Weekly Columns and Op-Eds

No one should ever hang up on a veteran seeking medical assistance. Every veteran deserves to be treated with respect and dignity—and especially with urgency in an emergency medical situation. Proper treatment for our veterans reflects the honor our nation accords for their service in uniform. Anything less is simply unacceptable, and even shameful.

Earlier this year, I joined 366 of my colleagues in Congress to express grave concern about the Obama administration’s negotiations with Iran on a possible nuclear deal. My concerns included constraining Iran’s research and development capabilities as well as nuclear infrastructure. Given Iran’s long record of deception, I also expressed concern about trusting Iran to comply with terms of an agreement. The most important consideration of any agreement is providing for the long-term security of the U.S.

I recently read a news story of an outstanding teenager in Prosser named Walker Orr. Since he was 8-years old, Walker has found innovative ways to offer a service or product in exchange for a reasonable price, from selling varieties of seeds to running a lawn mowing business. Now at the age of just 16, Walker has started a small artisan bread company, Amber Artisan Bread, selling loaves and baguettes at farmers markets in Prosser and Tri-Cities.

The threat posed by wildfire has been on the forefront of Washingtonians’ concerns this year for good reason, and Congress is moving forward with legislation to help prevent catastrophic wildfires. This week is the one-year anniversary of the start of the tragic Carlton Complex Fire in Okanogan County. The most destructive in state history, the fire grew rapidly, destroying forests, hundreds of homes and businesses. The fire burned more than a quarter million acres. I have seen firsthand the lasting environmental and economic damage caused by the fire.

The responsibility “to provide for the common defense” is one of the fundamental roles of the federal government—the duty is explicitly mentioned in the preamble of the Constitution. With the importance of preserving national security in mind, few provisions are more critical than the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Last week in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court accepted the federal government’s argument in the case of King v. Burwell, and in the process effectively rewrote legislative text. I was deeply disappointed with the Court’s ruling. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in his dissent that, “the Court forgets that ours is a government of laws and not of men.” The Court’s decision effectively rescued Obamacare from its own text, setting a worrisome precedent that ignores the legislative role our Constitution gives exclusively to the people’s elected representatives in Congress.

President Obama confirmed the experience of many Americans with his signature health law last week when he noted that HealthCare.gov has been "a well-­documented disaster." The President is correct, but he did not go far enough: Obamacare itself has been the disaster. I continue to hear personal stories from individuals in Central Washington about the uncertainty and dramatic cost increases for families and businesses due to the President's health law.

The clock is ticking for American farmers and manufacturers to avoid billions of dollars in sanctions and tariffs on U.S. exports to our biggest trading partners. On May 18, the World Trade Organization (WTO) rejected a U.S. appeal and ruled in favor of Canada and Mexico on mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements for beef, pork, and chicken products. WTO found that COOL requirements for muscle meat cuts were in violation of U.S. obligations with our trading partners, Canada and Mexico. This is the fourth time WTO has ruled against the U.S. on COOL requirements.