The Republican Conference enforced term limits on committee chairmanships. Committee Chairmen were announced including Rep. Lamar Smith (R‐TX) as Chairman of Judiciary, Rep. Darrell Issa (R‐CA) as Chairman of Oversight and Reform, Rep. Paul Ryan (R‐WI) as Chairman of Budget and Dave Camp (R‐MI) as Chairman of Ways and Means. You can expect robust and productive committee work and appropriate oversight from the incoming 112th Congress and the chairmen of the various committees.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney addressed the incoming freshman Wednesday morning and gave us his perspective on national security.

Committee assignments for the 112th Congress will be coming soon. The incoming freshmen from South Carolina – Jeff Duncan, Mick Mulvaney and Tim Scott – have cooperated, coordinated and worked hard to request committee assignments that benefit South Carolina and fit our respective backgrounds. Not only are these three incoming freshmen wonderful people committed to the conservative cause they are a joy to be around, and I am proud they are representing South Carolina. They ask tough, fair questions of leadership and each other.

In addition to preparing to hit the ground running January 5, 2011, some of the highlights of the trip for me were the moving prayers offered by incoming freshman Rep. Allen West (R‐FL) and outgoing Rep. Gresham Barrett (R‐SC) and a chance to sit down with Rep. Paul Ryan yesterday in his office and listen to him talk about the need for courage and sacrifice to right the fiscal ship in our country.

Very cold in Washington. Wonderful to be home. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Thank you for giving me the chance to work for you in 2011.

Washington, D. C.

Installation of Trey Gowdy

U. S. Representative-elect

for South Carolina’s 4th congressional district

(Spartanburg, Greenville and Union counties and part of Laurens County)

January 4 – 7, 2011

Join us in the Installation Festivities!

*White House *U. S. Capitol
*World War II Memorial *Holocaust Museum
*Washington Monument *Lincoln Memorial
*Arlington Cemetery *Kennedy Center *FDR Memorial *Vietnam Memorial
*Korean War Memorial *Washington Cathedral
*Smithsonian Institution *Jefferson Memorial

$395 Price Per Person Includes:
*Roundtrip Motorcoach Service from Spartanburg, SC
*Accommodations (3 nights), Breakfasts (3) and All Gratuities

Reserve your space today!
Reservation Deadline: December 15, 2010

Please RSVP to:

Bob Morgan Tours
864-587-8536 bmtours@charter.net

The incoming freshman class is a diverse group of women and men who are committed to the cause of conservatism and committed to changing Washington. I am an admitted skeptic. And I went to orientation full of skepticism. I can imagine a better America and a better congress but history teaches me to be suspicious and skeptical. But there is a resiliency and a steadfastness that is real among the incoming freshmen. It is a historic class in terms of size and diversity, and I also believe it will wind up being a historic class in terms of charting a new, different and better path for our country.

There are farmers, doctors, a former NFL football player, a pizza parlor owner, state and federal prosecutors, small business owners, an ex FBI agent, two former sheriffs and a whole host of folks elected to change the culture and direction of congress. There is also a former world champion lumberjack named Sean Duffy, from Wisconsin, who introduced the ban on earmarks during the Republican Conference. Sean is married and father to 6 children including his youngest Marie Victoria who is 7 months old (that precious baby girl is absolutely gorgeous and accompanied mom and dad to orientation this week). Sean is a former prosecutor, the youngest of 11 children, and he gave up his job as a prosecutor to run for congress against the incumbent Democratic Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Sean ran against tough odds because he wants a better country for his children, and he was willing to sacrifice his job and face the uncertainty of providing for his family to reclaim this country.

The freshmen class was unanimous and enthusiastic in voting to end the earmark practice and the reasons are multifold. I was also encouraged to learn that Speaker-Designate John Boehner has never asked for an earmark ever in his career in congress. Majority Leader Eric Cantor is equally opposed to the practice.

I was and remain very impressed with the three incoming freshmen from South Carolina. Tim Scott, Jeff Duncan and Mick Mulvaney are going to be fantastic leaders in the cause of constitutional conservatism They are good people who feel privileged to represent this great state and are serious about the business of changing the current path we are on.

Requests for committee assignments will be next on the agenda for all congressmen. Since the Republicans reclaimed the majority there will be more slots on committees for Republicans and there will be new Chairmen. Paul Ryan is expected to be the new Chairman of Budget. He is brilliant on economic issues and is the author of a “Roadmap to an American Recovery” which takes on entitlement reform and tax reform. Lamar Smith is slated to become Chairman of Judiciary and he is committed to the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. Darrell Issa is slated to become Chairman of Oversight and Reform, and he is tough and fair and the American people can expect accountability and real oversight from his committee.

I am hopeful about the future but also wary that we have been here before – in 1994 – and the promise of a new congress must be fulfilled with action and accountability and a commitment to serve in an honorable way.

I will close with this observation: the Capitol is beautiful and so full of history. We have much to be proud of in this country. But despite the history and the beauty, the sweetest words I heard all week were these: “Ladies and gentlemen we are beginning our initial descent into the Greenville-Spartanburg airport.” I would rather be home than anywhere else in the world.

-Trey

Trey has been a prosecutor for the past 16 years and working in and around law enforcement shows you a different side of life. One of the common refrains from the past 17 months is the acknowledgement that there are exponentially more good people than those who seek to do wrong, more honest people than dishonest, and more kindness than malice. Thank you for everything. Above all for your love of this country and your desire to see the American Dream thrive for everyone. God bless you and God bless our country and our state.

