E-Newsletters

“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.

ast week, I discussed the service medals my office was able to recover for a Northwest Missouri veteran’s family. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of doing that many times. One of the great joys of representing you is helping when the federal bureaucracy isn’t getting the job done.

A lot of folks don’t realize that if you run into a federal issue, you can call my office and we can try to assist. It might be missing service medals, a delayed passport, or a permitting issue with the Corps of Engineers. 

As World War II raged on, William Taul of Northwest Missouri entered the United States Army and honorably defended our country. His service, like so many others, helped ensure that our country, and the world, remained free. 

One of the ways we honor our veterans is with service medals and awards. They certainly didn’t do it for the recognition, but these service medals are still a great honor for our veterans and can also be incredibly meaningful to a veteran’s family after they have passed away. In some cases though, they never received them or no longer have them.

It used to be that when you sent a letter to your neighbor down the road, it went to your local post office, got sorted, and delivered to your neighbor quickly. Sadly, that’s just not the way it works anymore.

Nearly two centuries ago, when the railroads began laying track to move people and goods more efficiently around the country, they had to make deals or use eminent domain to take the land necessary to run miles and miles of track in a straight line. In many cases, landowners made a simple bargain as part of the agreement to give up their land: if the railroad stops using the land as a railway, then the landowner gets the land back.

Zero. That’s how many illegal aliens were released into the United States in May and June of 2025. That’s a stunning change from last year when more than 62,000 illegals were released into the country by the Biden Administration in May 2024 alone.

Every time a life-threatening storm leaves a trail of destruction in its wake, folks should expect help, no matter where you live or what your politics are. The mission of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is to “help people before, during and after disasters.” Yet, it’s become clear that the agency itself is a disaster. We need to reform FEMA and return the agency to its original mission - helping people and communities rebuild after disasters.

Rural North Missourians know that accessing healthcare can sometimes be a challenge. Longer wait times for an appointment, farther drives to deliver a baby, or getting immediate care after a heart attack are just some of the difficulties. Earlier this month, I told you about the Save America’s Rural Hospitals Act, which I introduced to ensure we keep our rural hospitals and clinics open. While they definitely need financial help and less burdensome regulations to keep operating, they also need one of the basics of medicine: doctors.