I’ve been in Cheyenne for weeks now late nights, long days voting to defend our kids, our elderly, our quality of life, our roads, young mothers, our legacy industries, our water funding, and our position in coal and RMP litigation. That’s the job. That’s the responsibility. And that’s what the people of Wyoming sent us here to do.
I was born and raised in this great state. Wyoming shaped me under these wide-open skies. It taught me my first lessons. It let me make my first mistakes. It showed me what hard work looks like and what it means to stand by your neighbors. Here, a handshake still matters. Here, community still means something. Here, we care for one another. That’s what it means to be a Wyomingite.
That’s why I find myself increasingly concerned by a growing tone in our Legislature suggesting Wyoming is broke and we need to be “saved.”
We don’t.
In recent years, members of the Freedom Caucus have embraced what feels like a governing philosophy built on a single word: No.
No to funding.
No to investment.
No to maintaining commitments.
No to defending our industries strategically.
No to supporting the services that keep our communities strong.
“No” cannot be the only governing philosophy.
We are told that endless cuts define conservatism. I disagree.
Conservatism, as I understand it, means stewardship. It means protecting what works. It means investing wisely in the infrastructure and industries that sustain us. It means defending Wyoming’s interests in court when federal overreach threatens our coal, our water, or our land-use authority.
It does not mean dismantling our capacity to function.
Wyoming sits on a significant surplus. That did not happen by accident. It is the result of responsible management and the strength of Wyoming’s legacy industries. However, having ample financial resources while refusing to use them to maintain roads, fund water projects, support counties, and defend our economic backbone is not fiscal discipline.
It’s neglect.
Roads do not maintain themselves. Water systems do not repair themselves. Counties cannot shoulder unfunded mandates indefinitely, and our industries cannot fight federal battles without state support.
I am not an isolationist. Everyone comes from somewhere. Many who now serve in the Legislature, moved from other states. That’s part of the American story. Wyoming welcomes people who value freedom, hard work, and community.
But if you choose Wyoming, then love Wyoming.
Respect our way of doing things. Understand that local communities often know best. Recognize that our culture was built over generations by ranchers, miners, teachers, small business owners, and families who weathered booms and busts alike. We are not interested in importing dysfunction. Nor are we interested in being told that everything we’ve built is insufficient.
Wyoming is not broken.
We are the Last Best Place.
That doesn’t mean avoiding tough conversations. It doesn’t mean reckless spending. It doesn’t mean rejecting reform. It means governing with steadiness instead of slogans. It means measuring twice before cutting once. It means investing where it matters: in our children, our elderly, our infrastructure, and the industries that create opportunity for the next generation.
The decisions we make today will echo long after we leave these seats. They will shape not only our children’s future but their children’s as well.
Wyoming does not need saving, Freedom Caucus or otherwise.
What we need is leadership that believes in Wyoming. Leadership that understands its role is in stewardship, not mandating. Leadership that understands our strength. Leadership that knows this state is worth defending, worth investing in, and worth preserving for generations to come.
That is the Wyoming I know.
And that is the Wyoming I will continue to fight for.
Rep. Cody Wylie is a member of the 68th Wyoming Legislature and represents District 39, which includes Sweetwater County, and parts of Rocks Springs and Green River.
