Weekly Columns

Too many Americans ignore rural America until they need us. When food, lumber, energy, or agriculture product prices start to rise, Washington, D.C.

This week, President Biden delivered his first State of the Union address to the nation. While I appreciated his unifying message about standing with Ukraine and using our economic might to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin, I urge the President to go further in supporting our ally. There are steps we can take today to pressure Russia and minimize economic blowback at home.

This week, Vladimir Putin began his unprovoked campaign to take over Ukraine. After a series of false flag operations and disinformation, President Putin unilaterally announced the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent and moved Russian troops into the areas.

Drug addiction is an all too common problem in communities across America, and recently, fentanyl use has gained traction. From big cities to small towns, illegal fentanyl – largely produced in China and smuggled into the U.S.

Before COVID-19 shut down our economy and drove millions of Americans to work from home, those who had to call a federal agency for assistance may have experienced a reasonable wait time.

On the 49^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, thousands across the nation showed their support for life. For 49 years, pro-life warriors have stood in defense of the "least of these" in their towns and cities to speak out for the more than 62 million children who lost their lives to legal abortion.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down President Biden's and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) vaccine mandate on private businesses with over 100 employees. This important decision protects the rights of private enterprise and roughly 84 million Americans from government overreach.

As 2022 begins, my office looks forward to another year of serving the constituents of the Fourth District. Part of that service is showing the young people in our state how they can make a difference for our community.