Weekly Columns and Op-Eds
As a conservative who believes in the free market, I believe that American businesses hire more workers and families thrive when you are able to spend and invest more of your own hard-earned paychecks. The complexity and distortions created by our current broken tax code are holding back economic growth and job creation.
When consumers in Tokyo or Hong Kong want delicious fresh fruit, meat, or other products, they are likely to know that the best is grown here in the United States. American farmers produce the highest quality produce in the world, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides assistance that help our farmers gain access to foreign markets that can be tricky to tap into.
When Barbara Johnston realized she was going blind, it changed everything. She could not read the numbers on her prescription, nor could she tell which medications needed refilling, including her blood pressure medication. She also realized her vision problems, the result of macular degeneration, were getting worse.
When President Trump's administration announced that it would give six months to wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, many young people called ‘Dreamers,' immigrants who grew up in the U.S., were once again faced with uncertainty regarding their future here.
In the Fourth Congressional District, the August district work period has been a busy time for me traveling up and down Central Washington to meet with constituents and hear their concerns firsthand.
The 2nd Amendment is an individual right guaranteed to Americans in our Constitution. Especially after the fight for independence against the British, the Founders understood the importance of an armed citizenry.
In January, as soon as it became clear that former Texas Governor Rick Perry would serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Energy, I extended an invitation to him to visit Central Washington. Last week, I was pleased to welcome Secretary Perry to learn more about the contributions our community has made to our history and continues to make for our future as a country.
If you speak with any local veteran in Central Washington, as I do regularly, you will likely hear stories of frustration with the Veterans Administration. While there are many dedicated staff and VA providers, our veterans deserve so much more than long drives and long wait times to receive the care they have been promised.
Last Wednesday, President Trump signed bipartisan legislation into law that Congress had passed overwhelmingly to sanction hostile regimes in North Korea, Russia, and Iran. I joined my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House on a vote of 419 to 3 to pass the Russia, Iran, and North Korea Sanctions Act.
Delivering high quality health care in rural communities – including those in Central Washington – has long been a growing challenge. Access to primary care can be time-consuming and costly for medically-underserved rural residents. Less-populated areas are facing a devastating shortage of primary care physicians compared to urban areas.