Congressman Fitzpatrick Says He’s ‘Reasonable, Rational & Pragmatic’

Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick believes his past nearly four years in Washington D.C. have shown voters that he lives up to his title as most bipartisan representative, as awarded by the Lugar Center and Georgetown University.

The two-term Republican congressman from Middletown Township touted his legislative accomplishments, his ability to work with President Donald Trump and also Democrats, and the fact that he has broken with his party on key votes, like health care, in a recent interview.

Fitzpatrick, who is 46 and a former FBI special agent and supervisor with a law degree, said he often gets criticized by the far-left and far-right for his positions, but he believes his values are that of most people in the First Congressional District that makes up all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County.

“The far-left and far-right want to oppose me because I’m not an ideological purist,” he said. “I try to be reasonable, rational, and pragmatic.”

“I think it is incumbent upon us to be leaders in our own right,” he stated.

The congressman, who grew up in Levittown, said elected officials need to work with their peers, listen to their constituents, and realize they can’t always get everything they want 100 percent of the time. He pointed to a phrase he has often repeated during his time in office: “perfect is the enemy of good.”

Fitzpatrick highlighted to his work with the bipartisan Problem Solver Caucus in Washington D.C. He said the group, which he is vice chair of, is equally split among Democrats and Republicans and works toward solutions.

In speaking of his proudest accomplishments in office, Fitzpatrick pointed to the Right to Try law, the Great American Outdoors Act, the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, the INTERDICT Act, and the legislation that led to approval of establishing a national museum dedicated to women’s history.

If re-elected, he said tackling the opioid and mental health crises will continue to be among his top priorities. He also said he hopes to bring people together, make progress on the Congressional PFAS Task Force, and increase funding for pediatric cancer research.

While Fitzpatrick pointed to his achievements in Washington D.C., his critics and opponents on the left and right often come back to one thing: President Donald Trump.

Democrats, including his challenger Christina Finello, tie him to Trump and his agenda, pointing to Fitzpatrick’s vote for the GOP tax bill, against impeachment, and failure to be more forceful in denouncing some of the president’s controversial actions and comments.

Republicans, like his defeated primary opponent Andrew Meehan, chide Fitzpatrick for not being vocal in supporting the president and point to some key votes, like health care, when he broke with most Republicans.

Fitzpatrick said at the end of the day his record shows he votes based on the values he gained living in the district.

In 2016, Fitzpatrick wrote in Mike Pence instead of voting for Trump.

This year, Fitzpatrick was mum as of last week on his choice for president this November. He urged voters to watch the debates and learn about the issues when making up their minds.

“People should keep an open mind,” he said.

The congressman did state he would reveal who is voting for, but not quite yet.

Christina Finello Says She Would Be District’s ‘Real Voice In D.C.’

Trump, according to Fitzpatrick, was a big supporter of the Right to Try Act, which received bipartisan support. He said he does not talk to the president regularly, but he did receive a call when his older brother former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick died earlier this year.

Fitzpatrick, who has been criticized before for not holding town halls, committed, if reelected. to getting audio of his telephone town halls that reach only some district residents put online. The often hasily-announced events are not open to all residents and have not previously been made public, aside from recordings made by constituents.

The congressman said that he doesn’t hold large town halls because they often turn into screaming matches and do not allow most constituents to have their voices heard. He did a town hall-style event in Bensalem during his first term, but he noted it was resource intensive, including involving the U.S. Capitol Police and a news organization to help plan it.

Fitzpatrick said he regularly meets with residents, regularly packs his schedule with community events, and gives out his cell phone number to nearly everyone who wants it.

Fitzpatrick said that he often hears from residents about how he and his office are accessible.

Fitzpatrick regularly talks of cooling down the political rhetoric, but his fundraising emails often echo charged statements such as “far-left socialist candidates” and one called Finello a “radical politician beholden to the far-left and their socialist policies.”

Finello has not identified as a socialist.

The congressman said that language is because he is truly worried that socialism is creeping into the country and this election could unleash socialist policies that would hurt the nation.

