The following interview with Congressman-elect Jeff Crank occurred on Thursday, December 19, as the fight to pass a budget bill in Congress was taking place. The first attempt to pass a spending measure failed the night before.
Crank is newly elected to Congressional District 5, which covers much of El Paso County, taking over the seat from outgoing Congressman Doug Lamborn.
The interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Watch the full one-on-one interview below.
BRETT FORREST
Okay, let's start with the spending bill. Obviously, this could be different by Sunday, but if you were already in the position to be voting on this continuing resolution, the spending bill for Congress, how would you be voting right now?
REP. JEFF CRANK
Well, I would have voted against this continuing resolution. It's loaded up with stuff that it doesn't need to be loaded up with, and we've got to find a solution. Now, I will say, Speaker Johnson is in a pretty tough spot right now. He's got just a couple of seats majority. He can't lose members of his own caucus. He has a president that doesn't want to work with him, in Joe Biden, they'd rather it kind of blows up on him, probably. And he's got a Senate that wants more spending. And so he's in a tough spot. We need to get to the place where we have better negotiating power. That's going to be in January, when we have President Trump as president, we have a Republican-controlled Senate and House, and so we just got to get to that point. So I would have voted no, but I understand we've got to get this thing resolved. And figured out so that we can start off fresh in January.
BRETT FORREST
And so this whole bill kind of blew up yesterday, in large part, seems like with Elon Musk's influence. Do you think he should have that much influence over elected positions when he himself is unelected?
REP. JEFF CRANK
Yeah. Well, I mean, he's sort of appointed by the President, you know, or the incoming president, to be in charge of some of this stuff. And look, here's what I hope they do. They need to be on the same page. Everybody needs to be on the same page. We got elected under the mandate of Donald Trump. And so I, and I've always felt like Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, has been working with the Trump administration on the agenda, but somehow, on this, maybe they felt like they had to negotiate with the current president and not the future president. But look, I mean moving forward, we've got just a few weeks, really, until we have a new president, and even fewer until we have a new Congress. They need to be talking to one another, the president, the incoming president, Donald Trump, and Speaker Johnson, need to all be on the same page so that we can push that Trump agenda forward.
BRETT FORREST
And I know part of this bill was a Congressional pay raise. Is that something you think should be implemented?
REP. JEFF CRANK
Well, you know, Congress hasn't had a pay increase for a long time. I think it's awfully tough to go to the voters and ask for a pay increase when they have the kind of performance that they have, which isn't good, right? They haven't balanced budgets. I'd be okay with doing something like that if they actually balance the budget. Now we have, we're a long way from that, but you know, if they were able to perform, then I think that's something you could look at. But that's just something I think the American people don't want to see at a time when we've got $36 trillion worth of debt that you got Congress pushing something like that.
BRETT FORREST
And so when you're taking office January 3, hopefully, what do you expect to be your first actions in office?
REP. JEFF CRANK
Well, first thing we have to do is elect a Speaker. So that's going to be interesting. The Republican conference already selected Mike Johnson as that Speaker, and I suspect that's where we'll be. I hope we're not diverted by personalities and things like that. What we need to focus on is getting the agenda that we all ran on in the past, and that's getting control of the size and scope of government, getting inflation under control and government spending under control, and fixing this broken border that we have. So for me, obviously, we've got to pass the rules package. We've got kind of all of those sorts of things, and then we've got to move into a process called budget reconciliation. And I know that on the fourth of January, we're all going to meet as a Republican caucus and talk about reconciliation and how we can use that over the next couple of weeks to shape, really, what we're going to do with the budget and with the federal government.
BRETT FORREST
And so going into your term, do you expect to support Mike Johnson for Speaker? Because there are rumblings, you know, there might be some challenges already.
REP. JEFF CRANK
Yeah. Yeah. Well, look, yes, the answer is yes, I do. I'm going to support the Republican leader, whoever that is. And here's where we are. We have a historic opportunity right now. President Trump won a mandate. He won a majority in the House and the Senate, and we can't allow personalities to get in the way of that. I would say this, if people don't like the CR, I didn't like the CR, I wouldn't have voted for the CR. But that doesn't mean I have to make it personal. And have to be about this person versus that person. I also, when you have 220 votes and you need 218 to have a majority, you don't get to choose, as an individual, whether you can hold the other 218 members of your caucus hostage. So I think all members ought to be careful about going out and saying, “Well, I'm not going to vote for this person or that person,” because doing that puts the Trump agenda at risk. And I'm about that. That's what I'm about. Doing what we said we were going to do. And so for me, I go into this right now, the Republican caucus said that Mike Johnson was going to be the Speaker. I'm for that. You know, if the Speaker decides he didn't want to run, or there's some other thing, I'll entertain that. But as we sit here today, I'm supporting Mike Johnson.
