Red Alert Politics - Millennial Rep. Elise Stefanik Represents New, Bipartisan Generation in Congress

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By: Meghan Keenan

Millennials have officially overtaken Baby Boomers as the nation's largest living generation -- giving them an enormous opportunity to influence elections and the political process. However, despite their size, millennials are underrepresented in the workforce and are the least likely generation to vote in political elections.
Studies show that the majority of millennials want to elect lawmakers who will work to elevate their economic opportunities, and reach across the aisle as necessary.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) says her top priorities are creating jobs for the millennial generation and getting them engaged in the political process -- which makes sense, because she is a millennial herself. At just 31 years old, Stefanik made history last year when she became the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress.
In a recent interview with New York's Fox 28, Stefanik reflected on her first year in office, in which she led the effort to pass a reform of the Affordable Care Act, and supported several other bipartisan policy reforms to help increase job growth, both in her district and on a national level.
After hearing feedback from her constituents about increased costs and limited choices in their health care coverage, Stefanik set to work on a solution. She was responsible for repealing the auto-enrollment mandate of the Affordable Care Act that was passed as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.
"For that legislation to come from a freshman office and be part of a victorious legislative achievement in a somewhat gridlocked Congress and divided government; that's significant," Stefanik said.
She led the effort to repeal the medical device tax, and supported bipartisan efforts to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, which she referred to as a critical jobs program for businesses in her district.
She has also introduced legislation to expand Pell grants for college students.
An editorial in The Post-Star pointed to Stefanik's flexibility on certain issues, and willingness, at times, to break ranks with the Republican Party. For instance, she joined a resolution stating that climate change is real and needs to be addressed, but voted against the Clean Power Plan to protect jobs and keep the cost of electricity down.
GovTrack, a website that monitors the voting records of members of Congress, shows Stefanik is one of the most moderate House Republicans, and in the top 5 percent in co-sponsoring bipartisan bills.
"I am a big-tent Republican," Stefanik said. "I also represent a new generation in Congress. I've found that as a millennial, you're not seeing the typical partisan divide. Millennials want to get things done, we want to re-think broken systems."
Stefanik also chairs the GOP's Millennial Task Force and works to engage the younger generation in the political process. She encourages millennials, and young women in particular, to run for office.
In a recent interview with Elite Daily, Stefanik pointed out that women make up the majority of voters in the United States, but make up only 20 percent of Congress. She argued that women bring a unique perspective to the legislative body and are more likely to reach across the aisle than their male counterparts.

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