E-Newsletters
Our rural hospitals are in a crisis. This isn't a new problem, but the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly made it worse.
For years, healthcare costs have gone up while Medicare reimbursement rates have gone down. That's turned the screws on hospitals everywhere. However, it's been a particular problem for rural America—where folks are much more likely to rely on Medicare.
You've probably noticed a few more road closures and detours over the last couple of years than usual. That's because the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has been working through their Focus on Bridges program to repair and replace more than 250 bridges across Missouri. That program launched in 2019 after I helped secure an $81.2 million INFRA Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to replace the I-70 Missouri River Bridge at Rocheport, unlocking additional state money for the program.
Most goods that are shipped by river in the Midwest will use the Mississippi River at some point in their journey. Ensuring that they can flow freely up and down the river is critical. Unfortunately, a navigation feature of the Mississippi River has been neglected for years, slowing the movement of river traffic.
This is Lock and Dam 25 on the Mississippi River—just south of my district near Winfield, Missouri. Completed in 1939, it has a single 600ft lock which you can see on the left side of this picture.
Looking back in history, you'd be hard-pressed to find a public servant as dedicated to their country as the late Senator Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole. From his service in the Army's 10th Mountain Division during World War II to his nearly 30 years in the United States Senate, Senator Dole gave everything he had and more to make this country what it is today.
Once again, we enter a season of thankfulness. It’s a reminder to stop and pause to reflect on what is most important to us and the blessings that God has given us.
Earlier this week, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and I wrote an op-ed that was printed at FoxBusiness.com regarding the supply chain crisis. If you haven't seen it, I thought you'd like to take a look.
After a couple of contentious weeks in Washington, the House is once again in recess. Given we're in the middle of harvest, that means I've been spending most of my days in the cab of a combine.
Where does the buck stop?
It ought to stop at the President’s desk. At least that’s the way it used to be. Missouri’s own President Harry S. Truman famously displayed a sign on his desk that proclaimed “I’m from Missouri” on one side and “the buck stops here” on the other. The message was simple—no matter how tough, the decisions made in the White House are made by the President, and the President bears the responsibility for the consequences of those actions.