E-Newsletters

As we wrap up 2025, I’m reflecting on what has been a busy year and looking forward to what’s ahead. We’ve gotten much accomplished and I’m proud of the things that I’ve specifically been able to get done. After being named the “Most Effective Legislator” of the last Congress, the bar was certainly high for this year, but my commitment is to always work diligently to get important things across the finish line. To that end, there were several pieces of legislation that were signed into law this past year that are beneficial to North Missourians and the country.

Anyone who has ever built a road, undertaken a water project, or constructed a home knows that the permitting process can hamstring the whole thing. While permits do serve a purpose, there’s no need for them to be overly burdensome or cause massive delays, particularly at the federal level.

For too long, we’ve been kicking around “WOTUS.” Short for “waters of the United States,” it was originally supposed to lay out what was regulated under the Clean Water Act. However, the Obama Administration decided to weaponize it, and we’ve been fighting it ever since.

Imagine working 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, and being expected to be right 100 percent of the time. Not 99.9 percent of the time—100 percent of the time. You don’t get to choose which days you work, and that means you’re working a lot of Saturdays and Sundays while your kids are home and a whole lot of missed baseball, softball, and other sporting events.

Raising cattle sounds mighty easy until you get kicked in the gut by a thousand-pound steer. 

At 12 a.m. on October 1st, the government shut down. It didn’t have to happen. House Republicans already passed a bill to keep the government open. There were no gimmicks and no partisan politics involved; just a straightforward, clean bill that ensured our troops and Border Patrol agents get paid and the government continued to operate.

North Missouri spans a lot of miles. You don’t have go far to find transportation issues that need fixing. That might be a lettered route in Adair County or traffic snarls in the Northland of Kansas City. As the Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, it has been my priority to not only ensure that we are fixing the country’s infrastructure, but also fixing our roads and bridges here in North Missouri. That means every county, in every corner of the district, small or large. Over the years, we’ve gotten a lot done, but there’s plenty more to do.

“When disaster strikes…FEMA just gets in the way.”

That’s not actually how that phrase is supposed to go, but all too often, that’s the story I hear. Folks expect that when disaster strikes—whether it be a flood, tornado, hurricane, wildfire, or something else—the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will come to help. While they may show up, the help they offer is often too little, too late, and mired in complex red tape that communities and families struggle to navigate.