U.S. Representative-elect for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District Matt Van Epps was sworn into the 119th Congress on Thursday by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04).
.@SpeakerJohnson swears in Rep. Matt Van Epps (R-TN) to the House of Representatives. pic.twitter.com/7NuSbsQd89
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 4, 2025
Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and U.S. Representatives Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04), and David Kustoff (R-TN-08) stood in support of Van Epps’ as he was officially sworn in as a member of the U.S. House.
“I stand here today humbled by the trust that the people of Tennessee’s 7th District have placed in me. I come to this distinguished body as a Christian, a husband and a father, and an Army Special Operations helicopter pilot with nine combat tours, who has seen firsthand what makes this nation exceptional,” Van Epps said on the House floor as an official member of the Congress.
The Republican said he is committed to working with the president and his House colleagues to deliver on strengthening public safety and lowering costs for the people of Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District.
“America’s strength comes from our enduring belief that freedom is worth fighting for and from our commitment to protect and empower the hardworking families who make the American dream possible. My commitment is simple: lower prices for Tennesseans, bring down healthcare costs, protect communities, and restore American energy independence and economic strength,” Van Epps said.
“I will work everyday with President Trump and my colleagues in this House to deliver on the America First agenda. Our constituents are looking for results. The people of Tennessee didn;t send me here to just give a speech – they sent me here to deliver, and that’s exactly what I intend to do,” he added.
Van Epps defeated his Democratic opponent State Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) and four Independent candidates in Tuesday’s special general election, garnering 96,988 votes (54 percent), according to unofficial results published by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office.
Now that the seat for Tennessee’s 7th District is officially filled with Van Epps’ victory, the House currently has 433 voting members – 220 Republicans and 213 Democrats – with two vacancies remaining, in Texas’s 18th District and New Jersey’s 11th District.
Watch Van Epps’ remarks on the House floor:
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Image “Rep. Matt Van Epps” by CSPAN.org.
