E-Newsletters
As summer begins for students across Missouri, many of those in high school will use this time to begin thinking about their futures. Some may be considering serving our nation in one of the branches of the military.
Each year, I am lucky to have the privilege to recommend a select and impressive group of young men and women for admission to a United States Service Academy. Specifically, I am able to recommend students for the:
- U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY;
- U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD;
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY; and
Memorial Day is a time to honor all of those who have given their lives in defense of this country. It reminds us of how lucky we are to live free in a land of democracy and opportunity. It also reminds us that this freedom has come at an extraordinarily high cost.
Throughout our nation's history, countless men and women have made incredible sacrifices to protect our freedoms. Millions have lost their lives defending the flag of the United States of America.
When you are building a house, you have to do things in a certain order. You could not, for instance, put up your roof before you've built the walls. In the same way, no plan to fix our nation's immigration system will work until we fully secure our borders.
We all had a teacher from our childhood who pushed and inspired us to become who we are today. Those who challenged us to work harder, dream bigger, and reach our full potential. Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden famously said that "the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession." I couldn't agree more.
Private property rights continue to be attacked by President Obama. In just the past year, we have seen introduction of the Waters of the United States rule, which gives Washington control over standing water on private farms and residences. Then, it was a push to regulate grills in our backyards.
Now, the Obama administration is out with an Executive Order that will completely change how the federal government manages floodplains. I would like to update you on my efforts to fight the President's latest executive overreach.
From granting amnesty to illegal immigrants, to trying to weaken the Second Amendment through executive order, the Obama administration has shown time and again its disdain for the Constitution. Unfortunately for the President, he cannot simply regulate what Congress has refused to legislate.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been one of the worst offenders of executive overreach under this administration. Most recently, I am hearing from people who are rightly concerned about the agency's "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS) rule.
This Wednesday was the deadline for federal tax filing. As another April 15 passes with our tax code as confusing as it's ever been, Washington must use this opportunity to highlight our desperate need for tax simplification.
The security of the United States and the world are of paramount importance to me, which is why I am so concerned about the current negotiations over Iran's nuclear development program.
A budget is a fiscal blueprint of the future. It is an outline of one's priorities that tells you what they consider important, and also what they view as unimportant.
Last week, my colleagues and I released the Fiscal Year 2016 House Budget resolution. This legislation immediately repeals Obamacare, balances our budget in less than 10 years without raising taxes, and cuts government waste.
There are some who believe that the United States government has an endless supply of money to spend. I am not one of those people. I believe that budgets are about priorities. These are the kinds of decisions that Missourians make every day in their own lives.
For instance, you may want a new television, but you might have to delay that purchase until next year because your washing machine needs to be repaired. In the same regard, the federal government has to decide which of our needs get the limited amount of resources that we have each year.