I boarded a flight to Washington, DC Monday morning. This was a change in my normal routine of flying on Tuesdays due to a meeting Tuesday morning.

Before boarding the flight, I chatted with a congressman on the House Appropriations Committee. He shared with me that he thought there would be a government shutdown. It remains to be seen what will happen. He also expressed the opinion that President Trump was right 70% of the time, “but when he is wrong, he is wrong.”

We also discussed the war between Ukraine and Russia. He said the hatred between the two countries is deep. He shared that two-thirds of the fatalities have happened in the past two years. The land being exchanged is relatively small but does contain some rare earth minerals. If, and when, the war stops, he believes the killing will continue.

On the flight, I sat next to a congresswoman whose daughter works for a catholic charity in a foreign country. She expressed concern for her continued employment since the charity is funded by USAID (United States Agency for International Development).

Upon arrival on the Hill, I began delivering my notes to congressional offices. As I entered one office the staffer said, “We needed to see you today.” It’s a stressful time on the Hill and any words of encouragement are welcome.

Tuesday morning my colleagues, Dan and JoAnn Cummins, and I met with Paula White who is head of the White House faith office. Dan had arranged this meeting to explore ways that we might be able to coordinate what we do in the Capitol and congressional offices with the work done in the White House.

While we anticipated the meeting would take place in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, we met in the faith office that had just been relocated to the White House. Significantly, President Trump provided space for this office in the White House.

The meeting with Paula was very positive and she was thankful for the work that we have done on Capitol Hill for over ten years. While her focus is from the perspective of the White House, I believe there are ways that we will be able to work together in the coming months and years.

As we left the West Wing, a motorcade approached and I observed Vice President Vance enter the West Wing.

Following the meeting, I returned to Capitol Hill to meet with a former member of Congress who is still working on the Hill. Walking long distances on marble floors can take a toll on my knees and feet so I took a break from visiting offices.

Anticipating the President’s speech to a joint session of Congress, I began delivering notes to offices in the Longworth Building around 7:00 pm. Although it was late, many offices were still open. As I delivered my note to the office of a South Carolina representative, the young staffer said, “Steve, you’re working the night shift.” Several members of Congress invited me in to have a chat.

From the Longworth Building, I made my way to the Capitol. Security was very tight. As I headed through the Rayburn tunnel, I was stopped by a young officer who asked to see my ticket for the President’s speech. It was clear that he was not going to let me pass.

Soon, I heard the voice of another officer saying, “Let him go. He’s okay.”

It was my friend, Darius, an officer who I’ve prayed with for years.

I was not successful in getting a ticket for the gallery to watch the President’s speech but was able to watch many of the leaders including Speaker Johnson walking through a gauntlet of media posted in Statuary Hall on their way to the House Chamber.

I headed back to my hotel a few blocks from the Capitol and watched the speech from my hotel room. As I walked, I could hear multiple helicopters hovering over the Capitol providing a layer of protection for what was happening in the House Chamber.

On Wednesday I made more deliveries to congressional offices and prepared for our first worship service to be held in the Capitol in 2025.

At noon, Dan and I attended the weekly Republican Study Committee gathering. It’s a caucus of conservative Republicans and the largest of the Republican caucuses. At this gathering, new pieces of legislation are presented and discussed by speakers from both on and off the Hill.

Specific issues in this week’s gathering included information from Congressman Jay Obernolte regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a presentation from Senator Susan Collins on upcoming legislation from the Senate side including budget proposals. A budget deadline is approaching next week to avoid a government shutdown.

It was also made clear that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would be trolling every appropriations proposal from either political party. Earmarks otherwise known as “community projects” would be scrutinized. Earmarks can be useful in seeing legislation passed but can also be abused by both parties.

Also speaking at the gathering was Speaker Johnson. He shared that he is in frequent communication with Elon Musk regarding budget issues. I found out that Musk would be meeting with Republicans later that evening.

One representative shared that they would be introducing legislation requiring that voting only be done in English. This was based on President Trump’s executive order making English the official language of the United States.

Items also discussed included legislation to censure Representative Al Green for interrupting President Trump’s speech the previous night. While the censure doesn’t impact what the representative can do, he does have to stand in the well of the House Chamber while the Speaker reads the censure for his actions. It was anticipated that the vote on the censure would take place Thursday morning.

Wednesday evening we held our first worship service of the year with Dan Cummins preaching and I led the music. It was great to renew these times of worship in the Capitol.

The pace of change and action on Capitol Hill is nonstop. Pray that God is in the midst of all the action and that leaders are seeking God’s wisdom.

I’ll be returning to the Hill in a few weeks. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

Steve