Media

At 12 a.m. on October 1st, the government shut down. It didn’t have to happen. House Republicans already passed a bill to keep the government open. There were no gimmicks and no partisan politics involved; just a straightforward, clean bill that ensured our troops and Border Patrol agents get paid and the government continued to operate.

North Missouri spans a lot of miles. You don’t have go far to find transportation issues that need fixing. That might be a lettered route in Adair County or traffic snarls in the Northland of Kansas City. As the Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, it has been my priority to not only ensure that we are fixing the country’s infrastructure, but also fixing our roads and bridges here in North Missouri. That means every county, in every corner of the district, small or large. Over the years, we’ve gotten a lot done, but there’s plenty more to do.

“When disaster strikes…FEMA just gets in the way.”

That’s not actually how that phrase is supposed to go, but all too often, that’s the story I hear. Folks expect that when disaster strikes—whether it be a flood, tornado, hurricane, wildfire, or something else—the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will come to help. While they may show up, the help they offer is often too little, too late, and mired in complex red tape that communities and families struggle to navigate.

ast week, I discussed the service medals my office was able to recover for a Northwest Missouri veteran’s family. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of doing that many times. One of the great joys of representing you is helping when the federal bureaucracy isn’t getting the job done.

A lot of folks don’t realize that if you run into a federal issue, you can call my office and we can try to assist. It might be missing service medals, a delayed passport, or a permitting issue with the Corps of Engineers.