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The Watauga Democrat
By Scott Nicholson

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-Watauga) still has the soul of an educator, with a row of sharpened pencils lined across the desk in her Boone field office. Foxx, who tries to maintain hours there at least once a week, spent Thursday morning catching up on the correspondence that takes much of her time when she's away from Washington, D.C. On her desk were eleven sharpened pencils, and a coffee cup held another half-dozen. She said she brought her own pencils from home, and also had to sharpen them there because the office on N.C. 105 Extension doesn't have one. She uses the pencils to edit responses to letters written by her staff, saying that even during her long career in education, which included a stint on the Watauga County Board of Education, she never used a red pen. Most of the letters are congratulatory, written to people or students who have won awards, while others ask for help in dealing with federal agencies. "I try to catch up on mail when I'm in the office," she said. "Sunday night, I had about 150 letters to review."

Documents were stacked in five separate piles, and she said she knew what letters were in each pile. The office only answers letters from residents of the Fifth District she represents. Letters often deal with whatever issue happens to be dominating national debate, such as the Supreme Court nomination, transportation bill and energy bill. About half the letters are personalized letters, with much of the rest being form letters generated and sent out by advocacy groups. Foxx uses a government surplus desk, and some of the furniture in the office is shopworn. She said it's a reflection not only of her personal frugality, but of the frugal attitude she has toward taxpayers' money. Her office also features two potted plants, family photos, and a still life of flowers painted by her husband Tom Foxx. Two framed documents on the walls feature sayings and rules of conduct written by Thomas Jefferson, one of the country's founders. Foxx said her admiration for the country's founders is also reflected in her choice of reading material. Though her reading time is mostly limited to airplane trips, she recently finished a John Adams biography and a book chronicling George Washington in 1776 in his role as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. "I'm fascinated with the founding of this country," she said. "It was a lot more difficult than I think most people realize. There's no doubt in my mind that God's hand was in on the founding of this country.

"Their (the founders') brilliance has not been duplicated. Just look at the Constitution and how well it has worked for us with very little change. Think about the other countries trying to write theirs. It took six years to come up with the (U.S.) Constitution." Foxx said her admiration for Washington is not just because of his role as the country's first president, but as its first national military leader. She said if she could assign the country a history book to read, it would be "1776," about a pivotal year in the country's formation. "The role of the federal government is defense of this nation, and we need to be constantly reminded that is the most important function," she said. "What gave these men inspiration to fight a war (for independence) was understanding they were a free people and wanted to maintain freedom." Foxx said the system of representational government made it a humbling task to serve in Congress.

"It's an awesome responsibility to a large number of people," she said. "Obviously I have loyalty to the people who elect me, but also to the people of the nation as a whole to maintain the form of government that we have." Foxx said after seven months in office she is pleased at the efficiency of her staff, and has a goal of heading the most responsive office in Congress. "One of the most rewarding things for me are the compliments on the staff," she said. "A good day is when our office has been able to help constituents." Foxx has 14 staff members to run her offices in Washington, D.C., Boone and Clemmons. Each representative must work within a budget granted on a cost-of-living formula. Foxx said there are misconceptions about some Congressional benefits.

"I get at least one letter or email a week, usually a couple, that are misinformed," she said. "We do pay Social Security. (Representatives) have been paying in since 1982. The other misconception is that members of Congress after one year can retire and draw a full salary. It takes a minimum of five years to qualify, and I don't know what you get, but it's not a full salary. We also do not get free postage. That comes out of our budget, along with printing and supplies." Congress is typically in recess during August, and it's a time when many representatives are free to take vacations. Most, like Foxx, spend the time catching up on issues in the district, making the rounds and handling paperwork. As she works at her desk, she turns to simple comforts such as hand lotion and bottled water.

