This is Part Three of a series written from a recent conversation with Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, who represents Butler County.

Much of the world changed in the 15 years that 77-year-old Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, has served in Congress.

Kelly was first elected in 2010, where he was seen as a staunch conservative and part of the Tea Party movement that swept through Congress.

Aside from a single-digit victory in 2018, he has won comfortably in every reelection campaign. His own tenure has seen both partisan controversy and support for bipartisan legislation. It has encompassed an ever-changing political landscape.

Currently running for a ninth term, Kelly sits on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means and serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on Tax.

Due to changes in current events — such as the war in Iran, the rise in artificial intelligence and the implementation of President Donald Trump’s tariffs — Kelly navigates a different era of politics than the one he started out in.

“I think if we can get the message out that at the end of the day we’re all Americans every day,” Kelly said. “And if we... forget the political divide, look at the policies, and (ask) does this make life better? Does this build a better future for the next generation of Americans?”

Affordability is at the front of many politicians’ radar. Kelly said cost of living is possibly the most important issue and that “it all comes down to how much does it cost to put a roof over your head, raise your children, clothes on their back, food on the table.”

There are various issues Kelly sees as hurting Americans’ wallets, such as health insurance costs and rising gas prices.

“We’ve been struggling with the affordability factor, because things are just really expensive. One of the things that drives the cost of everything up is energy and we’re very strong on domestic production,” Kelly said. “Now, what’s going on in the Middle East is driving the price up, and it’s supply and demand.”

Kelly said he works closely with Jamieson Greer, the head U.S. trade representative, on issues like tariffs. He supports the president’s overall plan, including investments made in U.S. industries to “make things here.”

Kelly is also a big supporter of one of Trump’s signature policies: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

But with global supply chains, tariffs can negatively impact certain businesses with limited suppliers, he said.

“The tariffs are a problem. We have certain companies that only have one supplier, and they’re not in the United States,” Kelly said.

On Iran, Kelly refused to call the ongoing military intervention a “war.” He said he feels we allowed a bad actor in that region — the Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, who was killed in the initial joint attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel at the end of February — to get “stronger, and “more influential,” something that spanned multiple presidents.

Kelly did say he has concerns about getting stuck in a long-term conflict that results in American lives lost on the battlefield.

“I would like to see it end sooner rather than later, but I think, like everything, we went into Vietnam with the idea it would end sooner rather than later. We went into the Mideast thinking it would end sooner rather than later,” Kelly said. “How many presidents and how many fatalities along the way, before we finally said we’re going to get out of this mess.”

However, Kelly has largely supported Operation Epic Fury, citing years of state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian regime. He claims that when he talks to families of military members, their biggest concern is the need to “defend the country.”

Recently, oil prices have spiked due to the war spreading across the region and impacting oil supplies. Gas prices are up to an average of roughly $3.74 in Butler County, according to AAA.

All in all, Kelly praises Trump. He claims the current administration is “the busiest executive office” he has seen.

Kelly, with a mixed record, laments today’s environment of partisan battles.

He takes pride in ranking in the top third in bipartisanship among legislators, according to the Lugar Center, a Washington, D.C., based think tank formed by former Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar.

Kelly’s time in Congress has also seen various controversies. At one point, he made national headlines for suggesting former President Barack Obama was running a “shadow government.” He likened Trump’s first impeachment to the Pearl Harbor attacks. And, he was one of over 100 representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, an effort to overturn Pennsylvania’s electoral votes for Joe Biden.

And yet, he speaks of conversations with colleagues in the House of Representatives, such as Richard Neal of Massachusetts and Mike Thompson of California, and how when they interact with one another, “everything’s fine.” But when the politicians are on the floor of the House or the Senate, “it’s like the State of the Union,” where everything’s a political spectacle.

When speaking with the Butler Eagle, Kelly highlighted various bipartisan efforts he’s been involved with. One particular effort includes a bill sponsored by Maria Salazar, a Republican House member from South Florida dubbed the Dignity Act. It would provide immigration reform by increasing border security while providing a pathway to citizenship.

The bill does not include the word “amnesty,” Kelly said. And yet, it received coverage on Fox News and was framed that way by Laura Ingraham, he said.

He said it reminded him of when Elon Musk, previously the director of DOGE, anecdotally referenced Iron Mountain’s facility in Cherry Township, which houses the Office of Personnel Management’s Retirement Operations Center. Musk said the office can process only about 10,000 retirement forms per month with around 1,000 employees using an analog system and that a mineshaft elevator would break down sometimes.

“I knew, when Musk said that about the elevator, he had never been there. I knew when Laura Ingraham said ‘these people want to give amnesty,’ she’s never read that bill,” Kelly said.

The partisan environment, Kelly said, has made it nearly impossible to accomplish anything policy-wise.

He also said he’s seen the persistent division happen here in his hometown of Butler and surrounding areas.

In July, his Hermitage office was vandalized. He also said death threats have left his wife disturbed, while he mourns a time when, “we didn’t have to keep everything locked, and there was a stronger feeling of community.

“That’s the town I grew up in. It’s gone now. And I really wish we could go back,” Kelly said.