U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, speaks to The Reflector in January 2019.
U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler was one of 20 House representatives to receive the inaugural “Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship,” the congresswoman’s office announced June 10.
This year the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has awarded 10 U.S. senators alongside 20 House representatives who the chamber says “have the strongest records of working across the aisle to advance legislative solutions,” according to Herrera Beutler’s announcement. The award was based off of the number of bills a lawmaker had co-sponsored that were introduced by a member of the opposing party, excluding legislation that the U.S. Chamber had formally opposed, according to the chamber’s website.
Herrera Beutler said she was honored for the award, saying it recognizes her efforts “to find common ground and advance solutions that make life better in Southwest Washington.“
“In light of the challenges we currently face as a nation — a public health crisis, calls for justice and equality, millions facing economic hardship — we need to coalesce around ideas and policies that will lift folks up and heal our communities,” Herrera Beutler said in the announcement. “That’s how I strive to serve Southwest Washington residents and it’s what I’ll continue to do as long as I’m in this role.”
Ten House members from the Democratic Party and 10 from the Republican Party were selected for the award, with relative rankings of bipartisanship based off of the lawmakers’ party members. Herrera Beutler was tied for eighth with Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-New Jersey, among House Republicans.
“Now more than ever, our nation needs elected leaders with the courage to pursue common ground and bold, bipartisan solutions to America’s greatest challenges,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Clark said. “These awards honor the deserving members of Congress that are forging common-sense sense solutions, working across the aisle, to enact lasting and meaningful reforms. In the days ahead, Congress must work together and support our nation's free enterprise principles that will help bring our economy back to strength and put our people back to work.”
— The Reflector
