WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Grand Junction, was sworn in at the wake of a new Congress on Friday.
Members of Congress, including Hurd, brought their families and children to watch members take the oath of office. He said he looks forward to getting to work. He also said he is excited about the committees for which he was chosen to serve on, as well as the congressional caucuses he is looking to join.
Hurd, a freshman congressman from Colorado’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District, said several people have asked him about what it’s like to serve on Capitol Hill.
“I tell them that I’m doing it to create opportunities for southern and western Colorado, for families and small businesses that are struggling – to do everything I can to give them opportunities and make opportunities for families to thrive and succeed,” he said.
The new Congress began with a “quorum call” to confirm the members who were present, including Hurd. After that, every member, including first-time members, voted for the speaker, in alphabetical order by last name.
No official business can be conducted in the U.S. House, including the swearing in of new members, if a speaker is not elected.
Going into Friday’s speaker vote, U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson was unsure if he would receive enough votes to retain the speakership. But in the end, he won support and took the gavel after the first round of voting.
Hurd voted for Johnson, and the swearing in of new members began promptly thereafter. Hurd said he was “happy” the speaker vote didn’t take multiple days like it did in 2023 for Kevin McCarthy.
Hurd was selected to serve on three House committees: Natural Resources; Transportation; and Science, Space and Technology. He said those committees are a good fit for southern and western Colorado.
With the Natural Resources committee, he said he plans to focus on federal land issues including water, energy, mining and grazing.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert also served on the Natural Resources committee. Boebert, who won election in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, is also a member of the House Freedom Caucus, which consists of the most conservative members of the House.
Members of Congress can join caucuses surrounding issues that they are passionate about. Some caucuses are bipartisan and others are specific to one party.
Hurd said he is interested in joining several Republican caucuses, as well as possibly joining the Problem Solvers Caucus. The Problem Solvers Caucus, according to its website, is a bipartisan group of members “committed to advancing common-sense solutions to key issues facing our nation.”
When it comes to the House Freedom Caucus, he said he was looking to move in a different direction, but is looking forward to working with members in both the House Freedom Caucus and across the aisle on issues that impact CD-3.
Republicans have control of the House, Senate and the White House. Hurd said he is ready to advance President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda when it comes to energy issues, securing the border and lowering the costs of living. He said he would take disagreements one at a time.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that there’s a lot of good that we can do in this next Congress, with the help of President Trump and our Republican Senate,” Hurd said.
Maria Tedesco is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a student at American University in Washington, D.C. She can be reached at mtedesco@durangoherald.com.
