Midland Daily News: Michigan's 8th District Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet Is Sworn into Congress
Mid-Michigan’s newest member of Congress, Kristen McDonald Rivet, was sworn in on Friday afternoon in Washington, D.C.
McDonald Rivet, a Democrat, was elected to Michigan’s 8th District in the November election, taking the place of former Congressman Dan Kildee, who retired at the end of the year. She most recently served in the Michigan State Senate, representing District 35.
On Friday afternoon, the 119th Congress convened, with the first order of business being the election of a Speaker. In the first round of voting, Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana was reelected to the position with a vote of 218 to 215.
The election was followed by the swearing in of congress members.
McDonald Rivet is ready to get to work in her new position, but understands it will be much different from her time in the State Senate.
“It is so different from the state legislature,” she said. “It is bigger and more complex and the processes are all different, the nomenclature is all different.
“The first time I stepped onto the floor, I was just overcome by the significance of it and the people who have served before me and what it means. It’s important and it's big and it's amazing.”
The congresswoman, who strives to work bipartisanly in Congress, has enjoyed getting to know the other new Congress members, both Republicans and Democrats.
“I was really inspired by how amazing the members of the incoming freshman class are,” she said. “They are brave, they are smart, they are inspired and inspiring and very serious about what we’re here to do.”
With the start of the congressional session, McDonald Rivet is prepared to work on reducing financial burdens on American families, including the costs of gas and groceries, prescription drugs and housing. One of her main focuses will be to reinstate the expanded child tax credit.
While McDonald Rivet looks forward to working with both sides of the aisle to accomplish her goals, she acknowledged that it takes time to build relationships and trust.
“What I learned in Lansing and in life is you build trust by getting to know people and making sure you are someone who is good on your word,” she said. “That takes time, I don’t expect those relationships to happen immediately, but I certainly believe that it’s possible.”
The congresswoman was recently elected by her peers to serve as the Freshman Leadership Representative to the New Democratic Coalition. The “New Dems” are a group of more than 100 Democrats in the 119th Congress committed to working with members of both parties to deliver common sense solutions.
McDonald Rivet is also preparing for Monday, Jan. 6, when Congress will count the electoral votes and certify the results of the presidential election. While she does not expect a similar insurrection to take place this year as it did on Jan. 6, 2021, she said she will still be thinking about the events of that day four years ago.
“Any one of us who watched Jan. 6 - which was all of us - will always have that image in the back of our heads on the day of the certification,” she said. “There is no indication that that will happen again, but of course I think about it. We all should, we should remember that day. We can never let that happen again.”