Weekly Columns and Op-Eds

It has been said, “if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” By that definition, the 8 young men and women from Central Washington who have worked tirelessly to earn a nomination to one of our nation’s military service academies exemplify leadership.

In the tunnels of the U.S. Capitol, on a wall lined with creative, inspiring pieces from our nation’s brightest students, one catches the eye. A student’s self-portrait, etched in shades of gray, shows him peering into his sealed-off classroom with an unsettling look you can’t quite place. Is it longing? Fear? Anger? Perhaps it’s all of them and more.

Christmas is the season of hope and joy, and as we look to the brightening days ahead, it is important we bring that same sense of love and generosity that has filled our hearts and homes over the last few weeks with us into the new year.

A few weeks ago, I was speaking with former Defense Secretary General James Mattis about some of the lessons he’s learned over the years. One of his biggest takeaways?

On Friday, the Labor Department announced that consumer prices increased by 6.8 percent in November compared to last year, the largest annual increase in over 39 years. If that doesn't make apparent the impacts President Biden's policies are having on American families to my progressive colleagues, I don't know what will.

Ensuring the voices of Central Washington are heard in our nation's capital has always been my priority. Under the progressive stranglehold the far left has on the Biden Administration, protecting rural communities is more critical than ever before.

It has been three months since the Biden-Harris Administration finalized the withdrawal of the United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan on August 30^th, and Americans are still stranded, waiting to be rescued from the Taliban-controlled region.

As talks of defunding the police ring through the halls of Congress, West-side legislators in Olympia continue to push through policies that are negatively impacting our communities, and this time, the consequences could be dangerous.