Weekly Columns and Op-Eds

Politicians like to tell you that there's only one way to pay for new projects: raising taxes. After all, the money has to come from somewhere. Right?

In 2019, the federal government spent $4.4 trillion. Some of that went towards vital services, such as Social Security and Medicare. But tucked away in the budget were millions, if not billions, of your tax dollars going towards unnecessary, frivolous, government projects – including millions paid each year for the upkeep of abandoned federal buildings or printing publications no one reads. But there's no extra room in the budget?

A year into living with the ramifications of a global pandemic, it is clearer now than ever before how important science is to our decision-making – and how quickly it can get tossed to the side in lieu of more politically expedient "truths." When other countries join the fray to undermine our nation's stability, annoyance quickly gives way to alarm. China is leading the latest attack against America with one goal in mind: to undermine our nation's food supply. Alarming, to say the least.

In Central Washington, we know the best way to jumpstart our economy is by reopening our small businesses and letting America's free markets get individuals back in the workplace. Unfortunately, far-left Democrats in Congress don't see it that way. They used the "relief package" to massively fund programs unrelated to COVID-19, to cut our seniors' Medicare, and to enact tax increases to pay for their crazy spending. It doesn't make economic sense.

In the first two and a half months of 2021, illegal immigration has reached a crisis point. There have been more than 200,000 illegal border crossings with as many as 5,000 illegal crossing encounters in one day. In order to maintain the rule of law and keep criminals out of our country, we must continue working to enhance our border security.

One way to do this is to take away opportunities to work illegally in the United States. Congress can do so by creating a viable agriculture labor program that allows workers to come into our country, work legally, and return home.

The U.S. Constitution guarantees law-abiding Americans the right to keep and bear arms, but once again, our Second Amendment rights are under attack by the left.

This week, Democrats in the House are bringing forth two pieces of legislation that aim to make it even harder for citizens to legally obtain a firearm. Contrary to what the media may say about H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446, these bills will do nothing to prevent mass shootings or ensure guns do not fall into the wrong hands.

When our state moved into Phase 2 of Governor Inslee's latest iteration of a reopening plan, it signaled a well-deserved step forward for our region. Following guidelines under the leadership of local health districts and elected officials, we worked together to reduce our hospitalization rates, prevent the spread of the virus, and lower the number of cases in our regions. We earned our way into Phase 2.

Our Native communities are making it clear; they will no longer suffer in silence. Just last week, community members gathered in Toppenish for a vigil to remember and honor the missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW) of our region and across the country. Together, we are working to enact new laws to address the devastatingly disproportionate violence and murder rates among our Native American friends and neighbors.

Hydropower and hydroelectric dams have truly transformed our region into what it is today. Central Washington and much of the Pacific Northwest is naturally arid, but with the construction of federal water infrastructure, it has transformed into a productive agricultural region with a growing population and an increasingly successful, diverse business community.