Weekly Columns and Op-Eds
The passing of President George Herbert Walker Bush on last Friday evening calls us to reflect on the actions and character of this outstanding public servant.
Born with wealth and a powerful family name, Bush chose to dedicate himself to service greater than himself. He once said, "The American Dream means giving it your all, trying your hardest, accomplishing something. And then I'd add to that, giving something back. No definition of a successful life can do anything but include serving others."
For the men and women who have given their lives in service to our country and on behalf of our freedoms, we find ways – even small ways – to honor their sacrifice and their memory. Though the way we honor the person we lost may seem small, it is still meaningful for loved ones and the community.
Our Washington community honors the life and service of U.S. Marine Sergeant Dietrich Schmieman of Richland, who was serving in the 2nd Raider Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina when he was tragically killed in a cargo plane crash in Mississippi on July 10, 2017.
The recovery of the gray wolf is a success story for the Endangered Species Act, and the best available science should determine whether species remain listed. I am proud that the House voted last week to approve of legislation I co-introduced with Rep. Sean Duffy: H.R. 6784, the Manage Our Wolves Act, which will return management of the gray wolf species to the states. The states are best-equipped to provide more effective and accountable management that responds to the needs of the ecosystem, other species, and local communities.
November 11th of this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I. Over the course of that conflict, 116,516 American military personnel lost their lives. The deadliest battle in U.S. history was at Argonne Forest, from September 26, 1918 lasting more than a month, until the Armistice. The battle involved more than one million American soldiers and resulted in more than 26,000 American military deaths. The toll was unimaginable, but the U.S. contribution and heavy sacrifice on behalf of the Allied cause turned the tide.
Last week, I met a couple angels in the Tri-Cities.
No, really: I had the opportunity to sit down with James and Angie Sessions of Pasco.
A few years ago, James and Angie were inspired to become foster parents after learning about the foster care system while at a local church's camp for children in state custody. The Sessions fostered two separate sets of siblings who ended up being reunited with family members – an experience that came with the very real emotional toll that can come with providing a temporary home.
Every calendar year, Social Security Administration (SSA) automatically calculates the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for beneficiaries based on the consumer-price index, which measures changes in the price level of a defined set of consumer goods and services purchased by households. Earlier this month, SSA announced that it would raise the COLA by 2.8 percent in 2019, the largest COLA increase in seven years. That increase may not sound like a large amount, but it is more than the COLA increase of 2 percent in 2018 and 0.3 percent in 2017. In 2016, there was no increase at all.
Americans across the country and of all faith backgrounds can celebrate the return of our fellow citizens held unjustly overseas –some for practicing their faith. Many prayers have been answered.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "We must learn to live together as brothers, or perish together as fools." Today in our nation, the notion of civility seems to have taken a back seat.
It has been more than a year since the shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise and Republican colleagues at their baseball practice, and more than a year since the murder of a counter-protester at the Charlottesville white supremacist rally. In light of such destructive political violence, as citizens, we must come together and commit to civil discourse.
One of the biggest challenges facing healthcare consumers today is the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs. President Trump acknowledged the problem in his Inauguration address, saying, "One of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of prescription drugs." Bringing down the price of prescription drugs will help reduce medical costs for families, and Congress is working with President Trump's administration to make progress and increase access to affordable healthcare.
Two of the most important trading relationships in terms of purchasing U.S. manufacturing and agriculture exports are Canada and Mexico. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect in 1994 to reduce trade barriers between our three countries. While NAFTA needed to be modernized, the agreement has been critical for our farmers and ranchers: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, since 1994, Canada and Mexico's purchases of American agriculture goods has quadrupled to $39 billion.