The past and present for U.S. House District 4 in North Carolina sat together in the Chapel Hill Public Library on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Dozens of their constituents gathered around for a talk and Q&A with Rep. Valerie Foushee and David Price, hosted by the League of Women Voters chapter for Orange, Durham and Chatham counties.
Between the two of them, Foushee and Price have decades of political experience across all levels of government. But this past fall marked a big change for our community’s representation in Washington D.C. A longtime Democrat, Price announced his retirement last year after 17 terms representing the Triangle community in Congress. He’s now using his time to teach at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy – which he did for several years before his initial run for the U.S. House in 1986.
President of the local League of Women Voters chapter Jennifer Rubin said her organization wanted to hold an event to not only hear Price’s perspective on some of the biggest topics surrounding the federal government, but to thank the former Congressman for his years of service.
“To be there 30 years is just something we felt should be recognized and there’s so much to learn from him,” said Rubin.
“And [with] Valerie being a brand-new congressperson,” she added, “this was an opportunity to hear her vision for the future and understand what she’s planning to do and her first impressions of Congress. So we felt like it was a good opportunity to do both of those things.”
While Price has returned to academia, Foushee is just getting started with her time in the U.S. House. After handily winning election in November, she was officially sworn into the 118th United States Congress at the start of 2023.
Foushee told Chapelboro she has felt very prepared, but that her biggest surprise is how little the House members work in the chamber beyond votes.
“I guess I didn’t watch enough C-SPAN to realize that is certainly not the case,” she said with a chuckle, “that most of the work is done in committee. In the chamber, it’s about any amendments to change what has happened in those committees. And so, you can watch what’s going on from your office and just be in your chamber prepared to vote when it’s time to do so.”
U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee speaks to a room of visitors at the Chapel Hill Public Library during Sunday’s event hosted by the League of Women Voters.
Foushee landed two committee assignments in her first weeks on the job, both of which she said were at the top of her wish list. She will spend her first terms serving on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
Her first few days as a representative, however, were a little unusual. Because of a split vote between Republican members in the U.S. House, there were several days of no action because a speaker was not chosen. Foushee revealed that in addition to recovering from a fall she suffered in Washington, she felt frustrated to not officially be able to get started on work.
“It importantly impacted the lives of the American people,” she said on Sunday, “because during this time, we were unable to do the job that the voters sent us to Washington to do. We did not have the ability to open our offices, and many of us had constituents reaching out seeking help with serious issues…but we did not set up to deal with them.”
Price pointed to the split vote for a new Speaker as an example of a long-forming trend that he calls “dangerous.” While campaigning under the brand of being an “outsider” to national politics is popular, he said representatives acting solely for social media clout or their personal aspirations will ultimately harm the ability for Congress to function.
“We need to figure out how to think institutionally and understand that democracy isn’t just about holding an election,” said Price. “Democracy is about making a representational institution respond and work. And then there are questions, really important questions, about what that requires of the members [who are elected].”
When asked about what advice he gives to new Congressmen, Price’s answer reflected his comments about commitment to listening and being accountable to constituents.
“Just remember, this is a job [that is] half Washington, it’s half the district,” said the former representative. “If you don’t like one half of the job, it’s going to show. You’ve got to make an investment in doing what you need to do in Washington – being a part of the national policy-making scene. But you almost must never forget where you come from and who you represent.”
Foushee said that won’t be a problem for her in Congress. Before serving in the state’s General Assembly, she also worked on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School board and the Orange County Board of Commissioners. While there’s more direct experiences to draw from during her time in state government, Foushee said so far, she’s relied on her years at the county level too.
“Local government is where I cut my teeth,” Foushee said with a smile, “so I learned how to serve and how important it is to be listening to our constituents before we put forth an agenda. That’s strengthened me for these opportunities where we’re not in the majority and we have to make sure we’re still communicating those values with folk who may not agree – either with those values or who we accomplish goals.”
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