Nearly two months into the new Congress, we’ve seen the beginnings of major debates, from the debt ceiling to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The debates are more heated as Congress is split with a Democratically controlled Senate and a slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

Freshman Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro told Capital Tonight the slim majority means “every vote matters,” and that his voice is heard, despite being a new legislator.

The pressing issue in Washington is the fight over whether to raise the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is the statutory limit that the United States can borrow to pay of its debts. If the limit is not raised, the U.S. would default on their debts.

Molinaro said he is “very aware of the two challenges that we face. One is America cannot default on its debt. There’s no question about that. The other, of course, is that we take responsibility for spending.”

In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden received a vocal response when he brought up prior proposals to “sunset” entitlement programs like Medicaid and Social Security.

Molinaro argues Medicaid and Social Security “are off the table,” and that he will fight to protect them.

A split Congress can lead to little agreement for the two different parties that control the chambers. This is made harder by having a slim majority like the Republicans do in the House of Representatives.

Molinaro said he has “confidence” that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy “is the right person to lead the House with this majority.”

It’s been one year since Russia launched its invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Molinaro called Russian President Vladimir Putin “a criminal and a thug.”

On the issue of aid to Ukraine, Molinaro said the United States should provide humanitarian assistance, and that there should be a close eye on the spending of money while remaining “very firm” in our response.