WASHINGTON — In mid-November, just days after winning election, Tony Wied was sworn in as a member of Congress by House Speaker Mike Johnson. His wife and four sons were there, too.
“I'm very proud of my kids, and I think the feeling’s very mutual,” Wied said in an interview with Spectrum News this week.
From attending new member orientation, to casting votes, to actually presiding over the House, it has been a whirlwind for the freshman representative. He replaced former Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher, who resigned in April, leaving his seat vacant until Wied simultaneously won a special election to fill the rest of Gallagher's term and a second election for his own two-year term beginning in January.
Wied said so far, his biggest surprise on Capitol Hill is how easy it is to get turned around. There are several office buildings outside of the main dome.
“I get lost going from building to building,” Wied said with a smile. “That's been difficult. Right now, my goal is to meet as many people as possible – members of Congress, whether Democrat or Republican – and start building those relationships because this is a team sport.”
Right now, Wied said he's focused on keeping the government open, which requires approving new funding for federal operations by Dec. 20.
“I'm very concerned with our debt,” Wied said.
But he also has an eye on the next Congress. Wied believes he could add value to the House Agriculture Committee, a panel Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, is already a part of.
“We're the third largest Congressional District for dairy,” Wied said. “We make dairy. We turn dairy into cheese. Obviously, we’re the cheese… You know, the Green Bay Packers and cheeseheads. And so I think I could add a lot of value in agriculture,” Wied said.
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to conduct mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, something Wied supports.
“Certainly, you start with those that have committed crimes and things like that,” he said. “It's a step-by-step process, but that is something that I believe very strongly in."
Many undocumented immigrants work on farms in Wisconsin, contributing to the state's agriculture industry.
"And I also understand the needs of agriculture, and meat packing is very big in our community, too. So making sure that we also listen to them," he continued.
Wied acknowledged that a broader look at immigration reform is needed.
“There needs to be opportunities for folks, whether it's work permits and various other options, to make sure that we have people in order to feed the world,” Wied said. “And so, it's a big process. It's a big undertaking. But certainly, what's happening now isn't working.”
Wied also hopes to be placed on the House Transportation Committee and said his background owning gas stations and convenience stores would give him a deeper understanding of the issues the committee faces.
“We're a very big port,” he explained. “We've got the Great Lakes, a lot of shoreline on the Great Lakes, so shipping and those types of things. Transportation is a big industry in our neck of the woods. And then certainly with the agriculture industry and the timber and the pulp and paper… just getting things from here to there.”
Wied said he’s consulted his predecessors – including Gallagher and, before him, Reid Ribble – but he wants to make his own mark in Congress.
“I'm different, you know. I’m Tony Wied,” he said. “I respect Mike, and I respect what he did, and I know people did as well, but everybody's different. Everyone brings a little different perspective. So I come from it from having 30 years in private business… I want to take my business experience, the amount of time that my wife and I ran our business, and take that here to Washington and bring a different perspective. And that's what's great about the House of Representatives: It's people from all different backgrounds.”
And even though he and Gallagher have the same philosophy on how long someone should remain a member of Congress – Wied declared Wednesday, “It shouldn't be a forever thing,” and in March, Gallagher told Spectrum News, “I don't think it should be a career” – Wied wouldn’t say how long he plans to stay in office.
“I'm going to give it everything I got and just take it day by day,” Wied said.
After all, he’s just getting started.