Focus on reaching across the aisle
Freshman Rep. Mrvan representing constituents in first 100 days in House
His fourth day in office, U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan was escorted out of the House chambers as supporters of former President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol. Since then, Mrvan has returned to the House floor — masked and distanced from other house members — to vote on major issues.
Mrvan, D-Highland, was sworn in Jan. 3 to represent the First Congressional District, and replaced longtime Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Gary. Since then, Mrvan, former North Township trustee, said he’s been focused on the constituents of Northwest Indiana and working with his colleagues to move legislation forward.
“I came here to find individuals who want to work together and to finding solutions to every challenge that we have,” Mrvan said. “The steel industry, the education component, the health crisis — staying connected to our constituency is a priority.”
In his nearly 100 days in office, Mrvan voted in favor of the article of impeachment against Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection, the American Rescue Plan Act and the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. Mrvan has also been meeting and working with constituents and received the COVID-19 vaccine.
His days start early, Mrvan said, with preparing for committee hearings, attending the meetings, connecting with constituent groups — Save the Dunes to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana — virtually and studying current legislation.
“And calling my wife and kids in between there,” Mrvan said, with a laugh. “In our spare time.”
Lake County Democratic Party Chair
man James Wieser said Mrvan has had “a pretty eventful first few days, but very productive.”
“Frank is doing exactly what we expected, which is taking a measured approach and doing what’s right,” Wieser said. “I know Frank thinks first and foremost of his constituents.”
Jerome Davison, the rapid response coordinator for the United Steelworkers District 7, said there is a “steep learning curve” as a freshman congressman in Washington. Mrvan has been doing a great job and has a “good team” of staffers around him, Davison said.
“Frank Mrvan has shown he’s up for the challenge and delivered,” Davison said.
During the insurrection, Mrvan told the Post-Tribune from an “undisclosed location” within the Capitol that as he was escorted by law enforcement officers out of the House chambers his first thought was how “words matter.”
Jan. 6, 2021, “will always live in history,” Mrvan said, but it also “highlighted the division within our nation.” So, to start bridging that divide and making sure that Americans don’t “feel left behind,” Mrvan said his first thought was to focus on American workers.
“We have to make sure that all we can do for working men and women to close that gap or that division is to make sure that workers are included, and that they’re given an opportunity to be able to thrive in our existing economy and new economies that we’re building,” Mrvan said.
In the days since, Mrvan said the Capitol has opened up a little more each day. The Indiana delegation has met since, Mrvan said, and he’s had the chance to meet with U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, who represents Indiana’s 5th District, and U.S. Rep. Greg Pence, who represents Indiana’s 6th District. Both are Republicans.
The bipartisan effort and building relationships with other members of Congress is important, Mrvan said, to make sure that major legislation moves forward.
Arguably Mrvan’s first major vote was voting in favor of the article of impeachment against Trump. It was the second time Trump was impeached by the House, though he was ultimately acquitted in the Senate both times.
“I believed that we had to have justice for who was responsible for that moment, that’s why I voted for the article of impeachment,” Mrvan said.
Mrvan testified for 30 seconds on the House floor about his vote and recalled how for three minutes the Republicans, Democrats and staff members in the secure location prayed together.
“Let us remember that moment. Let’s rekindle that prayer,” Mrvan, wearing a mask, said on the House floor.
Mrvan co-sponsored the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, he said, because the act would allow working men and women collectively bargain for “a sustainable, livable wage,” health care benefits, safe working conditions and pensions.
Davison said the bill is a “big deal” for organizing. Davison recalled how Mrvan visited the BP Refinery in Whiting when workers were striking, and that the strike was a key moment when Mravn “saw what collective bargaining means.”
What people may not realize, Wieser said, is it’s “huge” that Mrvan, a freshman congressman, was recognized on the House floor and the weekly House Democrats news conference to discuss the importance of the bill.
Mrvan voted in favor of the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, because “it’s transformational” legislation that expands vaccination and funds for individuals, school reopening and state and local governments.
Not a single Republican member of Congress voted in favor of the legislation. Mrvan said he didn’t want to “judge why or what the reasoning was” behind the Republicans’ vote, but he said a large portion of the American public supports the act.
When asked about the lack of bipartisan support, Mrvan gave the example that both he and Pence support legislation to “close the digital divide” for the veteran community.
“That is one issue that I know has bipartisan support because we want to close that gap,” Mrvan said. “Those are ways that we can work together in a bipartisan approach. It’s not a Democrat or Republican solution, it’s something that we agree upon.”
Mrvan is fighting the pandemic in another way, by sharing a photo of him getting vaccinated. He had no side effects, Mrvan said, though it is possible for some people to have some symptoms after being vaccinated.
“I think that it’s important for individuals that might have vaccine resistance to look at the science,” Mrvan said. “When we can reach herd vaccination then we will be in the best shape going forward to recover from this.”
Moving forward, Mrvan said he will support the $1.9 trillion infrastructure bill with elements that ensure American businesses, like the steel industry, are supported through the legislation. He will also focus on double tracking of the South Shore line and the expansion of the Gary airport, Mrvan said.
“Putting ourselves, as the Congressional First District, in attracting new businesses to our area,” Mrvan said.