E-Newsletters
Dear Friend,
This week is National Small Business Week. Celebrated since 1963, our entrepreneurs and small business owners pour their blood, sweat, and tears into what, for many, is a labor of love. Our businessmen and women hope that their efforts turn into success and help pay the bills along the way, but in business, that's never a guarantee. That's why we celebrate our small businesses. They are the fabric of our communities, providing us with important goods and services and doing so knowing the risks involved.
Dear Friend,
Syrian President Bashar Assad conducted another senseless chemical attack earlier this month in an attempt to subdue rebel forces. The attack didn't just affect those opposing him; it also killed dozens and injured hundreds of innocent Syrian civilians including women and children. This is just the latest horrific act he has committed.
Assad's brutal actions toward innocent civilians are inexcusable and must not be tolerated by any nation.
Dear Friend,
China announced last week that they would retaliate for tariffs imposed by the United States by placing tariffs of their own on some of our goods. Soybeans, pork, and frozen beef could all take a hit as a result of retaliation from China.
A trade war where China targets American agriculture isn't good for North Missouri at all.
Trade keeps the economic engine of North Missouri running by giving farmers more opportunities to feed the world. This is why I have always supported free trade.
Dear Friend, Our immigration system is broken. It's broken because of a porous border and lax enforcement of current law. Citizens of our country shouldn't be subjected to harassment, injury, and even murder because we haven't effectively secured our border or enforced our laws. I believe our primary goal in fixing the immigration system should be to control and defend our borders. Period. |
Dear Friend, Agriculture is the backbone of North Missouri's economy. I can never say it enough. As a sixth generation family farmer, I always enjoy talking with fellow farmers from our area. |
Dear Friend,
Those who live or farm near a river are always aware of the threat of flooding. They do their best to prepare for them and they expect the federal government to do the same. In the last ten years, landowners along the Missouri River have faced multiple devastating floods. Unfortunately, it's now become apparent that those floods were preventable if it weren't for the way the river has been managed.
Dear Friend,
Recent tragic events have spurred another concerted effort to limit the gun rights of law-abiding Americans.
Our second amendment rights are crucial if we are to maintain the freedoms we enjoy today. If we start chipping away at the right to bear arms, where do we stop? Which parts of the Bill of Rights suddenly become debatable?
Dear Friend,
For generations, agriculture has been North Missouri's number one industry. As farming has evolved, producers continue to look for new and expanded markets so they can remain viable and profitable. Free trade plays a critical role in making this possible.
As a sixth-generation family farmer, I see the importance of free trade every day. It guarantees that the world is fed and our farmers here at home are able to make a living. Maintaining the viability of agriculture is critical to the success of our state, particularly where we live in North Missouri.
Dear Friend,
It is important to remember that almost all of us are the children of immigrants. Our ancestors came to America because it was and still is a land of opportunity. America as a nation is great because of immigration, not in spite of it.
Even today, America continues to welcome immigrants who come here legally. It is not legal immigration that upsets Americans, it is illegal immigration. Our country has become far too tolerant to those who have broken the law.
Dear Friend,
I hear from North Missouri residents on a regular basis, and I see firsthand the countless infrastructure issues facing our community: closed bridges, roads with no shoulders, and terrible internet. America's infrastructure is in disrepair, and it's long past time we start building again.
Earlier this week, President Trump's infrastructure proposal was released and with it, an opportunity to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and solve many of these pressing issues in our backyard.