E-Newsletters

If you’ve been reading this column for very long, you’ve probably heard me talk about the importance of making flood control and navigation our top priorities in managing our nation's rivers. Unlike some of what I talk about here, this isn't a terribly political issue, but it is a very personal and painful one for a lot of people.

Gas and diesel fuel prices just hit another record high. Instead of tackling this crisis head-on, the Biden Administration just canceled two huge oil and gas leases.

This all comes after the President claimed he was resuming oil and gas leases in response to the crisis. In reality, a court forced him to do that. Now, it seems like he's doing everything in his power to break that promise to the American people.

This week I visited two bridges on Highway E in Lewis County. Both started in the same condition—one lane, weight-limited with timber pile. Basically, they’re old, falling apart and not very safe to drive on. We’re in the process of changing that, though.

The first bridge, over Derrahs Branch, is currently still in poor condition. The deck of the bridge has taken a beating over the years, and you can clearly see the rebar poking through by the guardrails. The good news is that it’s set to be replaced this summer.

I traveled down to Kearney this week to break ground on the new I-35 and 19th Street Interchange. To say this project has been a long time coming would be a huge understatement.

My involvement started back in 2005 when I worked with the late Rep. Don Young, who was Chair of the Transportation Committee at the time, to secure $1.2 million for a project study in that year's highway bill. Work is just now finally starting. That's crazy, but it's not uncommon.

Gas prices are out of control. Right now, Americans are paying more for gas than we ever have. I could go on, but you’ve all heard it before. I’ve been hollering about this for what seems like ages now—and you’ve been paying the price at the pump.

There’s no denying that inflation has placed a huge burden on families all over America this past year. It’s estimated to have cost each of our families over $3,500. That’s almost unheard of, and the bad news is it’s only getting worse.

Economists with Bloomberg, hardly a conservative outlet, estimate inflation will cost American families another $5,200 this year. That just isn’t sustainable—especially when you add in the recent surge in gas prices. More than 62 percent of Americans can’t keep up with the rising prices brought on by the President’s out-of-control spending.

On March 18th, the Biden Administration extended their federal transportation mask mandate for Americans for 30 days—again.

Now, according to the Biden Administration, here are the places Americans currently MUST wear a mask:

• Airplanes
• Airports
• Trains
• Buses
• Any other public transportation

And here are the places where you don’t need to wear a mask:

When I went to fill up my truck last weekend, I paid over $3.80 a gallon. That’s almost unheard of in Northwest Missouri. The record high average gas price just down the road in St. Joseph is just $3.89 a gallon.

The bad part is, we’ve been relatively fortunate here in North Missouri. Across the country, gas prices are average $4.27 a gallon today. If you happen to live in Northeast Missouri and have to travel across the river to Illinois, make sure you fill up your tank before you cross the river. Gas is running over $4.50 a gallon in Illinois.