- Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy says he’s focused his first 18 months in Congress on bipartisan legislation involving a wide range of legislation, including wildfire prevention, healthcare access and energy infrastructure.
- Kennedy spoke about the effects of Charlie Kirk's assassination in his district, and the lingering impact that's had on the people who were there.
- The American dream is still alive, Kennedy says, pointing to his own path from poverty to becoming a doctor, lawyer and federal lawmaker.
Utah’s newest representative in Congress, Mike Kennedy, is focused on productivity.
With six months of his first two-year term remaining, Kennedy has been recognized as one of the three most productive members of his freshman class. In 18 months, he has introduced 36 bills, six of which have passed through the House of Representatives.
His legislation has covered a number of topics, ranging from energy and public lands to healthcare access and affordability issues. He serves on three committees that intersect with those priorities: Natural Resources, Science, Space and Technology, and Transportation and Infrastructure.
He recently sat down with the Deseret News where he spoke about the legislation he’s introduced, as well as what he and the other members of Utah’s delegation did after the Pentagon didn’t label The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as “Christian,” and how the assassination of Charlie Kirk in his district shaped his thinking and outreach.
Kennedy says his professional career influences how he approaches Congress. He’s worked as a family physician, an attorney, a state representative and a state senator.
He currently lives in Alpine, and practices family medicine in Lindon.
Below is a transcript of an interview between Rep. Mike Kennedy and the Deseret News. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Deseret News: I would love to start by talking about your bills. Walk me through what you’ve been working on and what your priorities are.
Mike Kennedy: It’s been fascinating to try to find common ground with Democrats to move bills through that represent the people of Utah. We’re opening bipartisan bills on wildfire prevention, including the Wildfire Research Institute Act, which allows Utah to have its own research institution.
I’ve also opened a bipartisan bill to reduce overdose deaths. Using multiple medicines simultaneously can create a risk of breathing, so I’m working with my former colleague Ray Ward, who works as a physician and serves as a state representative for Utah, on the bill to ensure that database where controlled substances are placed accurately reflects patients’ health history.
When it comes to energy — cheap, deployable, reliable and clean energy — I’m focusing on geothermal. Sen. (John) Curtis and I are working together to make sure that we’re opening up more opportunities for geothermal energy.
One other bill I’ll point to is the License to Drill Act. It enhances the likelihood that that the government can do the necessary permits to enhance our energy infrastructure. We got that off the House floor with unanimous consent, so now we’re waiting for our Senate colleagues to take those bills up.
DN: You bring a unique outlook to D.C. because of your dual medical-law career. A year and a half in, have your reasons for serving in public office changed?
MK: My understanding of the world and of D.C.’s political infrastructure have expanded. I’ve seen so many compelling international issues I want to help solve as a federal legislator, like the complications of the Chinese Communist Party, Russia, Ukraine or this war in Iran.
Before entering office, I didn’t necessarily think deeply about the policies related to the Panama Canal, for example, which I have now. But as a doctor, I focused my entire professional career on healing individuals and making sure that within their families and themselves, they were as whole as I could help them to become. As an attorney, I recognize the law, the importance of the Constitution and the framework it sets for our society as a whole.
“To be a Christian, to me, is a reflection of hope ... I can be better today than I was yesterday.”
— Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy
And of course, as the father of eight children and grandfather of 12 grandchildren, it’s a great privilege to think about their futures, about this great state, and making sure that I’m doing diligence with this important responsibility that I’ve been given.
DN: It seems to be more and more common for both parties to disregard our $39 trillion national debt. Does this concern you? What can members of Congress do?
MK: I’m deeply concerned about our debt. It’s a matter of moving in the right direction. We’re not going to pay it all off in the next week or two, but absolutely, we can work on it. I’m deeply dedicated to making sure that we are responsible with the way we spend money and also the way that we bring money in.
We need less programs. We need to remediate and modify how we go about things. We did some of that with the Big, Beautiful Bill.
So we’re not going to get rid of the debt right away, but we can start to work in the right direction. And my voting record is clear on this.
DN: How has it been trying to balance these different aspects of your life? You have eight kids and 12 grandkids. Has it been difficult to maintain relationships with them?
