E-Newsletters

As I traveled the Sixth Congressional District throughout August, I met with constituents from all walks of life: from farmers in Macon and small business owners in Lee's Summit to teachers in Hamilton and law enforcement officers in Canton. No matter where I stopped, no matter who I was meeting with, one concern weighed on their minds above others: Obamacare.

This past week, our nation commemorated the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We must always keep alive the memory of those we lost, and recall the heroic acts of valor that occurred that day, as firefighters and office workers, police officers and tourists, all worked together to save lives and comfort a nation. We must also thank the servicemen and women who, in the years that followed, have fought to protect and defend our freedoms and keep us safe.

I'm committed to making sure that we take care of those at home who have protected and fought for our freedom abroad. It's a commitment we made and a commitment we must keep. That's why I was proud to support several veterans-related bills in this session of Congress.

John Marshall, the longest serving Supreme Court Justice in history, once noted that, "To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well." Indeed, throughout my time in Congress, I have believed you can learn a lot more by listening.

That's why I enjoyed travelling the Sixth Congressional District throughout the month of August. At every stop, dozens of people were ready with their suggestions and ideas on how to make things better in our country.

A candidate vying to be president of the United States once said: "For three long years I have been going up and down this country preaching that government – federal, state and local – costs too much….we must abolish useless offices. We must eliminate unnecessary functions of government. We must consolidate subdivisions of government and, like the private citizens, give up luxuries which we can no longer afford."

As high school students begin returning to the classroom, many of them will be thinking about their futures. Some that you know may be considering serving our nation in one of the branches of the military.

It's one of the great privileges of my job to be able to recommend a select group of individuals for admission to the United States Service Academies each year. Specifically, I am able to recommend students for the:

In some regards, recent headlines it seem more like 1973 than 2013 right now. From the IRS targeting to the Benghazi attacks, from running guns to planning luxurious retreats on the taxpayer dime, our government is out of control.

Washington has simply gotten too big, too bloated, and too intrusive in our everyday lives. That's why this past week, the House of Representatives passed a package of bills designed to rein in excess, punish abuse, and hold bureaucrats accountable.

Among the bills approved by the House are ones to end lavish government employee conferences, allow the IRS to fire employees who engage in political targeting, and limit the size of federal employee bonuses. Many of these commonsense bills were passed unanimously.