Rep. Frank Wolf, to speak to his 9th period class on December 12. After running for office in 1976 and 1978 and losing, Representative Wolf won in 1980, representing Virginia’s 10th Congressional District until 2015. Wolf discussed his 34 years in Congress, his values, and how relationships between congresspeople have radically changed since after his departure.

Wolf spoke of bipartisanship that he encountered in Congress, such as the Baker-Hamilton bill on Iraq, and kindness across the aisle he witnessed from House Speaker Tip O’Neill to Reagan after his shooting. Friendships across party lines are rare now, and Rep. Wolf said that now House members may not even recognize each other if they are not wearing their congressional pins. This loss of relationship has continued to divide Congress even further.

Wolf said, “Partisanship is a problem because when we have a crisis in the country, forget if you’re a Republican or Democrat, when the next crisis comes, we will not be able to trust one another across party lines snd come together for the best of the country.”

An additional problem cited by Wolf was the large number of congressional members living in their offices. Instead of having an apartment, a majority of congresspeople fly to their home states each weekend only to return on Monday. Congressional oversight is failing because no one is staying to do their job and, instead, are spending more on travel to campaign on the weekends. When no one lives in D.C. anymore, congress members do not support each other, and it becomes about the politics and no longer about the relationships.

As for the work Rep. Wolf did while in Congress, he discussed his travels around the world to protect human rights. He worries for his grandchildren, including senior Lucas Fredbeck, and how they will have to deal with the national deficit, saying, “This country’s deficit will affect your (Gen Z) generation more than anyone.” Rep. Wolf helped AP Gov students see how politics truly work and the issues facing our country today.