WASHINGTON — When newly elected members of Congress touched down in Washington on Sunday for a weeklong orientation, they were greeted at the airport by pointed wall advertisements.

“Congratulations on your election. Now go cut some spending,” read one of the ads, paid for by a group, Public Notice, founded by a former Bush administration spokeswoman.

The ad was part of a series that featured the tag line “Keep your promise.”

U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan, is shown after a televised debate with Chet Edwards.
Jerry Larson / Waco Tribune-Herald

Congressman-elect Bill Flores, R-Bryan, part of that new class of legislators, said the outcry to curtail spending is appropriate.

“We are going to have to take big bites of the apple,” Flores said Monday in between orientation events at the Capitol. “We just don’t have the luxury of a lot of time.”

He said he’s also not worried that expectations to scale back the cost and size of federal government could be unrealistic.

“What helps is I’ve got 84 or 88 colleagues who came in on a platform that basically involves those things,” he said.

Like many members of those incoming freshmen, Flores has been deeply critical of Washington and the institution of which he’s joining.

During the GOP primary, Flores emphasized the city’s unhealthy culture that he said sucked up seemingly well-intentioned politicians in the past.

Republicans swept into office in 1994 after the party unveiled its Contract With America, Flores said, and called Washington a “cesspool” on the stump before treating it like a “hot tub” once elected.

He plans to adhere to a simple and straightforward code to avoid a similar fate.

“You have to make sure people know you’re going to vote in accordance with the constitution, you’re going to vote in accordance with what your constituents elected you to do and that you’re going to vote in accordance with your conscience,” he said. “You need to make sure everyone knows you’re beyond reproach.”

Flores, whose Facebook wall is filling up with pleas to endorse specific positions on agricultural and tax policy, said he’s been introduced to the world of lobbying.

“It started today,” he said. “I had lunch with somebody who immediately wanted to start talking about a special interest back in her district and I said ‘look, before I cast any opinion or tell you what my thinking is, I need more background.’ ”

It’s been a whirlwind two days for Flores, who met members of his incoming class, which includes a retired NFL lineman from New Jersey, a pizza restaurant owner from Illinois, and a cotton farmer and gospel singer from Tennessee.

He also learned about his responsibilities. One of Monday’s sessions was titled “If I knew then what I know now.”

Asked if any event stood out, Flores described a GOP members dinner in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

“This Capitol building has a lot of grandeur and a lot of history and a lot of legacy,” he said. “It really was like, ‘Wow, we really are here,’ and you have an idea of the solemn and awesome responsibility that you have.

“But you have to remember that you still have to represent the people back home.”

mshapiro@wacotrib.com

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