 4-H Day parade with sandwich boards for Bob Dole. It was just part of what you did for your community. And I continued that as an adult. And I helped support Republican candidates when they were up for re-election. And some of the friends I made doing that one day called and announced that my state representative was retiring and [had] I ever thought about running for office? And, of course, I had never, ever thought about it. But my kids were getting ready to start school … and so I decided to run. … And, of course, a few years back, we found ourselves being represented by a Democrat in this district in Congress and [I] was asked if I would run for Congress. So here I am.
Examiner: How about down the road? Do you want to become the first Republican woman speaker?
Jenkins: I’m just taking one day at a time.
Examiner: How long do you think you’ll stay in Congress?
Jenkins: I don’t intend on making a career out of this. I’ll try to get some things done on tax reform. As a tax practitioner, that’s obviously something near and dear to my heart, and I think we’re getting very close to that with the dynamics of this Congress. Maybe we can get that done. But I’m not going to be in Washington for decades.
Examiner: You’re also a member of the Congressional Small Brewers Caucus. Those caucus meetings must be fun.
Jenkins: I don’t drink but I’m fascinated by [this] growing industry. And I represent Lawrence, Kansas, which is really a hot spot for these small labels that are popping up and are incredibly popular. It’s been fun watching that industry grow right here in Kansas — people wouldn’t even suspect that.
Examiner: Speaking of Lawrence, you attended Kansas State University. But the congressional district you represent includes Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas. So can one cheer for both the KU Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats?
Jenkins: We both love each other. We always root for the other team, except that one day in the fall and a couple of days in the winter when they’re playing each other. And nobody likes a phony, so I think everyone knows where my heart is on those particular days. But on every other day, Rock Chalk [Jayhawks]!
