WASHINGTON — Now that he’s a congressman with a national megaphone, Rep. Kevin Kiley’s eager to describe over and over how he sees Gov. Gavin Newsom ruining California.

Four days after taking office, the Republican vowed on his blog: “I will continue to do everything I can to expose Newsom’s failures, using all the new tools at my disposal to hold him accountable. Our movement for sanity in California will continue to grow.”

Asked by The Sacramento Bee to describe the new tools he could use to battle Newsom, a Democrat, from a continent away, Kiley cited his ability to talk to a wider audience, ask tough questions at hearings and help write legislation.

“There’s simply the platform of being able to communicate on the national level about how things have been going in California,” he said.

Being a congressman involves balancing concern and getting help for constituents while working to shape federal policy so it benefits both the country and the member’s district.

In his first weeks in office, Kiley has spent much of his time traveling through his district, seeking help for storm victims.

At the same time Kiley has:

— Spoken on the House floor against how California has handled water policy. “California now finds itself in a drought emergency and a flood emergency at the same time,” he said “That absurdity underscores a fundamental failure of governance.”

— Criticized Newsom on Twitter, warning “My arrival in Congress is not going to make Gavin Newsom’s life easier. Quite the contrary.”

— Appeared on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show, saying Newsom “declared California is the true freedom state. You’d think this is a parody if you didn’t know better.”

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