Illinois Republicans Optimistic About Trump's Inauguration
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In less than 24 hrs., Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, and for Illinois Republicans in Congress, it's a new day.
Downstate Congressman Adam Kinzinger knows that with Republicans in charge of all of Congress and the White House, it's a whole new ballgame.
"With great power comes great responsibility," Kinzinger said. "The American people have given us the House and the Senate for a while, and now the Presidency, and they're going to expect some returns."
Although Kinzinger is particularly troubled by aspects of Trump's foreign policy, he supports much of his pro-business domestic agenda. Still, he did not vote for the President-elect in Nov., and says he isn't afraid to speak out.
"He's definitely unpredictable. We've never seen anyone quite like him, and that could be good and it could also, in the long run, be a problem. I'm here to support the new President in any way I can whenever I can, but at the same time, as a person who represents 700,000 people in Illinois, I'll oppose him when I need to," Kinzinger said.
The Chicago area's lone GOP Congressman, Peter Roskam, holds a seat on the Committee on Ways and Means. Therefore, he'll have a strong voice in one of Donald Trump's main priorities: cutting taxes.
"You lower tax rates, allow businesses to expense things immediately, and you create a level of economic growth and economic activity that pays for itself," said Roskam.
But even Republican Congressmen, who favor many of the President-elect's policies, are still trying to adjust to Trump's unorthodox style of leadership and his transformation of the Republican party.
"There's times when he has [Trump] run consistent with Republican themes. There's times when he has not," noted Roskam.