Sierra Vista Herald: In first State of the District, McSally highlights accomplishments in divided Congress

SIERRA VISTA — In her first ever state of the district address, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally touted her accomplishments in highlighting the needs of southern Arizona in a divisive and stagnant Congress, including getting several bills through the house—at least one of which has been signed into law—that address concerns specific to the region during her first 10 months in office.

During the event, held at the Windemere Hotel and Conference Center before members and guests of the Sierra Vista Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, McSally said that her focus as a new legislator has been on the two major areas of concern among her a diverse constituency: economic growth and security.

“I’m focusing on what can we actually get done. This may come as a surprise to you, but a lot of people go to Washington, D.C., and they’ll introduce a bill about some topic, and it may be a passion of theirs or something their community cares about. They put out a press release, they go talk around their district and go on talk radio and talk about how they’re fighting for something,” McSally said. “The majority of those bills die on the floor of a subcommittee.”

That reality, that so much effort is required to actually make progress on issues that matter, means efforts have to be concerted and pragmatic.

“It takes time,” she said. “A lot of people declare victory when they introduce a bill. That’s not when I declare victory. I declare victory when we get it moving.”

Since taking office in January, McSally has actually had four bills make it through not only initial subcommittee review, but also voted through the entire House of Representatives—one of which, the Border Jobs for Veterans Act, was just recently signed into law by President Obama.

The bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to work with the Pentagon to create a program that will “actively recruit and pull separating, retiring veterans over to fill these blue suit positions at our ports of entry,” she said.

When it was signed into law last month, it was one of only 50 new laws that made it through both houses of Congress and signed by the president.

Other bills she had a hand in crafting that have made it through the House include two related to her role as the chair of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications.

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