Today, for those of you who don't know, I had a meeting with the representative of Michigan's 11th District, Dave Trott. And, while I felt sick to my stomach for the entire day leading up to the meeting, it turned out to be one of the most gratifying experiences of my entire time at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference. Months ago, back when I was just starting the WJMC preparation process, I signed up for a meeting with my Representative by the encouragement of the conference. I had never attempted anything quite like it before, and without the nudge WJMC gave me, I probably would have never gotten to experience it.
Representative Dave Trott is a Republican who lives in Birmingham, and it is currently his second term serving in Congress.
The meeting began easily. I walked into his office, shook his hand, then sat down in one of two leather chairs. He started off with a few questions about me--asking about school and where I wanted to go to college. During my time with Rep. Trott, I got the chance to ask him a few questions.
I wanted to start out relatively simple--I know he probably wasn't nervous, but I was petrified. An ice-breaker was the perfect thing to warm me up. I began by asking him about opportunities like WJMC, and whether he thought it was important to get experience away from home before heading off to college. He agreed whole-heartedly, even giving an anecdote about the son of a friend he has interning in D.C., and how much he grew because of it.
I then moved on to ask him about what students like me could do to serve our community. Rep. Trott explained that while public service looks good on a college application, it is also very important to participate in community service works and charities that you have a passion for. These are the most gratifying experiences, even more so than looking good on a resume.
My transition into more political questions becan with an inquiry on his start in politics. Representative Trott explained that he had always had an interest in politics, and that he had decided the now or never moment had come. When Kerry Bentivolio held office before him, Trott explained that he didn't feel Representative Bentivolio was the "right man for the job". I expanded this question by asking him what young students interested in politics should do to enter into the field. He insisted that it is most important to "have a plan" and get involved. He advised high school and college students to start small, and explained that most people don't just pop onto the scene and win a congressional race. He told me that a student should "look at who you aspire to be" and to basically do what they did. However, he warned that not all plans go right the first time, and to have a plan B, and maybe even C, he joked, for when plans go completely awry.
From here I asked my first big policy question: What is your stance on charter schools?
Rep. Trott explained that in some cities such as Detroit education is going in the wrong direction, and having the opportunity for kids to attend charter schools in the city helps to "raise the bar" and provide competition to these school districts that aren't preforming well. He mentioned that Betsy DeVos has looked at how the scores of charter schools are doing so much better than those of inter-city schools, and that the data doesn't lie. However, Representative Trott did acknowledge the other side of the argument. Charter schools are filled with children whose parents were dedicated enough to their child's education to send them to a better school, and, Trott conceded, this may be why scores are better in charter schools than in Detroit. It is simply because the students are better students, getting encouragement from their parents along the way. He simply believed that students should have the opportunity to attend a charter school if they so please.
By request, I inquired about Rep. Trott's stance on Title II Net Neutrality.
Trott explained that he doesn't believe that this will make the internet any "less free or secure", and that many people are making a lot "to do about nothing".
I then asked Representative Trott on which aspect of healthcare he believed was most needing to be changed.
Trott explained that one of the most important things he would like to see change was cost. He believed that no matter what plan was sent out by congress, whether it was the new Senate bill, the Affordable Care Act, or any other, that none of them could work without driving the costs down. He mentioned the price of prescriptions and that they cost less in Canada than America even if they have been produced inside the United States. Rep. Trott also acknowledged that an important, though uncomfortable, issue America needs to start talking about is "end of life issues". He believed that this is an important key to saving millions on healthcare inside the U.S.
I also took the time to mention the current happenings in Mosul, and whether Trott thought this was a move in the right direction in defeating ISIS throughout the Middle East.
Trott agreed that Mosul was a move in the right direction, but he doesn't expect ISIS or terrorism as we know it to be eradicated in his lifetime. He is "not too optimistic", as ISIS will now become, he claims, even more fragmented and therefore harder to defeat. He told me that while he completely understands why people would leave their homes feeling as if they have "nothing to live for". Trott feels it is this sense of purposelessness and disenfranchisement that leads many to commit acts of terror; Trott believes this disenfranchisement will continue, turning many down the dark path of terrorism.
I finally decided to ask him about his political future, and I enquired about any aspirations for higher office.
Representative Trott told me about his time as a businessman, and his work on foreclosing houses. He explained that while he would love to seek higher office, he understands that many people are upset with him on this issue. Representative Trott does not believe he could win a state-wide election, especially when so many people have been left feeling hurt about his line of work. He informed me that there were no plans to run for higher office in the near future.
I then finished the interview by asking him about his one goal as representative. If he could accomplish one thing, what would it be?
Representative Trott told me that he was very passionate about GSE reform, especially with his background in real estate, and that he would hope to help find a "long term solution". But, as that would be a group effort and probably not his own plan, he also provided a different example. As District 11 has a large Armenian population, Rep. Trott expressed his hopes that one day he could get Turkey to recognized the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was, a genocide. Trott told me that being able to accomplish that would be a great pleasure, and even jested that a statue might be erected in his honor.
All in all I had an amazing time speaking with Representative Dave Trott.
