U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, right, speaks during a stop to hear thoughts on the Farm Bill in Portland in September. With him is U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy.

WARREN – It is a much different world than the last time U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson was in Chautauqua County. Back in September, Thompson joined colleague Nick Langworthy to listen to those representing the region’s agricultural sector during a stop at the Cornell Cooperative Extension facility in Portland.

Dressed at that event wearing a bolo tie, Thompson stayed true to his roots. As the representative for District 15, a region that encompasses 18 counties in western and central Pennsylvania, he understands the importance of his mission for the rural residents he serves.

That’s why he’s honored to be heading the important Farm Bill effort, which is slated to be discussed in the House of Representatives later next month before the Jan. 1 deadline. But before then, Washington has some healing to do.

As the overseas scene simmers with the ongoing conflict involving Russia and Ukraine and the Mideast crisis between Israel and Hamas, piddly politics reared its ugly head early last month in our nation’s capital. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out of the position in an unprecedented vote.

Thompson recently called those measures “embarrassing, uncalled for and unnecessary.” That reaction was a bit cooler than the early stages of the McCarthy exit.

On Oct. 3, he was thoroughly annoyed. “Today’s vote was nothing but a distraction from a handful of shameless self-promoters,” he said. “Their form of demagoguery doesn’t work without a foil. Now, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves.”

In the House of Representatives, Thompson is held in high regard. He chairs the Committee on Agriculture and has traveled the nation for input from those connected to the industry on what he considers an “incredibly important” Farm Bill to the district he represents in Pennsylvania as well as those in neighboring New York state and its Southern Tier.

“It’s not just about the food on the plate,” he said. “It’s about rural economic development, rural utilities, broadband, research, trade and somewhat about workforce … We made some good progress.”

That may have been one of the few bright spots over the three weeks of debate and gridlock that is inconsequential compared to the violence taking place internationally. On Oct. 25, a new House Speaker in Mike Johnson was approved.

Thompson, for now, calls Johnson “eminently qualified” based on his background but acknowledges he is “going to have to grow a little bit into the position.”

That’s more than Langworthy has said publicly. The Western New York representative has not issued a press release on Johnson taking the position while previously noting his support for Rep. Jim Jordan.

Thompson, however, is focused on moving forward and getting things done in a collaborative manner. “It takes effort to keep things bipartisan,” said the Howard, Pa., resident. “How you do that is, I think anyways, you welcome people to the table.

“You respect their opinions. You don’t ask them to check their principles and values at the door. And then we find common ground. … The question is what can we agree on. That becomes the basis for cost-effective solutions. That’s how I manage to approach this and that’s what I believe in. Quite frankly, it’s been very successful with my legislative work.”

On the whole, Thompson believes there is more common ground among the representatives than what is portrayed in the national media. Some of that, however, has to do with those who seek out the spotlight.

“The problem is we have 24-hour news and social media,” he said. “Neither one is helpful in terms of promoting civility and bipartisan problem solving. But it’s a reality. It’s what we have and there’s nothing that’s going to change that.”

John D’Agostino is editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.