House Freshmen Pick Their Leaders
ROBERTS: Coming up now at 42 minutes after the hour, GOP rookies won more than 80 House seats on election night. Many of them were backed by the Tea Party. And Republicans are making room at the table for them this morning. They created two new leadership roles for the rookies. Republicans Tim Scott of South Carolina and Kristi Noem of South Dakota were selected as liaisons between the new class and the House leadership. Congresswoman-elect Kristi Noem joins us now live from Capitol Hill. Congresswoman, good to see you this morning. Thanks so much. And congratulations on your victory.</s>KRISTI NOEM, CONGRESSWOMAN-ELECT (R), SOUTH DAKOTA: Thank you, John. I appreciate that. It's good to be here.</s>ROBERTS: So it's unusual for a freshman to come into Congress and be given a leadership role. What do you think you bring to the table as a leader?</s>NOEM: Well, you know, back home in South Dakota I filled leadership positions in my state legislature. But also the small business experience that I have is going to be extremely valuable. I think politicians and people who are representing their districts want people who really know when you pass policies and legislation what the impacts are on real people back home, trying to keep their doors open.</s>ROBERTS: As we mentioned at the top here, many members of the freshmen class are either tea partiers or were supported in some way by the tea party. What do you think their influence is going to be in Congress over the next couple of years?</s>NOEM: Well, we've got a very large freshmen class. It's historic in its size. So there are people who are extremely diverse in their backgrounds and their viewpoints. I think that we're going to see a conservative group of people come together, focused on some real ideals that are going to be extremely important. Broad-based policies such as not spending money we don't have. Getting our budget balanced at the federal level. Creating jobs in our economy. Getting that back on track. That's going to be the priorities of the freshmen class. They want to make sure that they have people sitting at the table at the leadership team that is going to deliver that message and put their foot down.</s>ROBERTS: What's your relationship, congresswoman, with the Tea Party. You say that you're not a tea partier per se. And you're not sure you're going to join the Tea Party caucus. So what kind of relationship will you have with the Tea Party?</s>NOEM: Well, I've got a good relationship with the tea party group, especially little the ones in South Dakota that I've spoken to and certainly hold to the some of the same values that they talked about as well. We all agree that a smaller, more limited government is better. That we need those balanced budgets. That we need to make responsible decisions. So I think labels have been utilized a lot throughout this election process to divide people. And at this point in time, we really need people to come together, be their own person, come with their own suggestions, and really solve the problems that we have facing this country.</s>ROBERTS: You came to Congress to say to not be a part of Washington, but to change Washington. And so many people before you have said the same thing and haven't been able to do it. What makes you different?</s>NOEM: Well, what makes me different is that 10 months ago I would never have said I was running for Congress. So I truly was sitting at home talking with my family and realized I had been raising my kids to not complain about something but to do something about it when they didn't like it. And I had to take that same advice myself. I was upset with the way this country was going, what this administration was doing and decided that maybe I needed to step up and fill in that role. So I've been running businesses, raising my kids on a ranch in South Dakota with my husband, Brian (ph). I have real life perspective that I'm going to apply that here, do what I can do to get some results and live in South Dakota to make sure that people back there know that I'm still one of them and I'm still Kristin Noem.</s>ROBERTS: Your first priority, congresswoman is going to be - you said, is going to be a deficit reduction, trying to keep the debt under control. What's the first thing that you would cut?</s>NOEM: Well, I think what we need to do is put everything on the table and have discussions about it. I think our departments' budgets have continued to grow throughout this recession when the rest of us at home were cutting out coupons trying to make our ends meet. I think that that's exactly what the government needs to do. So we need to go back to 2008 spending levels before these bailouts, before all the process came where that increased spending happened. And then we need to go back and look at all of our programs and start making and fighting efficiencies and see if they're worthwhile in serving their purpose.</s>ROBERTS: I understand that, that you that need to look at everything. But is there one particular thing that drives you crazy that you think that if you had the opportunity you'd cut it tomorrow?</s>NOEM: Well, I think that we've got a lot of those situations out there. And what we need to do as a freshmen class and as a leadership team is to sit down and identify those that we're going after first.</s>ROBERTS: Right. You know, one of the other questions that people have, this new Congress, is it going to be able to cooperate? Will people reach across party lines? The indications thus far have not been good. You have a pretty good track record there in South Dakota as a state legislature of reaching across party lines. What difference do you think you can make in the next two years to reach across party lines and forge bipartisan agreements on things?</s>NOEM: Well, back in South Dakota my service in the state legislature, I sponsored bills will people from both parties. I was an assistant majority leader but still able to work with the other party to get some good legislation passed for the state of South Dakota. That's why we see such a good business environment there. That's why we have a balanced government. I think that's important, the things that the federal government can learn, as well. So, I can offer that. I know how to do that. I think that we've seen a real openness by the Republican leadership to include people and bring them to the table. And that's what we're looking forward to with the Democratic Party as well, that they'll be willing to sit down and help be part of the solution.</s>ROBERTS: Do you buy this argument that gridlock is good?</s>NOEM: Well, it depends on the policies that are being pursued. But now that we have new leadership in the House that really is trying to do some things that would get our economy back on track, now we need to get some things accomplished.</s>ROBERTS: All right. Well, let's see if we can do it. Your lips to God's ears. Congresswoman Kristi Noem, thanks for joining us this morning. Really appreciate it.</s>NOEM: Thank you.</s>ROBERTS: Good luck to you over the next couple of years. We'll be watching.</s>NOEM: Thank you. Thank you.</s>ROBERTS: Forty-seven minutes after the hour. We'll be right back.