E-Newsletters

In rural North Missouri, we travel a lot of miles every day—it's just a fact of life. We know that our roads and bridges are in desperate need of repair. Inadequately maintained roads and bridges cause needless delays and detours, greatly impacting public safety and commerce.

With kids heading back to school, parents are scrambling to pack lunches, double-check school supply lists, and make sure everyone gets where they need to be on time—right after snapping some first day of school photos.

At the same time, teachers are busy preparing for a successful school year. Preparing lesson plans, arranging classrooms, stocking supplies, and so much more—all to help prepare a healthy learning environment for our children.

You might not recognize the name Adam Olin Smith, but you should. A native of Bevier, Adam was an American hero who gave his life in defense of our nation. I never had the chance to meet Adam, but last week I had the honor of celebrating his life and legacy with his family, friends, and community in Bevier.

From a young age, Adam wanted nothing more than to serve his country. After joining the Navy in 2004, he went on to complete the rigorous training necessary to become a Navy SEAL. Through grit and determination, Adam achieved his lifelong dream, but he didn't stop there.

There is a national security crisis at our southern border. Illegal immigrants, human traffickers, drug smugglers, and gangs are abusing our open border and American citizens are paying the price. It's time we put an end to this crisis—and step one is building a wall.

This didn't used to be a partisan issue. This used to be something both Republicans and Democrats could agree on—that we need a real, physical barrier on the southern border to keep America safe and secure. It's something I've supported all along.

Since the day President Trump took office, America has been making a comeback.

President Trump's agenda to lower taxes and cut unnecessary regulations has put American workers and American businesses first, and we're reaping the rewards of these pro-growth policies. Our economy is booming. Job growth is on the rise and unemployment is at its lowest point in nearly half a century. Small business optimism and consumer confidence are soaring. President Trump promised to make America great again, and he's doing just that. I've been proud to help him along the way.

July 4, 1776. Independence Day.

On this day, the Second Continental Congress approved the final draft of the Declaration of Independence authored by Thomas Jefferson.
Fighting had begun nearly a year earlier at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It would be another 7 years before Great Britain finally recognized the independence of the United States of America—and nearly another 13 years before the Constitution was ratified and took effect.

The first step to making our federal government more effective and more efficient is to bring it closer to the people. The less our government is centralized in Washington, the better it can serve the taxpayers.

With that in mind, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced last week that two agencies critical to our farm economy would be moving closer to the farmers they serve. Even better, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Economic Research Service (ERS) are expected to locate in the Kansas City region later this year.

For farmers, planting season is usually over by now. Unfortunately, that isn't the case this year. Persistent rain and flooding have kept many of us out of the field. As a result, a lot of acres still haven't been planted.

The weather has been bad and bad trade deals have made things even more difficult for farmers. We all know the United States has gotten the short end of the stick for years. Deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have locked farmers out of some markets and shipped American jobs out of the country.