Republican Congressman Jeff Crank, who represents most of El Paso County, was asked what grade hed give himself as he wrapped up 2025, which was his first year in Washington.Well, I mean, I think an A. I think we've had a great Congress. We've done a tremendous amount of work, said Rep. Crank. I've sponsored over 75 bills. I've cast over 300 votes in the House in this last year.Crank said he was proud his office had taken over 1,100 cases from constituents who needed help with a federal agency and closed them, helping deliver $11 million owed from items like veteran benefits and tax returns.He also said his office had answered over 90,000 pieces of correspondence sent to his office. His office typically aims to respond within 48 hours, Crank said.When asked what he considered his biggest failure or what he wished hed done differently, he said it was a tough question.Obviously, none of us are perfect. I try hard to work here and call things as I see them and work across the aisle. I'm not a person who calls other people names and things like that, said Crank.But he added conducting a bit more bipartisanship is something to work and build upon, and that he could always do a better job of doing that.There's a lot that we do that is good and getting the word out that we do that, said Crank. We pass bills here every week where they pass 400 to 20 or something like that. They're very bipartisan bills. We put them on the suspension calendar. That's honestly probably 80% of the bills we pass in Congress are passed that way.Notably, Congressman Crank said he doesnt consider the loss of Space Command to be a failure in his first year. Keeping the headquarters in Colorado Springs was a big campaign promise, but ultimately, President Trump announced in September it would move to Alabama.The president said in a press conference that part of the move was political in nature due to Colorados mail-in ballot voting system. Though it is considered a blow to the local Colorado Springs economy, economists have said it wont be as dire as some might think.Rep. Crank said theyd done everything they could on Space Command, seemingly suggesting there isnt much fight left to keep it in Colorado.I know that there are people who want to turn it into a political issue and grind against the administration, said Crank. I'm not willing to do that because for the next three years, this administration is going to decide where things go.He said hes now focused on securing future missions and roles related to space to the Pikes Peak area, which is still feasible through the regions hearty military, aerospace and defense industry.Crank also took a jab at the states Democrat leaders, like Attorney General Phil Wesier and Governor Jared Polis, who have often been at odds with the Trump Administration, especially through multi-state lawsuits.It's not been helpful. It's been challenging, in fact, when we have a governor and an attorney general that continue to try and want to fight and poke the administration and not work with them, he said. Whether it's on immigration or many other things. So, that's been a frustration, but I think overall we've done the best we can with the hand that we've been dealt (when it comes to keeping Space Command).CRANK GRADES CONGRESS WITH A BAs for Congress, where Republicans control both chambers, Representative Crank said hed grade them with a B due to the continued need to make life more affordable for people.Crank said the One Big Beautiful Bill, President Trumps signature spending and tax cut bill, would bring noticeable relief to Americans once they filed taxes next year.Republicans, including Crank, are now tweaking their messaging and are calling it the Working Families Tax Relief Act.The new messaging comes as Trump and Republicans are working to convince Americans the economy is getting better, which included the presidents primetime address to the nation last week.There's lots of things that we need to work, affordability and housing. We need to work to get interest rates down and inflation, said Crank of Congress. We have gotten inflation down considerably over the last couple of years, but there's more work to be done on that.But, the new Republican messaging is easier said than done as many Americans are still noticing hits to their bank accounts, as noted by UCCS Economic Forum Director Bill Craighead.The economic data presents a mixed picture right now, said Dr. Craighead. The labor market has been weakening, unemployment is still moderate by historical standards, but it has been creeping up (4.6% in November vs. 4.0% in January); hiring has slowed and it is taking much longer for people to find jobs.Craighead said the larger tax refunds or lower withholding next year should be a short boost of economic activity, but the extended impact of large government borrowing could still push up long-term rates like mortgage rates.Inflation is well down from its peak in the summer of 2022, but it is still a little higher than we'd like and the progress has stalled out, added Craighead. Tariffs are putting some upward pressure on it (i.e., inflation would be a bit lower without them).CRANK GIVES TRUMP A BRep. Crank said hes not a fan of long-term tariffs and recognizes they might have had the presidents intended effect of bringing some countries to the bargaining table, but Crank prefers to bring certainty to the American people as Trumps tariffs have caused many headaches for businesses this year trying to navigate their on-again, off-again nature.The Supreme Court is set to rule on the legality of Trumps sweeping tariffs early next year. Tariffs have been President Trumps signature economic tool in the first year of his second term.When asked how hed grade the president, Rep. Crank, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, gave him a B as well. Its by no standard a bad grade, but its somewhat unusual to see Republicans not heap full praise on the partys leader.Well, overall, I mean, you know, probably the same. I'd probably give [Trump] a B. I think we have work to do, and we have to work together as a team to get that done, said Crank. I think we did that in the first part of the year, but there's lots to keep doing.Crank said Republicans need to stay cohesive and always focus on making life better for the American people.His comments about maintaining Republican cohesion come as there is some intra-party fracturing on topics like the release of the Epstein files or the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, which have been hot button issues bringing some Republicans and Democrats together.WHAT CRANK WANTS BEFORE THE MIDTERMSRepublicans will maintain a slim majority in Congress through the midterms, but party control could then flip, especially considering some isolated, but prominent, Democratic wins this past year.In that time, Rep. Crank said he hopes to focus on issues like housing affordability and streamlining the government permit process.Speed up approval processes, get red tape out of the way and try and put more money back into the private sector so that people can make those decisions, he said. So all of our energy and efforts should be focused over the next two years to make sure that we're doing that, working to get the cost of housing down for the American people, and make it more affordable for a generation that is very frustrated that many of them can't afford to go buy their first house.____Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less