BRETT FORREST
Let’s move on to your committee assignments, to my understanding you were selected for House Armed Services and Natural Resources, and tell me how you feel about the selections and what you hope to accomplish on those committees.
REP. JEFF CRANK
Well, I'm thrilled about the House Armed Services Committee. It's a difficult committee to get on. It's over the years, it's gotten more difficult. Obviously, it oversees all the military operations of the United States, and we've always, almost always, had someone from this community on that committee. When Congressman Lamborn first got elected in 2006, he was not on it for the first two years. It took him a couple of years of seniority, and then he got on, and he's been on since 2008, and has been a subcommittee chairman on that committee. So for me to be able to get on was a great honor. It took a lot of work, and we went to work, I would say, really working members of what's called a steering committee to try and get that appointment. And we're very excited to get it, and I just look forward to, you know, we've got a lot of work to do, not only for our local military installations, but also when you think about the challenges and the threats that America faces right now, from China, from Russia and just around the world, whether it's terrorists or others, we've really got to keep our technological advantage, because if we lose that, we lose our liberty, and we lose our freedom very quickly. So very important committee and very excited about it.
BRETT FORREST
And how do you hope to better the American economy in your position? And do you fear–just yesterday–we had more rate cuts, but then stocks dipped, because they indicated they probably wouldn't do more next year, or as many next year. Fears of inflation with Trump's tariffs. So how do you plan to combat that, or try to help improve the economy in your role?
REP. JEFF CRANK
Well, again, I said this throughout my campaign, and I'll say it again. I mean, the one thing that drives inflation is too much government spending, and we've got to get control of spending in Washington, DC. That's what the voters sent me there for. That's what every person who got elected. That was the message from Americans, is we've got to get control of spending. By getting control of that federal spending, it will cause inflation to go down, and it will help our economy, it will help the American people. So for me, that's what we've got to do, is we've got to focus on efficiencies in government first and foremost, whether it's in the Department of Defense or it's in some of these other federal agencies, there's a lot of federal agencies we need to eliminate. And then we've got to just really focus on reforms too, within some of our healthcare systems and some of our other programs where we're delivering services as well.
BRETT FORREST
And in terms of eliminating some departments, I know you before said Department of Education. Any others, just for background?
REP. JEFF CRANK
I think there's lots. I mean, should a government that has $36 trillion in debt, should we be funding the National Endowment for the Arts, or the National Endowment for Democracy, or, you know, Corporation for Public Broadcasting? These are all things that are really nice to have as a society, but are they things that we can afford when you have, when you look at it as a choice between having those things or maybe slowing the rate of inflation and making life better for the American people? And I think most people, if they saw that choice, would choose having less inflation and a little more buying purchasing power and things like that. So those are a few. I mean, there's lots of other things. And, you know, even the Economic Development Administration, I mean, there's lots of things we need to examine. I hope this DOGE committee will look at that and work with Congress to come up with some more solutions, and we can work together to fix some of it.
BRETT FORREST
Do you, overall, think the DOGE–Department of Government Efficiency–is a good idea? Or, again, do you think Elon Musk is just having too much influence over how our government's operating?
REP. JEFF CRANK
Well, look, I think it's great that we have business leaders come in and bring kind of that fresh perspective, because I do think that a lot of times, there's this, there's the Washington insiders who all protect one another. And whether it's members of Congress or it's the bureaucracy itself that says, “Hey, we've, you know, you can't do without us. You have to have us at this department or this agency.” So I think it's good to have people, particularly with a business perspective, to come in. And look, at the end of the day, much of this stuff will have to be passed by Congress. You know, Congress authorizes and appropriates money. Elon Musk won't be able to do that. He wasn't elected to do that, so he'll have to come up with the ideas. Congress will have to debate him and decide. But I imagine it's going to be Elon Musk and a group of other people proposing those things to the president, proposing them to Congress, and then ultimately, we have the right to decide. If the people don't like what was decided, we're accountable. And they should hold us accountable for that.
BRETT FORREST
And then, in terms of the TRICARE issue of Children's Hospital right now, what do you say to all that? It's currently ongoing, and how could you maybe even address that issue?
REP. JEFF CRANK
I've talked to the folks at Children's Hospital, and they're in a difficult situation. They do not want to, you know, certainly cut off services or make it more difficult for families, but they're being asked right now by the Department of Defense to provide medical care below, well below, the cost that it costs them to do it. And any business can only do that for so long. You know, the real problem in this is just the reimbursement rate that the Department of Defense has said they're going to pay. And they need to negotiate that, and they need to, in good faith, not walk away from Children's Hospital in coming up with better reimbursement rates. And so there's nothing I can do at this moment, but on January 3, I can. And I'm going to work with another group of House members who are working on this issue. There's several other hospitals around the country that are affected by this. And we really need to focus DoD on understanding that you got to have a reimbursement rate that's fair to health care providers so that they can continue to give the access to these kids, particularly kids who need it.
