In one of his last events as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Chris Stewart spoke at Sutherland Institute’s annual Congressional Series, held at the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. 

Stewart recently announced that he will be resigning from Congress a year before the end of his sixth term, due to his wife’s health struggles. 

In his one-on-one discussion with Sutherland Institute’s president and CEO, Rick Larsen, Stewart reflected on his time in Congress and what’s next. 

“One of the things I’m most proud of that we did was create the National Suicide Hotline number, the 988 Hotline. This was a bill that will literally save lives,” Stewart said. 

The creation of the 988 Hotline was the culmination of years of collaboration between Utah’s congressional delegation, state and local leaders, and experts in suicide prevention. Even with the broad support, Stewart pointed out that it took five years to get across the finish line. 

“Our Founding Fathers wanted that to be that way,” Stewart said. “That frustrates a lot of people and so their presumption is sometimes ‘well, Congress is slow, therefore it’s dysfunctional.’ Not always. Sometimes that slowness is actually the function of Congress.” 

As a member of the Intelligence Select Committee, Stewart oversaw foreign policy and intelligence funding.  

“The problem is on that [committee] you can’t talk about much of the work we do,” Stewart joked. “It’s hard to come home and brag.” 

On the topic of the partisanship and polarization of American debate today, Stewart expressed concern. 

“It worries me now that it’s much more in our society. It’s much more beyond just the body politic.” 

When asked about the institution of the family, its formative nature in our country’s success and history, and how we can educate the next generation about freedom, Stewart argued that there is nothing more important. 

“The vast majority of the societal problems we’re experiencing right now can be traced back to the foundation of the family and the diminishing, or the weakening, of family in our society.” 

Larsen concluded the conversation with a final question for the congressman: What does he want to be most remembered for? 

Stewart replied, “As someone that promised to put his family first, and when he had to, he did.” 

What’s next: 

Sutherland Institute’s Congressional Series continues throughout the month of August, held in partnership with university venues across the Wasatch Front. You can learn more and sign up to attend by visiting the event page here.