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Newly-Elected TN-7 Congressman Matt Van Epps Marks First Full Week in Congress

by | Dec 16, 2025

Newly-elected Tennessee U.S. Representative Matt Van Epps (R-TN-07) marked his official first full week in Congress last week after his victory in the special general election for the seat earlier this month.

Van Epps, who was backed by President Donald Trump in the congressional race, defeated his Democratic opponent State Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) and four Independent candidates in the December 2 general election, garnering 97,034 votes (54 percent), according to official results published by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office.

He was sworn into the 119th Congress by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) two days after the election.

Van Epps swore the oath of office using his daughter’s pink-colored children’s Bible which he also used when he was sworn in as the Tennessee Department of General Services commissioner in 2024.

The Tennessee congressman said Speaker Johnson told him that his swearing-in ceremony was the first time he had seen a pink Bible on the floor of the House.

“Having my family beside me as I took my oath was incredibly meaningful. Making America a better country for my daughter and her generation is core to why I ran, and having her with me at my swearing in was the honor of a lifetime. I’m so honored to fight to make life better for Tennessee families, including my own,” Van Epps said in an email to supporters.

Van Epps recorded his first official vote in Congress on December 4 when he voted with the majority to pass the Promoting Responsible Oversight To Eliminate Communist Teachings (PROTECT) for Our Kids Act, which prohibits federal education funding for any elementary or secondary school that directly or indirectly receives support from the Chinese government.

Through Monday, Van Epps has since recorded a total of 24 House Roll Call votes.

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter. 

 

 

   
This article may be republished only in its entirety and only with proper attribution to State News Foundation.

Written By Kaitlin Housler

Journalist
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