Washington's Dan Newhouse looks ahead to a new Trump era

Republican Dan Newhouse is preparing for a sixth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving one of Washington state's most solidly Republican congressional districts.

He's excited. He'll be a member of the House majority again. With Republicans in charge in the Senate and an incoming GOP president, he foresees his party "accomplishing good things for the country."

Donald Trump, the former and future commander-in-chief might not be quite as happy. He didn't want Newhouse back this year. Trump's not forgiven nor forgotten Newhouse for casting a vote to impeach him.

Trump endorsed Jerrod Sessler, a dependable MAGA Republican, and hurled invective at Newhouse on social media. In the final days of the campaign, Trump spewed more in a telephone town hall with Sessler.

Newhouse endured, beating Sessler by 17,000 votes and winning by a margin of 52% to 46%.

This gives him two more years representing the 4th Congressional District in central Washington, stretching from the Canadian border to the Oregon state line. It includes the agriculture-heavy Yakima Valley, the Yakama [and Colville] Indian Reservation[s], and the Tri-Cities.

Newhouse, in a recent conversation with the Standard, focused on the path ahead and refused to cast a disparaging word on what transpired in the election.

This is Newhouse's second victory since he voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Two years ago, he overcame a pack of pro-Trump foes in the primary, then easily vanquished a Democrat in the general election.

A few days after winning this year, Trump attended a meeting of the House Republican Conference. "I was there," Newhouse said. "I was a few feet from him and was able to say hello."

Did the election come up?

"There wasn't an opportunity for a personal conversation. There was a room full of people, and he was, as you would imagine, moving in and out fairly quickly," he said. "There'll be opportunities for that, I'm sure."

"We have the House and the Senate and the White House, so there's a lot of opportunities to really do some good things in a constructive way to get our country back on track," he said.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Let me ask about your reelection. What is your big takeaway from the results?

The point I made many times, and I think it resonated with people, is that I understand their issues. I'm a product of Central Washington. Born and raised there. My family's there. My business too. Their issues are mine. That was demonstrated in this last election. 

It seems obvious you were not the first choice of a majority of Republicans who cast ballots in this election. Can you tell the 46% of voters who supported your opponent that they can count on you to support the efforts of the caucus to carry out the next president's agenda?

I committed and I said many times during the campaign, if the former president is elected, and he was, Donald Trump, will be sworn in as the 47th president, that I would work as hard as possible to make sure that our conservative agenda goals become reality. I have the full support of the Republican caucus. I work very well with all members and the leadership. I have all the confidence that this will be a very productive session for me and for central Washington.

Your caucus wants to be aggressive in the first 100 days to advance many parts of President-elect Trump's agenda. What policies are you most supportive of and want to see happen at the outset? 

In no particular order, there are several things that have been talked about a lot by many members of Congress and the president. Our energy issues. We need to do all we can to lower the cost of energy and, in turn, lower the cost of doing business, the cost of goods and services. The border issue. We've got to take steps to solve the crisis at the border. We've got to stop the influx of illegals crossing our southern border, particularly, but certainly our northern border as well. Accomplishing that will provide us many great results. I'm on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and want to continue working towards bringing the purchase of agricultural assets by Communist Chinese to an end. Locally, there's many different things. Certainly, the Snake River dams are a high priority.

Let me ask about the dams. The Biden Administration worked out an agreement that looks at the long-term possibility of removing four dams. Do you want the Trump administration to impede or stop that deal?

That's certainly my hope. We did not have that interest in the first Trump administration. We certainly have to take a hard look at what the goals are of that [agreement] which have been in my mind, clear. I, along with many other people, see this as a priority and will be making the case to make sure that we can keep those important pieces of infrastructure. That's been my goal and I'm very hopeful that that will be the administration's goal as well.

Back to the border issue. I've read House Republican leaders want to approve a surge in funding for the president to carry out mass deportations. Are you on board with that?

I'm not sure exactly what the mass deportation is going to look like, or how extensive it's going to be. I've been told that a lot of focus is going to be put on criminals who pose an imminent threat to society. If that's the case, absolutely, I would be supportive.

If a broader brush is used, that's going to be logistically harder to do. Certainly, it could have a huge impact on people employed in economic sectors important to central Washington. We have to be very strategic in how that's carried out. 

Trump says he will impose heavy tariffs on key trading partners. Is this an issue on which you disagree and will push back? (This interview took place before Trump's Nov. 25 announcement about his plans for tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China.)

I don't disagree that tariffs should be part of the tools that we have in our toolbox to respond to unfair trade practices. In many cases, they could very well be the proper action to take. But I also want to make sure that we are smart about how we impose them and that we are very cognizant of the impact on the agricultural industry. Historically any kind of retaliation that may come from imposing tariffs has been focused on agricultural products.

Washington is one of the most trade-reliant states in the country. We produce a lot of agricultural products that we depend on international markets to be active in. I don't want to see anything that would negatively impact our industry. I don't want to add anything that makes it tougher for farmers, ranchers and the agricultural industry to be profitable.

You recently wrote on the need to curb federal spending and undertake a new era of fiscal responsibility. Sounds like you're all in with the Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

This could be a very refreshing exercise to go through. People have complained about bureaucracy and red tape and federal spending for a long time. It's a very difficult problem to solve. Maybe some fresh eyes from the outside, taking a look at some of the things and determining what's necessary and what isn't, will be productive. I'm excited about some of the things that they might be able to come up with to help us rein in our out of control debt problem. 

You're looking forward to 2025. Washington's next governor and attorney general are not. They're preparing to fight, even sue, a lot, as the state did in Trump's first term. Any message for those fearful of what's coming?

How can I respond to that? It's a reflex, I guess, for the opposing party to immediately oppose the incoming president-elect. I would say, let's take one issue at a time. Don't oppose everything. There's probably going to be some things that they can agree we need to do. It's very premature to just be an all-out "no" on the entire Trump agenda.

I cannot end without asking about 2026. You've fended off Trump-backed challengers in two straight elections. Are you ready for a third or might you forgo running again if it happens?

They're still counting the ballots, Jerry. I'm looking forward to this Congress. At this point, I have every intention to continue serving. Okay?

Originally published under a Creative Commons license by Washington State Standard on Nov. 28, 2024.  https://washingtonstatestandard.com.