Patrick McHenry

Giulia, the kids and I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas 🎄 May the blessings of the season be with your families and our country throughout the new year.

I enjoyed having the opportunity to chat with Spectrum News recently and to reflect on my 20 years in Congress. I am still as hopeful for this institution and our country as the day I was sworn in.

Rep. McHenry reflects on 20 years in Congress Rep. Patrick McHenry briefly served as acting Speaker in his final term in Congress.

I enjoyed having the opportunity to sit down with the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance for a fireside chat about my years in Congress and my hope for the future. What a tremendous surprise to be presented with the Order of the Longleaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest honor.

It was great to catch up with Brian Lewis, cohost of the “Do Politics Better” podcast. I enjoyed chatting about what led me to public service, my career and Congress and some funny stories along along the way.  to listen to the podcast, follow this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/do-politics-better-podcast/id1557257071

Jeff Cash served as Cherryville’s fire chief for over 30 years and served as city manager after that. He has been a tremendous mentor and helped me design my fire grants workshops immediately after I was elected to Congress. He also served as the instructor for those workshops for many years.

Jeff has been a dear friend, and it was my pleasure to present him with a flag flown over the US Capitol in honor of his service.

Over the course of my career in Congress, I have visited more than 150 fire departments. It was bittersweet to make my last one of these visits. However, it was great to visit the Spindale Fire Department in Rutherford County to recognize them for an Assistance to Firefighters grant that will fund 10 new air packs. 

It was an unbelievable honor to present PFC Bryant Womack’s family with the certificate that accompanied his Congressional Medal of Honor. This certificate was thought to be lost for decades, and was recently discovered in a bookshelf. My office worked with the VA to validate the authenticity and it was wonderful to reunite this unique piece of history with PFC Womack’s family.

You can read about PFC Womack’s heroism here: https://www.rutherfordweekly.com/family-will-be-presented-with-lost-medal-of-honor-certificate-cms-13907

I appreciate local officials from Rutherford County taking the time to join me for lunch and to discuss the ongoing Hurricane Helene recovery.

It is always great to see my friend Philip Byers. Philip has served his state and community for decades as Rutherford County Sheriff and currently on the UNC System Board of Governors. It was my honor to present him with a flag flown over the US Capitol in honor of his years of service.

It was an honor to present Chief Brian Green, Mayor Ed Hatley and the Lincolnton Police Department with a Department of Justice COPS Hiring grant. This is a tremendous achievement and will fund four new police officers.

One of the great honors and joys of my service in Congress has been working with people who wake up every day and seek to serve their communities. There is no greater example of this than Sherry Rhinehart and her staff at the Lincoln County Child Advocacy Center. I presented Sherry and the CAC with a flag that was flown over the US Capitol to honor their 30 years of protecting children.

Congratulations to Sheriff Bill Beam and the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office on receiving a COPS Hiring Grant to fund four new deputy positions. It was an honor to be able to recognize this achievement.