- Terri and Trey Gowdy

In these two congressional races that also feature some third-party candidates, The Greenville News recommends a vote for Trey Gowdy, the Republican, in the 4th Congressional District that covers Greenville, Spartanburg and Union counties and a part of Laurens County. The News recommends a vote for Jeff Duncan, the Republican, in the 3rd Congressional District that covers much of the western border of this state including Pickens, Oconee, Anderson, Laurens and Greenwood counties.

Fourth District: Trey Gowdy is an especially appealing candidate facing a Democrat who is a solid opponent. Gowdy comes to this Nov. 2 election with one of the most impressive primary victories in the country: He defeated six-term incumbent Bob Inglis by getting 71 percent of the votes in the June 22 runoff.

Gowdy has earned respect in his home county of Spartanburg and outside of its borders for his well-deserved reputation as a tough but fair prosecutor who made significant improvements in that office. He is a proven leader who already has been tested in an important office.

Gowdy’s Democratic opponent is by no means a lightweight. Paul Corden ran two years ago against Bob Inglis. Corden is a retired business executive also from Spartanburg and he is a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam. He is a faithful representative of many of the ideals and policy positions of the Democratic Party, and like Gowdy, he recognizes this country must get its fiscal house in order. Corden would allow the Bush-era tax cuts to expire on this country’s wealthiest citizens but is open to keeping them for a year or two on middle-class taxpayers.

On the issues, Gowdy shows signs of being a pragmatic leader who wants to reduce federal spending and put limits on the reach of the federal government. When confronted with spending issues, he said he would ask: Is it constitutional, as in something the federal government should be involved in? Is it sound public policy? Is it affordable? In light of today’s crippling federal debt, Gowdy said proposed federal spending could clear the first two hurdles and still not be affordable.

Gowdy also recognizes that some pain will be in store as needed reforms are implemented for the three entitlements that are “what’s bankrupting the country….” He’s stopped short of specific ideas but said it’s time for the conversation about matters such as raising the retirement age and possible means-testing for some of these programs.

The most promising attribute that Gowdy brings to this race is his fire-tested leadership in the prosecutor’s office that covers Spartanburg and Cherokee counties. He demonstrated his legal skills in the courtroom, but he did much more. He has been a leader in pushing for reform of the state’s laws regarding DUI and violence against women, and he has been at the forefront of the drug court movement. He is smart, creative and knows how to get things done.

Boone, still performing at concerts, was a recording, movie and TV star second to none in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and had 38 top 10 hits during his career. Now a national spokesman for 60 Plus, Boone labeled Gowdy a “fighter for the elderly.”

The Association’s Guardian Award is presented to Democrats and Republicans in Congress based on their “senior friendly” voting records. The Honorary Award is given to those running for office and is based on their views on seniors’ issues.

“Trey Gowdy can always be counted on to protect Social Security and Medicare,” Boone said. “Trey Gowdy will be a tax cutter, protecting the pocket books of senior citizens. 60 Plus calls on nearly 5.5 million seniors nationally for support, so I believe I can speak on behalf of seniors when I say that they can count on Trey Gowdy. Clearly, seniors will have no finer friend in Congress than Trey Gowdy.”

Published: Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 3:15 a.m.

Seventh Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy has shown innovation and leadership as the prosecutor for Spartanburg and Cherokee counties. He will bring those same qualities to Washington as the representative from the 4th Congressional District.

Gowdy has worked to improve the administration and service provided by our criminal justice system. He has worked for the success of drug courts and to improve the handling of cases of domestic violence.

The solicitor even took the unprecedented step of giving up control of the court docket to a judge in order to make court administration more equitable to the defense and to make the system more efficient.

Too often, we see elected officials who are focused on accumulating and preserving their own power. It’s the major reason South Carolina suffers under an obsolete state government structure. We rarely see an official willing to cede some of his own authority to improve the system and provide better service to the people. Gowdy stands practically alone as an elected official who has proven he cares more about the interests of his constituents than in amassing his personal power.

That sense of priority will be necessary to accomplish Gowdy’s goals in Washington. He wants to restore a constitutional perspective to Congress, vowing to push his colleagues there to acknowledge the proper functions of the federal government and the functions that should be left to the states and to individuals.

This means more than forcing Congress to cite the constitutional authority under which it creates each law and program. It means making tough decisions about matters in which Washington really has no legitimate role and paring back the power Congress has seized over those matters.

Gowdy wants to cut federal spending by subjecting it to different criteria than has been used in Washington. He wants to look at whether federal programs are legitimate functions of the federal government. Too often, Congress decides whether a program represents good public policy and then dreams up a constitutional justification for why it is a federal function. Not every good idea must be pursued by the federal government.

This perspective is sorely needed in the U.S. House.

Gowdy, a Republican, is opposed by Democrat Paul Corden of Spartanburg, Green Party candidate Faye Walters of Greenville, Constitution Party candidate Dave Edwards of Greenville and Libertarian Rick Mahler of Campobello.

It’s a field that can’t compete with the solid record of public service that Gowdy has. He has shown leadership and an ability to work with other parties to improve conditions and government services for the people.

That determination to work for the people, to cut federal government down to its proper size, along with the skills to build consensus, will prove valuable in Washington. Trey Gowdy is the best choice for the voters of the 4th Congressional District.

The campaign is gearing up again for the general election on November 2nd.We could sure use your help. If you are interested and willing, please contact our office at 864-908-3775 or you may email George Ramsey at george@treygowdy.com.

We’ll have lots of fun volunteer activities in the coming weeks, and we would welcome your help.

Thank you for everything you have done to help us. I look forward to seeing you soon on the campaign trail.

Sincerely,

Trey Gowdy