NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Like any fresh face on Capitol Hill, newly minted Rep. Michael Waltz is eager to make an impact in Washington.

• Rep. Michael Waltz is a combat vet who served in Afghanistan
• Waltz now fills the role once held by Gov. Ron DeSantis
• Veteran says he's focused on supporting Gold Star Families
  

Four months on the job now, Waltz is filling the role once held by now-Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Republican former combat veteran represents Florida’s 6th Congressional District, which stretches from southern Jacksonville to New Smyrna Beach, including the city of Daytona Beach.

"I’m not easing into it. I committed during the campaign to hit the ground running," Waltz said.

We caught up with the freshman lawmaker recently as he toured Florida Power & Light’s expansive 1,219-acre solar farm in New Smyrna Beach.

It was a rare glimpse not just at the 330,000 solar panels helping to generate enough electricity to power 15,000 homes, but a chance for Waltz to highlight how this technology could shape the future.

"To me, this isn’t just a jobs issue, it’s obviously an environmental issue, it’s a national security issue," Waltz said.

During the tour of the solar farm, Waltz recalled his experiences from his military tours of Afghanistan and how simple technology could be used to save lives.

"As a veteran, I can’t tell you how many of our soldiers that I lost, that we lost, carting diesel fuel to remote outposts over very, very insecure supply lines, when those outposts could have had a couple of solar panels and a wind turbine and been totally self-sufficient," Waltz said. "You magnify that to the global supply chain, and I think this has huge implications."

Waltz fought on the front lines in the war in Afghanistan as a special forces officer in the U.S. Army National Guard. His military experience led him to roles as a senior adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney, as well as a senior director at the Pentagon.

It’s that very military experience, and absence in Congress, that inspired him to run for office.

"There aren’t enough veterans in Congress," Waltz said. "There is nothing like having people there that have skin in the game that put their life on the line in their various earliest age for this country."

There are currently 96 veterans serving in Congress. While that may seem like a lot, consider the 1970s, when almost two-thirds of Congress were veterans.

"In business and in combat, if you don’t get things done, if you don’t get results, really bad things happen, and I think it’s more of that ethos we need in Washington," Waltz said.

Waltz has used his first few months in office to focus on a variety of issues, including support for Gold Star Families and attention on the crisis in Venezuela.

His says his biggest mission so far is tackling the growing political divide in Washington and across the country.

Waltz is cofounder of a new caucus called "For Country," with a focus to install more "civility" in politics.

"This is comprised of Democrats and Republicans who served overseas and are focused on mission accomplishment," Waltz said. "This should give us hope that there are people there with a lot of experience who want to get the ball moving forward."

It is a start to what will likely remain an uphill battle, as certain issues remain polarizing.

One such issue is health care, which is expected to be a major focal point of the 2020 elections.

"I think we’ve got to fix it and fix it fast," Waltz said. "The philosophical difference you’re going to see is when I say we have to make it more affordable, I mean things like selling across state lines, tort reform, portability of care, tackling fraud in the Medicare and Medcaid system, when I think many Democrats say make it more affordable, they mean more for the government to take on, and I think that’s a recipe for disaster."

While health care is likely to at least partially shape the 2020 election, so will the tone of politics, at which critics often call out President Donald Trump.

"I guess the tone is in the ear of the listener. I mean, there’s a lot of people I talk to who think he is forceful, he’s aggressive, and he’s taking on issues that many politicians wouldn’t touch," Waltz said. "A lot of people don’t like his tone. Regardless, I’m focused on what he’s getting done..."