Foxx spent Wednesday in Wilkes County at the first meeting of the district's Veteran Advisory Committee. Foxx said she wasn't trying to add more meetings to peoples' schedules, but she believes it will help open lines of communication between veterans and those who provide services for them. Foxx is supporting legislature to expand a range of veteran benefits. Thursday morning, she met with state United Way president James Morrison and local United Way director Jenny Miller, who sought Foxx's support for a 211 health-care and human services hotline system for the state. Foxx said she couldn't help because it's a state and not a federal function. After five terms as a state senator, Foxx still keeps up with General Assembly news. She feels her experience in state government helps her staff guide constituents toward the appropriate services even when they are not federal issues.

Foxx's calendar is set two or three months in advance. After spending Thursday morning on mail, Foxx met with two constituents before heading to Ashe County for the afternoon. She'll spend more time in the local office Friday, and has two local functions to attend on Saturday. Sunday, she is speaking to a Sunday school class in Clemmons. She said she ends up working about 18 hours a day.

"Last night, I got home at 10 and washed four loads of clothes," she said. "I edited letters from 11:30 to 1 (a.m.). I got up at 6, hung up my clothes, and came to the office at 8 a.m. That's a typical day for me." Foxx has also been successful at fundraising since her election, after a primary race last year in which she overcome an underdog role to beat several prominent candidates who had more campaign money. However, she said strict rules keep fundraising out of federal offices. She said even in Washington, she has to leave her office and go to the National Republican Congressional Committee's offices to make phone calls and faxes that deal with fundraising. Foxx said she regrets not being able to attend all meetings because so much happens at once in the capitol, and the pace of her office there is much brisker than in the district. "I might spend as much as six hours a day meeting with constituents," she said. "I spend a lot of time going from place to place. Between appointments, committee meetings and voting, I'm usually there from 8 in the morning to 7:30 at night. There's almost never a time during the day when I sit behind a desk." Foxx, who was known for her near-perfect voting and attendance records in the General Assembly, said she has missed three House votes so far. Two were when her "blackberry" digital pager didn't buzz to notify her of a vote, and another time she pulled a lever but the vote failed to register. Representatives have 15 minutes to cast a vote once the vote is called, and though they often have a general idea when the vote is going to take place, last-minute changes, debate and procedural issues can bring delays. After voting on the floor, Foxx said her second-biggest priority is attending committee meetings at which votes are taken. She also attends committee hearings whenever possible, though sometimes all three priorities are happening at the same time.

Foxx said her biggest frustration is the various layers of bureaucracy and the number of people and federal agencies that must be dealt with on each issue. A hallmark of her political career has been a battle against red tape and waste. "There's a lot of waste in all organizations, not just government organizations," she said. As a veteran politician, Foxx understands the democratic process can be slow, especially in a charged environment. "The rhetoric of politics is very distracting at times," she said, citing "delaying tactics" Democrats use on the voting floor. "They'll make a motion to recommit a bill (send it back to a committee) knowing they don't have the votes to get it done, but it takes up 15 minutes. They say one thing and do another. Every major piece of legislation, besides the budget bill, has had bipartisan support, with at least 40 Democrats voting for it. The rhetoric doesn't match their performance. I wish there was more acknowledgment that good things are happening." Foxx enjoys her busy schedule, but also regrets the loss of time spent with family. Though she comes home to Watauga almost every weekend, she doesn't get to see her husband and grandchildren as often as she would like.

"I'm not in my house very much," she said. Occasionally her husband will travel with her on weekends, and her grandchildren sometimes attend functions with her. While in Washington, she calls her husband three or four times a day, but even when she's home, she might not see him. This week he is in Washington painting her apartment there. Foxx said she is proud of sponsoring two major amendments to the education bill and the passage of her HERO bill by the House to allow soldiers flexibility in opening individual retirement accounts.

"A lot of days, you don't have a huge success, but you're building all the time," she said "It takes weeks, months or years to get something really important accomplished. Big things don't scare me off if it's the right thing after they're done."

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