INTERVIEW — CONGRESSWOMAN CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R-Washington’s 5th congressional district) and chairwoman of the House Republican Conference. She is the highest-ranking woman in Congress and the fourth-highest Republican in the House of Representatives – discussed her op-ed in National Review about restoring trust in government, the gun control debate, and her opinion on the declining mental health situation among our children

• Trump to meet with lawmakers from both parties on guns (Politico) — Lawmakers from both parties, including some of the Democrats’ strongest gun-control advocates, are planning to meet with President Donald Trump Wednesday about responses to the Florida school massacre. Trump’s meeting with lawmakers comes as House and Senate Republicans continue to struggle with the political challenges of passing even the small-bore background-checks bill that the president is supporting. In the House, conservatives are chafing at the prospect of decoupling the background-checks bill from an expansion of concealed-carry limits for gun owners, a top priority of the National Rifle Association.
• There’s a Trust Crisis in Government. It Must Be Fixed. (National Review) — Public officials have lost sight of their mission. If you were to ask Americans if they trusted the government to do the right thing, the likely answer is a big, fat No. According to Pew Research, only 3 percent of Americans say they trust that the government will do the right thing “all the time.” 3 percent! If only 3 percent of Americans said they trusted a pilot to land a plane, would you board the flight? If only 3 percent of Americans said they trusted a doctor to write the correct prescription, would you take the pill? What about if only 3 percent of Americans trusted a business to keep their credit-card information secure? Would you make a purchase from their website? In all these cases, of course not. Why is trust in government nearly at an all-time low? It’s because the hardworking men and women of this country look at Washington, D.C., and see story after story of corruption, lack of transparency, and mismanagement. From senior FBI agent Peter Strzok’s onetime involvement with an opaque investigation of the president of the United States, to Lois Lerner’s Internal Revenue Service that targeted conservative organizations, to politicians from both parties who have abused public trust by engaging in sexual harassment. What do all these cases have in common? It’s officials who have lost sight of their mission to serve We, the People.