Tea Party Freshmen Warm to Task of Governing

Members of Congress swept into office in the 2010 midterm elections with tea party support are learning the ways of Washington, D.C., while still trying to forge their own path. The freshman class of 93 in the House has transitioned from campaigning to governing, USA Today reported Thursday.

"I haven't worried too much about learning the ropes," said Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D. "In the past, that has been something that maybe has tripped up new members. It's good to come up here and understand the process, but we need to make sure that we are doing it our own way."

Some new House members are leaning on their past experiences as local lawmakers.

"I'm not a freshman,” said Rep. David McKinley. “I'm just new in Congress." McKinley served in the West Virginia House of Delegates and GOP state party chairman before his election to Congress last year.

Still, others admit to the frustration of the Washington bureaucracy. "I went in with the youthful vigor that I could single-handedly change the world," said Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold. "But you fast come to the realization that you're 1/435th of one-half of one-third of the government."

Farenthold had a recent experience with a company that told him it was cheaper to build in China because of the regulations in this country.

"I don't know how these bureaucrats sleep at night," he said. "Nobody in the Washington regulatory bureaucracy gets fired for saying no. There's a lot of power to the status quo."