WASHINGTON—Indiana’s third district will soon have representation in Congress.
Marlin Stutzman is scheduled to be sworn in to the House of Representatives Tuesday and officially take over the seat vacated by former Rep. Mark Souder.
On Monday, Stutzman joined more than 90 other freshman lawmakers on Capitol Hill to kick off an intense week of training. But because his congressional duties begin Tuesday, Stutzman doesn’t have a lot of time to soak everything in.
“This is not a time to come to D.C. to be enamored with the process,” said Stutzman. “We have a lot of work to do.”
After Stutzman is sworn in Tuesday, he will finish the current term. Then, in January, he will join fellow freshman representatives in a Republican-controlled House.
“This freshman class I’m just thrilled to be part of,” said Stutzman. “We know the American people sent us here to do a job, and the determination that I already see is exciting.”
Stutzman’s election also means northeast Indiana will have a voice—something it hasn’t had since Mark Souder resigned in May after admitting to an affair with a married staffer. The third district congressional office is open after being closed for two weeks. Stutzman and his staff are moving in. This is the first time the office will be occupied by a congressman in almost six months.
“Our office here is an embassy for the people back home,” said Stutzman. “When they come to our nation’s capitol, they find a welcoming place and a place that they can come to talk to their representative to the federal government.”
In the middle of everything else he’s doing, Stutzman is also trying to find a palce for his family to live.
“We did some house hunting over the weekend,” said Stutzman, “and it’s much more expensive than it is back home.”
As Stutzman gets ready to become Indiana’s newest congressman, he says he—and his class—are ready to lead.
“We are a large class, and so to have that opportunity, we cannot squander it because the American people are looking for a party that they can believe in,” said Stutzman.
Stay tuned to FOX Fort Wayne News and fortwaynehomepage.net for continuing coverage from Washington of Marlin Stutzman’s first days in Congress.
