Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick was sworn to the 119th Congress in Friday with his parents by his side.
The Republican congressman took the oath for his fifth term serving Bucks County and part of Montgomery County in the nation’s capitol. He serves the First Congressional District and a seat previously held by his late brother, Mike.
As he has in past opening days of congress, Fitzpatrick introduced a number of pieces of legislation that he believes will improve government and restore trust.
The congressman proposed measures to preserve the U.S. Senate filibuster through a constitutional amendment, create term limits of six terms for the U.S. House and two terms for the U.S. Senate, require single-issue legislation and codify that laws passed must apply to members of Congress, end Congressional pensions, stop pay for members if a budget fails to pass or appropriations lapse, requires a balanced budget for the federal government, open primary elections to independent and non-affiliated voters, end U.S. residents who are not citizens from voting in state and local elections, move redistricting to “nonpartisan commissions,” make changes to election laws and standardize election procedures, require photo ID for voting in federal elections, and establish election day as a federal holiday.
“These reforms transcend partisan divides and strike at the core of what our country needs: leaders who are accountable, institutions that are transparent, and a renewed trust in our democracy,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement on his website. “By working together—Republicans and Democrats alike—we can rebuild faith in our government and set a stronger course for our future.”
A Pew survey from spring found that 22 percent of Americans trust the federal government to do the right thing, a slight increase from 2023. The survey also found that seven in 10 Americans reported an unfavorable outlook on Congress.
Fitzpatrick, a former FBI special agent, earned 261,390 votes in the 2024 election against Democratic challenger Ashley Ehasz, who gained 202,042 votes.
Fitzpatrick voted to reappoint Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to the job. Some Republicans in the first round of voting did not support Johnson.
The multi-term legislator enters a new Congress with a Republican majority and President-elect Donald Trump, who endorsed Fitzpatrick in 2020, preparing to be sworn in on January 20.
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican, was sworn in Friday by Vice President Kamala Harris with his wife, Dina, their daughters, and his parents watching. The freshman senator was escorted through the U.S. Senate chamber by Vice President-elect and U.S. Sen. JD Vance.
“I’d like to thank the people of Pennsylvania for giving me the opportunity to lead,” McCormick said in a statement. “There is no higher honor than to serve my friends and neighbors as a United States Senator, and I plan to shake up Washington to deliver results on behalf of every Pennsylvanian.”
McCormick won the election last November and ousted longtime Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.
McCormick was given assignments on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Energy and Natural Resources, Foreign Relations, Special Committee on Aging, and Joint Economic committees.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, is the state’s other representative in the upper chamber.
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