BRETT FORREST
I know the House isn't necessarily involved with the nominee appointments–confirmations–but overall, how do you feel about Trump's nominees so far? And specifically, I'm thinking of Pete Hegseth with the Department of Defense, because that can impact us here in Colorado.
REP. JEFF CRANK
Well, I mean specifically on Pete Hegseth, I know Pete Hegseth. I worked with him for at least a year or two in a previous job that I had. I know him to be a fine person. I know him to be someone who's a reformer, who cares about the men and women who serve in the military. He ran a group called Concerned Veterans for America at the time, and cared about veterans' health care. That's a real focus that he had. So I support it. Obviously, I don't have a vote on it because I'm not a member of the Senate. I support a President having the right, unless there's something that's really egregious, having the right to have the people on their cabinet that they choose. I would say the same thing was true for President Biden or others, that unless there's something really egregious, that advice and consent function of the US Senate should be just that. It shouldn't be a veto. It should be an advice and consent and so I think overall, he's done really well. I think some of the picks have been really good ones, you know, where he's bringing people in who aren't government folks. They weren't previous “Secretary of anything,” they were business leaders that they're bringing in and trying to shake things up. So I support the vast majority of the President's picks.
BRETT FORREST
Are there any you don't support?
REP. JEFF CRANK
Well, you know, no. I mean, again, I can't think of anything obviously, you know, he had, he had the one that got withdrawn, Matt Gaetz and some of those. But no, I mean, there's nothing that, if I were in the Senate, that I would vote against at this time.
BRETT FORREST
I know you've addressed this one a lot. What are your fears, or what's your expectations with Space Command, as soon as this new term starts, especially with Trump, previously, maybe wanting to move it to Alabama?
REP. JEFF CRANK
Yeah. Well, I was just out meeting at Space Command with the commander of Space Command just yesterday and had a great meeting out there. Look, I think the American people elected Donald Trump because they want a strong national defense, and part of that is maintaining readiness. You know, there's great fear right now that China, in 2027, could attack Taiwan. You know, China and Russia have become–are growing more powerful, particularly in the area of space. They're really trying to challenge the United States superiority in space. So it is a gigantic national security issue. From that perspective, I guess I would ask anyone who wants to move it, whether it be the President or anyone else, what are the national security advantages of moving it? I haven't been given the right answer on that, yet nobody can give me the answer for why it would make sense to move it from a national security perspective. So for me, from the taxpayer standpoint, it makes sense to leave it here. It would be a billion and a half dollars–at least–to move it anywhere else. And then from that national security standpoint, it's a fully operational command right here in Colorado Springs. It does, I think, leave us vulnerable, at least for some period of time, if you take what is a fully functional command, move it somewhere else. There is a period of time where that could be a threat to the national security. So why do it? Look, we're going to try and make that case to the president if this issue comes up. But again, I think the American people elected the president because of that strong national defense, and we want to be a part of that.
BRETT FORREST
So it sounds like, overall, you support Trump's agenda, but that's one thing that maybe you might disagree on him with?
REP. JEFF CRANK
Well, but I don't know where he is on it. Like, I mean, that's where he was a few years ago at the end of his presidency, but I don't know that that's where he is today, and so we have to find that out. So I may or may not. I mean, obviously I'm supportive of keeping it here in Colorado. I think it makes sense from a military standpoint, and I'm going to work hard on the Armed Services Committee to make sure that we get the answers about why does it make sense to move it, if there are folks who want to move it. So look, I'm gonna, I'm here to represent the citizens of this district. I'm not here to go and just do somebody else's bidding. I'm here to represent them, and I'm here to try and keep Space Command in Colorado, but not because it's the right thing to do or the pork barrel politics thing to do. I think it's the right thing for America, and it's my job to make that case to the President.
BRETT FORREST
Anything else you want to say as you head into your first term, January 3? This is airing Sunday night. Anything else you want to add?
REP. JEFF CRANK
It's just a big–it's just a great honor for me. I know you've probably heard me say this before, you were one of the folks at the debate, and you know, it's an honor for me. I grew up in Pueblo. This is my home. For the citizens of this community to send me to represent them in Washington. It's just kind of beyond any expectation I would have ever had in my life. And so it's an honor. I'll do everything I can to be true and faithful and vote in the way that will bring honor and integrity to the citizens here. Folks may not always agree with the way I'm going to vote on it, but I hope they will always feel that regardless of their political views, I'm here to represent them. If they have a problem with Social Security or the Veterans Administration, or whatever, my office is going to treat everybody the same. They're going to do everything they can to help and represent those folks as well. So I would just say thank you to the people who put their faith and trust in me.
Email Senior Reporter Brett Forrest at brett.forrest@koaa.com. Follow @brettforrestTVon X and Brett Forrest News on Facebook.
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