Name: Pat Meehan
Occupation: Congressman (PA-07), Attorney, Prosecutor, Lawmaker
First job & lesson(s) you learned from it: I started caddying at age 13. Some of the lessons you learn quickly: What they say on the course, stays on the course. Don’t talk to the golfer unless he talks to you first. Stay clear of the golfers that throw clubs. They exist, but there are fewer of them than you’d might expect. More broadly, it taught me at a young age how to talk to adults. And the importance of a hard day’s work.
Book you read that you’re recommending to friends: Any historic biography. History is my outlet. I’m currently enjoying Nathaniel Philbrick’s “Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold and the Fate of the American Revolution.” It gives terrific insight into how tenuous our nation’s fate truly was, and how vulnerable yet remarkable Washington was in his persistence and accomplishment.
Challenge facing your District that you’re working to address: The opioid crisis nationwide and in Pennsylvania in particular is staggering. It’s a challenge that even now we continue to struggle to address, and there’s no “silver bullet” solution. But by working on a bipartisan basis to advance prudent, responsible policies, we can make a real dent in this crisis and ultimately save lives as a result.
Priorities in the House of Representatives that you hope to achieve this year: As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I’m focused in particular on reforming our broken tax code and making it work better for American families and job creators. We continue to work to repeal and replace Obamacare with measures that will make quality care more affordable and more accessible for Pennsylvanians. And we’re looking at ways we can make better, stronger trade deals that promote job growth here at home, protect our workers and make it easier to sell our products around the world.
Finally, finish this sentence: “If I could give the President one bit of advice, it would be to…:” Take a break from Tweeting.