MOBILE, ALABAMA, JULY 26 – At a time when thoughtful, non-robotic representation already is too rare on Capitol Hill, it is particularly distressing to learn today that Rep. Martha Roby of Alabama has announced she will not run for re-election in 2020.
As she showed earlier this week with probing, respectful, pointed, but non-hectoring questioning of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Roby is a serious legislator rather than a showboat. Her colleagues know she’s sincere and trustworthy. The media know she will look an interviewer in the eye and give a truly responsive answer, not a store-bought talking point.
Roby has a well-merited reputation for being an effective advocate for a strong military, for better treatment of military personnel, and for meeting the needs of veterans. On the Appropriations Committee, perhaps the most prestigious in the House, all three of her subcommittee assignments deal with matters of defense, foreign policy, and veterans.
And, as we saw during the Mueller hearings, Roby does her homework on the Judiciary Committee, too. She knows her stuff, and she enjoys respect on both sides of the aisle.
Conservatives had particular reason to be pleased with Roby during deliberations on the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act. It was her crucial amendment that statutorily ensures that the federal government will not be able to entice or browbeat (or, effectively, bribe or penalize) states into adopting particular curricula or standards, such as Common Core. …
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