Weekly Columns and Op-Eds
The Endangered Species Act was signed into law to help protect and recover animals and wildlife facing critical threats or risk of extinction. As Americans, we share the common goal of protecting our environment, creating healthy ecosystems, and ensuring that our growing human populations can live in tandem with the plants and animals around us.
On Friday, October 2, we celebrated National Manufacturing Day, a day to applaud the millions of American manufacturers who are working to produce the finest, high-quality products in the world.
I have had the opportunity to visit with manufacturers throughout Central Washington, and I am grateful for their contributions to not only our local economies, but to our national security and economic independence as well.
Many of us are familiar with how our school districts are funded. Construction costs, maintenance updates, teacher salaries, and more are funded by local taxpayers. With local property taxes, levies, and bonds, superintendents and school district administrators work to ensure our students receive the high-quality education they deserve. Over the past several years, many of our school districts have expanded to accommodate growing numbers of students. But what happens when a school district is on or surrounded by federal land?
As someone who was born and raised in beautiful Central Washington, I understand the importance of bolstering our clean energy resources. For as long as I can remember, our communities have been recognized as a hub for innovative solutions that ensure a cleaner, brighter, more energy-efficient future for us all.
As we head into autumn, many Central Washington families, students, and businesses look forward to celebrating the fruits of our agricultural region at state and county fairs. For many, showcasing animals, livestock, and locally-grown food is a point of pride and the pinnacle of a year's hard work. Not only do fairs give us an opportunity to come together and better understand where our food comes from, but they also serve as an economic opportunity for many of our rural communities.
Hunters, fishers, and farmers are the original conservationists. Growing up in Central Washington, I have been surrounded by agriculture my whole life. As our farmers and ranchers work to feed the world, we also recognize the importance of conserving our precious natural resources and native species. The same goes for sportsmen, many of whom hunt or fish in order to honor generational traditions or provide for their families. Without responsible land use, resource development, and local conservation efforts, hunting, farming, and fishing as we know it would cease to exist.
When rural communities call, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) answers. Our postal service employees provide critical services to the communities of Central Washington and are often the only delivery service that will go the "final mile" to ensure that important mail – including prescriptions, bills, and checks – can be safely delivered to every house in America. In Washington state, we also rely on the USPS to securely deliver our ballots as recently as earlier this month during our state's primary election.
I recently conducted a survey of constituents in Central Washington, asking a question that is on the minds of parents across our district and the entire country: "Do you support doing everything we can to safely reopen schools for in-person instruction in the fall?"
The overwhelming response was "yes."
It's no secret: Rural communities face many unique challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic has widened the gap. In Central Washington, we are proud of our way-of-life and the systems we have built, but there are key investments we must make to ensure our citizens are not disadvantaged. Since being elected to Congress, it has been my priority to increase access to affordable healthcare for our rural communities, as limited numbers of healthcare providers and facilities have restricted our ability to provide immediate, emergency, and even preventative care.