When we talked with Cathy McMorris Rodgers last June about the creation of her new leadership institute, she seemed relaxed and enjoying her life as a private citizen. McMorris Rodgers has generally remained out of the spotlight since leaving Congress.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers: I made one trip to D.C. since December (2024), and I've really been taking a break and not in a hurry to fill a schedule. Our girls are in sixth and eighth grades. They're finishing up, and then Cole is a junior. So, you know, there's lots of kids' activities, and that's where I want to be right now.
DN: McMorris Rodgers says she hasn't made the decision yet about whether there's another office to run for or another job that would put her back in the public eye. But she has created a nonprofit, the Cathy McMorris Rodgers Leadership Institute, to promote values important to her.
CMR: The Leadership Institute is really driven out of a desire to pour into our next generation of leaders across the board, but especially high school, college students. I find myself reflecting on my time in Congress and, you know, coming from Kettle Falls, farm kid, first in my family to graduate from college. I'm so grateful for all the mentors that I had and people who took time to mentor me, as well as leaders that I looked up to and opportunities that I had that really made a difference in my life.
Part of it is a desire to provide more opportunities for leadership development, both here in Spokane and, you know, we might do some partnerships across the country too.
DN: When did you start actually planning an institute like this?
CMR: Well, it was actually an idea that former Speaker Paul Ryan gave me as I was leaving Congress. I had conversations with other members who had served and had moved on to the next chapter. And he had started, I think, an institute in conjunction with Notre Dame. He just said it was a great way to stay involved and help influence where you want. He planted the seed and then it just, I've just started to develop it a little bit more.
Certainly the focus on high schools. I've spent time during my years in Congress, visiting high schools and talking with students about our constitution, about our form of government, why America really is unique.
At the founding of our nation nearly 250 years ago, it was a revolutionary idea at the time that we were created equal. That's laid out in our Declaration of Independence and just what America has represented to the world. And we're not perfect, but you look over the last 250 years, America has done more to lift people out of poverty, raise the standard of living more than any other nation in the world.
I'm wanting to talk to them about my perspective and the opportunities that I had, but also just being a representative and politics is in the news today. So they always are very engaging and there's a lot of good questions that they have and I just enjoy spending that time with them.
DN: What sort of role do you envision playing? Is it mostly a public speaking role? Is it behind the scenes? What do you see yourself doing?
CMR: Oh, that's a good question. You know, we're still developing it, but one area is around Constitution Day.
There was a law that was passed by Congress when I was first elected that every school is to teach the Constitution on Constitution Day in September. That's something that we think that the Institute can help with the teachers in the schools to facilitate and figure out, you know, what different schools might be doing in conjunction with Constitution Day.
But also it's also identifying current leadership opportunities. There's a lot of groups, a lot of organizations that take young people and others to Washington, D.C. or other areas.
You know, I did the civil rights pilgrimage a few years ago with (the late) Congressman John Lewis and that was really meaningful. And so I've given thought to perhaps some of those opportunities also, making sure to help get the word out on college campuses and high school campuses as to leadership programs that might be available or pilgrimages or tours that they might be able to plug into and it's all a part of leadership development.
DN: So how do you pay for an enterprise like this? Do you have folks who are giving you money, writing checks, or are you bankrolling it yourself?
CMR: Well, there's some seed money that's been made available and there will be, I'm hoping that others will come alongside and join in this effort. Some of that will still have to be developed.
DN: You have stepped away from Congress, but do you envision reaching out to some of your former colleagues to take part in events maybe that your Institute will be putting on?
CMR: Yes. For example, this former colleague I was just talking to, he said, well, Cathy, if you ever have a group in D.C. and want to tour the Capitol, I love to take leaders, future leaders on tours of the Capitol. And I think there really is an opportunity to engage with leaders both in Congress and in the administration, Republicans and Democrats, about America, this greatest experiment in self-governance that the world's ever known and leadership, especially political leadership, but just leadership across the board.
There's other business leaders that have already reached out also and have said, Cathy, if there's ever anything I can do, I would welcome an opportunity to speak with future leaders also. I'm really encouraged by the response so far. There's been a lot of positive feedback and people that are interested in being a part of it.
DN: When you sit down with students these days, now that you've sort of stepped out of it, you still know most of the players there. Do you answer differently than you may have a year ago when you were right in the middle of it about how do we make sense of what's going on in Washington, D.C.?
CMR: Yes, I think certainly it's more freeing when you're not having to think about how everything's going to be probably received or potentially misinterpreted. It's always a challenge. I can just speak from my heart, from my experience and I don't have to defend or explain anything else that might be going on in D.C. at the moment.
DN: So as you watch what's going on today, how do you feel about the future of this country right now?
CMR: Well, I have a lot of faith and confidence in America and the American people, and that's part of what drives me is that I had the honor of representing the people of eastern Washington for 20 years. I was inspired every day by the people and I got to tour and meet people. Even if we didn't believe the same ideology, I was inspired by people that were making a difference in a whole host of ways, just different passions and talents and giving back to their communities and building stronger families and communities.
When I look at D.C. today, it's easy to focus on the division or the fighting that might be going on, the political battle, but I would encourage people to keep an eye on the American people and what you're doing in your own family and your own community. That makes the biggest difference. That's the foundation of our nation and I do hope that Americans can take a step back and just reflect on what this great experiment in self-governance has brought not just to us as a people, but to the world and believe that our best days are yet to come and figure out how we can work together.
Yes, we need to build trust. That was something that I really focused on and when I became chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee in my last term, I really felt like the relationships and the trust that I built among my colleagues on both sides of the aisle — we passed legislation out of that committee unanimously on the TikTok bill and apps that are controlled by other adversarial countries. We passed a price transparency bill in healthcare unanimously at a time when people would say, that's not possible. I look back on it and I believe it was because of a foundation that had been built, and that's the foundation of America.
More than anything, I want to inspire people to believe in America, believe in this nation. As I said, we're not perfect and none of us are perfect, but we continue that search for a more perfect union. It's so beautiful and inspiring when you think about just that continued search for a more perfect union and that we all get to be a part of it.
