WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives plowed through 33 votes in roughly 90 minutes Friday around lunchtime Friday, a pace that U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly found “invigorating.”
“It’s amazing the difference between the two worlds,” he said.
In the previous session of Congress, when Democrats controlled the chamber, that many votes would have taken hours, said Kelly, R-16, Butler, who represents Mercer County in the House of Representatives.
When Republicans won the House majority in November’s elections, it meant committee leaderships also switched parties. Kelly, now chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax, which oversees federal taxation policies.
Because budget policy — including taxation — typically begins in the House, Kelly will be among Congress’ key fiscal voices for the next two years.
“We’re looking at pro-growth tax policy that allows the American people to keep more of their own money,” he said.
The federal government’s 2022 budget had $4.9 trillion in revenues and $6.2 trillion in expenditures. Kelly said he’s looking to close that gap without raising any taxes.
That means decreased spending, although the seven-term congressman vows that Republicans in the House will not support any cuts to Social Security or Medicare.
“Nobody is going to suggest any cuts to Social…
