E-Newsletters

Every day that the threat posed by Islamic militants goes unchecked, the world becomes a more dangerous place. It is imperative that we use every tool at our disposal to protect our people, defend the homeland, and preserve our interests abroad.

As your representative, job creation and affordable energy have always been my top priorities. The Keystone XL pipeline advances both of these. It is a vital part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy and will create thousands of good-paying American jobs. This week, Congress sent bipartisan legislation that approves the pipeline to the President's desk for his signature.

Americans are fed up with the wasteful spending in Washington and they once again made that very clear this past November. Families across north Missouri and America routinely sit down at the kitchen table to set priorities for their spending and make the difficult decisions necessary in order to balance their budgets – Washington should do the same.

"I just see a huge train wreck coming down." These are the words of former Democrat Senator Max Baucus, the lead author of Obamacare in the Senate, voicing his concerns over the implementation of the law nearly two years ago. I agree with him – the implementation has been a "train wreck." However, the problems we face are not just with the implementation. This law has been a disaster since the day it was forced on the American people without a single Republican vote, and it must be repealed entirely.

Ahead of last November's election, President Obama stated that "these [Obama's] policies are on the ballot. Every single one of them." On this, I agree with him. His policies were on the ballot, and millions of men and women throughout the country went to their polling places to pull the lever in opposition to bigger government, more spending, and unconstitutional executive orders.

The American people spoke loud and clear this past November in opposition to President Obama's executive amnesty. By refusing to enforce our nation's immigration laws, President Obama is not only ignoring the will of the American people, but our constitutional process as well.

The American people sent a clear message this past November of what they expect from Washington – common sense solutions to address our nation's problems. In the first week of the new congress, the House of Representatives showed once again that we have heard this message and are taking action by advancing bipartisan legislation that supports our veterans, repeals burdensome provisions in Obamacare, and allows for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline to begin.

Ronald Reagan said that government's approach to business could be summed up in a few short phrases. "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." Unfortunately, some things never change.

Tuesday, January 6, marks the beginning of the 114th session of Congress. It is imperative that we hit the ground running and move to pass pro-growth legislation that gives small businesses the needed resources to create good paying jobs for hardworking Americans.