MK: I still have one daughter at home. Most of the others are away at school or working. I don’t like being away from home — it’s something that’s a challenge. As a doctor, I was away a lot, but I was never out of town. I would have to go into the hospital at 2 a.m. to see people, but I didn’t have to spend a majority of my time on the East Coast. So it’s been a real challenge.
It’s something that my wife, my daughter and I all have to confront and do the best we can. I make a distinct effort every night when I’m wrapping up my day to call my family and catch up. My family does come sometimes — which my 17-year-old doesn’t always find that to be that exciting.
But we’ve been engaged in public service for a long time. So we’re happy to continue that engagement, and we take the lumps where they come.
There was one time when some of my children and grandchildren were able to visit, and I was able to show them around the Capitol. That doesn’t happen very often, but it was a great experience to bring my grandchildren onto the House floor when it was closed and see them interact with that space, which is usually a very serious space. To have little children in there was fun.
DN: Utah has had crazy year, especially with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Since Utah Valley University was in your district at the time, I would love to hear about your experience with it.
MK: It was a reprehensible act not only against an individual and his family, but against an entire community and against the United States of America.
I was in my office when I heard about it. It was a two-hour delay; I think it was early afternoon. I was immediately disgusted at the nature of it and by the fact that it happened just miles from my home and within my district.
“Since the beginning of time, people have used violence when they don’t want to engage in dialogue.”
— Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy
Since the beginning of time, people have used violence when they don’t want to engage in dialogue. Charlie Kirk is not with us anymore, but his wife, Erika, and his children are with us still, and I’ll take the baton from Charlie Kirk. He’s handed it off to me and many others, and we’re running with it.
So right after that event, my wife and I decided to bring people we knew who had been at UVU into our home. Utah County is where I’ve done my practice for 25 years, so I know a lot of people that were there.
Our friends were there at this horrendous event. Some have PTSD associated with it, and serious trauma has come to them as a result of them being there. So my wife and I invited some of the young people that we knew to our house on several occasions just to give them an opportunity to talk with one another.
It was inspiring to watch these young people move forward. They’ve learned a really hard lesson that some people out there are unstable, unbalanced and violent. But Charlie’s message continues to resonate with people.
DN: The Pentagon ran into some controversy for not labeling members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as Christian. Having a little bit of space from it, what do you think of the issue?
MK: The government has no right to label a religion as one thing or another. I can understand a reason to organize religions for the sake of chaplains and commanders, but I’m grateful they removed the labels.
When we saw it, the other Utah senators and congressmen and I were a bit mystified. None of us were aware why the designation happened the way that it did. In our private chat between the six of us, I was pleased to see a number of ways that my colleagues and I reached out to the administration and to the military folks.
All I know is I was really proud of President (Donald) Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that as fast as I’ve seen almost anything done in government, they changed it. Nothing in government moves fast, and the fact that they were willing, in a short period of time to respond to something that means a lot to all six of us and many of those that I represent is a reflection of the responsiveness of this administration.
DN: What does it mean to be a Christian?
MK: This is a really important question that everybody’s going to have to answer for themselves, but I think one of the most fundamental aspects of Christianity is to love God and love your neighbor.
To be a Christian, to me, is a reflection of hope. As failed individuals, we insult people on a regular basis without even trying to — and sometimes we try to. I love the idea that we can try to work together, apologize when necessary and fix things we may have broken. I can be better today than I was yesterday.
DN: I asked my executive editor, Doug Wilks, if he had any questions for you. He wanted to know if you believe that, after 250 years of the United States’ existence, the American dream is still alive.
MK: Absolutely. I’ve lived it. My dad is an immigrant; he’s a naturalized American citizen. I’m a first generation American, and the opportunity for me to not only go to school, but go to medical school, law school and subsequently be elected to public office in the state as well as the federal legislature — it’s possible for anyone, even people like me who came from divorced parents, welfare and poverty.
The American dream is alive and well. The first trillionaire in the history of the world is an immigrant to the United States of America. We just sent rocket ships around the moon, and we’re preparing to land on the moon again. I think these things are remarkable.
I want to see a permanent base on the moon with nuclear power. I want us to win the artificial intelligence race. We are the most capable nation on the planet. Currently, it’s the best country in the history of the planet. For us to actually embrace that and be thrilled at the opportunity to be American citizens is something I’m really focused on.
