WASHINGTON – Republican Matt Van Epps of Tennessee was sworn in Thursday as the newest member of the U.S. House of Representatives, just two days after winning a high-profile special election that helped preserve his party’s narrow majority.
Speaking on the House floor, Van Epps highlighted his background as a Christian, husband, father, and Army special operations helicopter pilot with nine combat tours. “America’s strength comes from our enduring belief that freedom is worth fighting for and from our commitment to protect and empower the hard-working families who make the American dream possible,” he said. He pledged to advance President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, emphasizing that voters “didn’t send me here to just give a speech. They sent me here to deliver, and that is exactly what I intend to do.”
Van Epps took the oath of office from Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., alongside his wife, Meg Wrather, and their daughter, Amelia. Johnson noted that Van Epps swore in on a hot pink Bible belonging to his daughter, saying, “With her name on it! I have not seen that before.”
His rapid seating strengthened the GOP’s 220-213 majority amid ongoing discussion of resignations, contrasting with the seven-week delay in swearing in Democrat Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona during a government shutdown. Two Democratic-held seats in New Jersey and Texas remain vacant.
A West Point graduate and former state general services commissioner in Nashville, Van Epps received late support from Johnson and the national Republican Party to boost turnout. He defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn by roughly nine percentage points, though the narrower margin compared to previous elections has fueled concern among Republicans ahead of next year’s midterms.