Government was manifesting itself in unpleasant ways. Later on layer on top of that, the polls nightclub shooting happened in my district. It felt like a called to service. If you wanted to change washington, you had to change the type of people you were sending their. I decided to get into the race to run a fourmonth campaign against a 24 year incumbent. That, running against an opponent like that, who did you turn for advice, for counsel, did you feel daunted about this task you are about to undertake . Rep. Murphy i have never run for anything in my life, not even student government. This was my first foray into politics. I was lucky to have staff that campaigned staff, a campaign manager, and other members of staff, who helped guide my campaign. Thisen you decided to make run, what were your first thoughts on coming to d. C. , about the city itself or the district itself and the job you are about to undertake . Rep. Murphy when i see the monuments and i see the capital, i just feel such a sense of pride that i get to be a part of the greatest country in the world. That is how i feel coming to washington and the those symbols of our democracy. I am excited to be here and honored to be here. I am particularly honored to be the first vietnamese American Woman to serve and congress, because i believe in a democracy where we have a representative government. That we should have people who represent the people that they are serving. I believe in a diverse government. Tell us about your experience from vietnam to how you got to the united states. Rep. Murphy i was six months old and my brother was eight when my parents got into got onto a boat to escape vietnam. We ran out of fuel. Here we are adrift in this vast South China Sea when a u. S. Navy ship came upon our vessel. Resupplyeled us and does, which allowed us to make it to a malaysian refugee camp. From there, a Lutheran Church sponsored my family and relocated us to virginia. They allowed they helped my parents get jobs and my parents worked multiple jobs to ensure they could make ans meet and allow my brother make ends and ind allow my brother to finish our education. Ther it is very deputy serendipity or providence that fuels my sense of patriotism. America the u. S. Navy was patrolling in the South China Sea when they came upon our ship, and they extended grace to desperate strangers. That is why i am so committed to this country. You bring up a military influence on your early life. Your previous background was in issues of intelligence, and National Security. Briefly, what did you do . Rep. Murphy i worked at the department of defense on National Security. Which secretary . What kind of work did you do . On. Murphy i worked military to military relations, cooperations between our country and others. I also helped work on Strategic Planning for the department. Now you serve on the Armed Services committee. What influences do you think you will bring to your committee . Rep. Murphy it has been helpful to have had experience with the department upset the department of defense. I understand how budgeting works. I understand how we focus on training and equip. I understand the work plans we are trying to resource for. It gives me a background to immediately get to work adding value and ensuring that we survey men and women in uniform in the best way we can. Given your background, do other members search you out for information, guidance, you seek them out and learn more about the position on the committee and the job of intelligence and the Armed Services. I love working with my colleagues. I just got back from a bilateral congressional delegation to the Asian Pacific region to explore our National Security interests there. That working relationship and tends tohat politics stop at the borders edge is something im grateful for on the Committee Great on the committee. I read on your website that you registered with the democratic blue dog coalition. Dogs been the blue known for their fiscal responsibility as well as their strong National Security and that sits well with where i see myself. It is a Good Opportunity to work with likeminded people to advance legislation. What is it like to be a moderate on capitol hill . Difficult, it is you are liable to be hit by the left and the right. As a moderate we are pragmatic in looking for ways to legislate and move this country forward. What is the best device you are perceived since you have come to congress . The best advice you have received since you have come to congress . Rep. Murphy it is to believe and the power of the possible. It can feel like dysfunction. Being here point in if you wallow in that. You have to look for what is possible. You coming tosed washington, d. C. , and doing the job that you do . What did you experience that did you not expect . Rep. Murphy i did not expect to. He collegiality we hear a lot about the battles and the fights. There are a lot of things that affect my constituents where we are working together in a bipartisan way. I do not think that always comes across. I do not think i expected that. Stephanientative murphy of florida, thank you for your time. Tonight, on afterwards, mark levine on the expansion of the federal government and what the country must do to move back to what the founders intended in his book. He is interviewed by former South Carolina senator jim demint. We have reached the point where we cannot get back. We are overwhelmed in the culture, and politics, in the media, with this progressive notion, centralized government, egalitarianism, smothering of individualism. It has become so entrenched in our institutions that there is no way to rip it out. I say this we have to do everything we can. Confronted, debated, explain to our fellow citizens what is taking place. We have no choice. Watch tonight at 9 00 eastern on cspan twos book tv. Now a Heritage Foundation forum of assessing the impact of Government Policies on poverty. This is just under one hour