Kamlager-Dove reflects on chaotic, drama-filled first year in Congress

As Congress heads home for the holidays, the House and Senate leave a lengthy to-do list to kick off the new year. But for anyone who inhabits the halls of the Capitol will tell you, the break is welcome — especially considering the marathon 14 weeks lawmakers spent in session following the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the election of new Speaker Mike Johnson.

“The commute and time away from home might be the hardest part of this job. Every time I come home, I am kissing the ground,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., told Spectrum News in a conversation this week in her office. “I love representing the district, and I love coming home, and I wish that Republicans would get it together so that we could have a calendar that would allow us to come home on a regular basis.”