Weekly Columns
Ronald Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” Americans across the country are hurting, faced with unprecedented gas prices and a global food crisis. Farmers and producers are struggling to combat the growing food shortage as supply chains remained strained and input costs continue to skyrocket. Diesel costs are up 115%, natural gas is up 202%, and fertilizer is up 125% from January 2021.
Our country was horrified by the evil acts perpetrated in Uvalde, TX, that stole the lives of 19 children and two adults. Americans are rightfully asking the question, “what can we do to ensure this does not happen again?” Parents should never be afraid of sending their children to school, and we must find a way to bring security back to education.
Each Memorial Day, Americans look forward to a weekend filled with friends and family, good food, and maybe a few sales from our favorite stores to kick-off the summer. The day off work should be enjoyed, and the time with loved ones should be cherished, but as a country, we must not forget the true reason for the holiday. Memorial Day was first proclaimed in 1868 to honor deceased Union and Confederate soldiers and was expanded after World War I to honor those who died in all wars.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi recently announced the extension of remote voting through June 28th due to risks of COVID-19 as a “public health emergency.” The proxy voting system has been abused by Members on both sides of the aisle from the start. Simply watch any vote on CSPAN to see the ridiculous number of M.I.A. members.
President Biden said last month that he was doing “everything in [his] power” to bring down gas prices, while simultaneously blaming Vladimir Putin for the problem and taking no responsibility for his own part in the crisis. While Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is certainly contributing to higher energy prices worldwide, the reality is, President Biden’s own reckless policies started the energy crisis well before Russia invaded Ukraine.
This week, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s draft majority opinion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked to the press by an unknown source. The draft opinion overturns Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and returns abortion law to the states, where it belongs.
When my eldest son was born, he suffered from a life-threatening respiratory disease that would not respond to traditional treatments. His doctors offered us the option of an experimental treatment that was not covered by insurance. For my wife and I, it didn’t matter how much it cost. We would make sure our son got better and figure out how to pay for it later. Thankfully, the treatment was successful, and my son is now 26 years old.
This week we celebrate Earth Day, where we recognize the need to protect our environment as good stewards of the Earth. “Environment” should not be a dirty word to conservatives. Republican President Teddy Roosevelt became the father of conservation by creating the National Park Service and setting aside 230 million acres of public lands for the nation to protect and enjoy. The Republican party was the first to champion conservation to benefit our communities, and we continue to do so today.
I recently led a group of Western Caucus Congressmen on a tour of Arkansas’ Fourth District to show my colleagues the unique relationship the Natural State has with our natural resources and how we manage and use them to our communities’ advantage. The Western Caucus consists of congressmembers from rural and western states who are invested in policies that particularly affect our constituencies.