Reflecting on his career, New York Congressman John Katko advised students looking to go into public service not to do so for the wrong reasons.
“Don’t do it for ego,” he said. “If you’re doing it for ego, find something else. Take on a TV show.”
On Thursday, the Maxwell School at Syracuse University hosted Katko for a wide-ranging conversation with Professor Gretchen Ritter reflecting on his Congressional career in a polarized political environment. He pondered that his career might have ended earlier after his reaction to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, after which he voted with nine other Republicans to impeach then-President Donald Trump.
“Leading up to and on January 6, we saw troubling breakdowns in information sharing and emergency preparedness—core tenets of homeland security,” Katko wrote on the one-year anniversary of the attack. “We are a country of laws, and we must denounce all violence while recommitting ourselves to civil discourse.”
The public affairs school gave the Syracuse School of Law alumnus a framed copy of the Athenian oath as a token of gratitude. “If anyone tries to overthrow the Constitution or disobeys it, I will not permit him, but will come to its defense,” it reads.
Katko blamed both a lack of leadership from both parties and the media for increasing political polarization in the United States. He expressed concern that members of Congress were basing their votes on the direction of the media.
“When you have the AOCs in the world and Marjorie Taylor Greenes, they’re outrageous in the comments, things they say,” Katko said. “They get coverage and get clicks and followers and when they get followers, they get power. That’s kind of screwed up.”
Katko praised the leadership of former presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, both for reaching across the aisle and projecting strength on the foreign stage. He said neither party has shown that type of leadership in the 21st century. He also expressed concern about the role China played on the world stage.
“The United States doesn’t have designs on taking over the world,” he said. “They have designs on being peaceful. China’s designs are taking over the world, under this regime. Under a different regime could it be different? Absolutely. But we would be fools if we didn’t think that China is looking at Taiwan right now.
“My son’s in the military. I don’t want to see him in trouble,” Katko expanded, “But the bad guys only understand strength and we haven’t projected strength on the world stage like we should.”
Throughout his career, Katko strived to set a bipartisan tone in Congress, a tone he said he’s found increasingly under attack. He survived a push from right-wing Republicans to strip him of his leadership role on the Homeland Security Committee after he voted for a bipartisan infrastructure package last fall. While he managed to put together legislation to enact a 9/11 style commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the proposal died in the Senate.
“When you have people investigating themselves, which is what the Commission is doing right now, it just tends to become very political,” Katko said, “What we have now is a very unbalanced committee. There’s not balanced subpoena power.
“They are making inroads, I would probably argue that, but I’m not sure if the safety and security issue is ever going to be adequately addressed.”
Katko expressed some hope that other members of Congress would carry the torch of moderation in future sessions. He named members from both sides of the aisle: Kathleen Rice, Stephanie Murphy, and Brian Fitzpatrick. To people in his position moving forward, he said bipartisanship remains key.
“You got to deal with the other side,” he said. “You got to take into consideration the other side. And if nothing else is a legacy, I’ll be very happy about that to be honest with you.”
In January, Katko announced that he would not seek reelection to the House. The decision came as New York State redrew the district he represents and Katko faced increasing hostility from his party’s right flank. Like his statement, Katko referenced both electoral odds and a desire to be with family when asked about his retirement Thursday.
“My wife and I lost all four of our parents in last four years,” Katko said. “You say, ‘How many good years do I have left?’ And then I looked over at the far left in Congress, looked over at the far right, and said, ‘Am I going to spend them with these guys?’ And I said no.”
More on Syracuse.com
Destiny, hotel owners, loudest I-81 opponents failed to keep high-speed traffic through Syracuse
Vera House takes aim at Andrew Cuomo in new video: ‘We’re tired of people like you’
Onondaga County right to force Great Northern to pay up or sell (Editorial Board Opinion)
State plans $20 million for Carrier Dome renovations: Here are the upgrades you’ll see
Ad Choices