“It’s a very real threat and my biggest fear,” he said, adding socialism is not what America was founded on.

The congressman said he supports improving the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He said he does not believe in getting rid of the entire law that has helped many people become insured and also remain insured if they have pre-existing conditions or are in their early 20s.

Fitzpatrick said he supports reforming medical liability rules to help lower the cost of care. He also is for association health care plans and interstate competition.

While he doesn’t buy in to a widespread expansion of government health options, he does support reducing barriers for those who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid. He said he is in favor of removing the outdated Institution for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion that often stops Medicare patients from getting important mental health treatment.

Finello’s campaign has called out Fitzpatrick for his vote on the GOP tax reform bill that ended the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act.

Fitzpatrick has countered by stating that the individual mandate repeal was essentially a roadblock to people getting health care under the law and that it was “broken.” He has also pointed to voting against the Republican plan to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. He called himself a supporter of the Affordable Care Act, noting it does need improvements.

“We need to fix what is broken,” he said, pointing to a past proposal put forward by the Problem Solvers Caucus.

The congressman said the attack from opponents that he is against the Affordable Care Act and protecting those with pre-existing conditions “doesn’t hold water.”

With COVID-19 killing more than 530 residents in the congressional district, Fitzpatrick called for a commission to review the response to the pandemic and make sure similar failures never happen again. He noted that there were problems at various levels of government.

“Clearly, it could have been handled better,” he said, noting politicians need to listen to the health experts.

Finello has criticized the Trump administration for downplaying the threat of the virus and tied Fitzpatrick to that. She has cited a radio interview Fitzpatrick did that was later fact checked.

Fitzpatrick made clear both parties were failing citizens by not coming together to agree on a new stimulus deal to help those in need due to economic conditions caused by the pandemic.

“We’ve got to get something passed,” he said.

Elaborating on what needs to be done, he said there needs to be an economic recovery plan, protective equipment and supply manufacturing needs to be brought back to America, and there needs to be better international reporting and monitoring of outbreaks of novel viruses and diseases.

A major issue pushed by Fitzpatrick when he was first elected was term limits.

While has not announced a self-imposed term limit for himself, the congressman said he learned working political corruption investigations that politicians who often sit in their seat too long are the most likely to lose their way and stray into either hard or soft corruption. Additionally, he noted that polls show most Americans want Congress to have term limits.

Fitzpatrick said announcing how many terms he plans to serve would be “self-defeating” because opponents to the proposal would just wait him out.

He noted he has supporters on term limits from both parties, including California progressive Democrat Ro Khanna, a native of Northampton Township.

On the issue of a woman’s right to choose, Fitzpatrick said he is personally pro-life, but believes the government should leave the decision in the hands of women. He does support allowing states to set safety parameters at 20 weeks into a pregnancy to prevent situations like that of Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted of murdering three infants and involuntary manslaughter for the death of one woman at his dirty abortion clinic in Philadelphia.

Maintaining his stance on border security, Fitzpatrick said he supports efforts to strengthen barriers and improve border policing, but those steps need to be done realistically. He noted that building a physical barrier for the entire border doesn’t make sense. He instead has proposed using barriers where it makes sense and adding technology and border patrol agents to guard the rest of the line between the U.S. and Mexico.

The congressman, who has made trips to the border, said officials in Washington D.C. need to talk to border patrol officials and take their input on what would work.

When asked about the humanitarian conditions at the border, Fitzpatrick said a “terrible situation” has been created and more resources need put in place to help migrants and their families.

Compared to his two previous campaigns, Fitzpatrick is missing one major ally: his former congressman brother Mike Fitzpatrick.

“He was my advisor,” Fitzpatrick said.

“I still find myself pulling out my phone to dial him.”

Fitzpatrick said his brother gave him some advice on running: take the high road and run on principles and platform.

While reflecting, Fitzpatrick said he believes he is following that advice.

Correction: A previous statement that Fitzpatrick has set a self-imposed term limit was removed because it was not accurate. The congressman has not announced that he has set a term limit for himself.

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