While the GOP was unable to secure a majority in the U.S. Senate after the midterm elections, they still were able to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives. As a result, many are predicting gridlock because they don’t expect the two parties to agree on most issues.

Monday on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program,” U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl said he hopes Congress will be able to find some common ground for the good of the country.

“Getting the president’s sign-off on some of this stuff is going to be quite a challenge,” Carl said, “and we’re going to have to prove to him or convince him, I should say. It has a lot to do with the 2024 elections or the Democrat party as a whole whether we can do some of this stuff that we’re looking at.”

The congressman believes that lowering energy prices should be a top priority for Washington, D.C.

“We’ve already started working on the energy issue,” he said. “I’m on the Natural Resource Committee. We’re already looking there at things we can turn around and reinstate to get us more energy independent here in the U.S. It’s not a matter of are we going to do it, it’s a matter of are we going to get support.”

The lawmaker said the election is proof that Americans are not happy with their legislators right now.

“The American people are a little put out with all of us,” he said. “I think that the congressional approval rate’s at 17% right now. People want to see something. If we didn’t learn anything from this election we learned one thing. People are tired of Congress. I don’t blame them. I’m a little fed up with them myself on some issues.”

Carl said the American people want members of Congress to start working together to get things done.

“It’s hard for one side to constantly work against the other side and be able to get anything accomplished … if we want to fix this country we’re going to have to come together and be Americans,” he said. “And being Americans, we can hold our nose and vote on some things every now and then. But it’s going to take all of us, not just one of us.”

He also warned the next two years will not be easy for the GOP.

“America. just strap in and hang on because the next two years are going to be bumpy and rough,” he said, “but we’re going to do the best we can do because we’ve made some promises and we’re going to fulfill them.”

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee