No Time for Celebrating, Roskam Hard at Work

Rep. Peter Roskam isn't wasting any time celebrating his reelection to a third term in Congress or the fact that the U.S. House will be controlled by Republicans.

Hours after Roskam defeated Democratic challenger Ben Lowe, he was hard at work talking with members of the House Ways and Means Committee discussing efforts to kick-start job growth in the United States. He said Congress needs to lay out a strategy to signal to the marketplace that change is coming that will allow businesses to flourish and expand in the near future.

"We need to make sure that Washington, D.C. is putting forth policy that is putting forth certainty and clarity for business owners," Roskam said in a Wednesday morning telephone interview.

Roskam said he is excited that a new wave of Republican and conservative congressmen are coming in as freshmen who will help shape the agenda. Not only did Roskam campaign for his own seat, but he also threw his energy and support behind several other Republican candidates including Adam Kinzinger and Bob Dold, who both won their bid for Congress.

"They worked really hard and it's a great day for them and Illinois," Roskam said. "Last night's election was an incredible statement by the American people. The people don't want to be on the pathway we've been on the past two years."

Roskam, a Glen Ellyn native and current Wheaton resident, won the 6th Congressional District with 63 percent of the vote. Lowe, also a Wheaton resident, garnered 36 percent of the vote.

When the new Republican majority takes over in January, Roskam said the House will focus on what the people want—job creation and a reigning in spending.

"We now have people who embrace these issues and are motivated to deal with them," Roskem said.

Roskam said he does not anticipate outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to try and pass any "unwanted legislation" during the lame-duck session.

"Your guess is as good as mine what Pelosi will do, but I don't think it will be anything the people rejected in this election," Roskam said.

Roskam said that President Barack Obama will also have to adjust to the new power structure in Washington.

"The best thing for America is for Obama to understand the diagnostics America has initiated," he said. "I hope he will change course and not give mere rhetorical flourish."

Roskam said the people have rejected the political course Obama has set. He said that can best be seen in Mark Kirk's defeat of Alexi Giannoulias. Both men were seeking the Senate seat once held by Obama, but Kirk, the Republican, wrenched the seat from Democrat hands.

"Giannoulias embraced [Obama's] agenda and lost. He wholeheartedly preached the Obama line and he was defeated," Roskam said.

While Republicans won big on Tuesday, Roskam said the people will be watching their actions. He said the election was more about changing the direction of the United States than is was about endorsing the Republican Party.

"If the Republicans go off track, then the Republicans will lose in the next election," he said. "But if we look at the message the people sent, that we need to restrain spending, and concentrate on job growth and economic prosperity while staying within the framework of the Constitution, then the party will flourish."