An unusual challenge. That is what comes to mind when I reflect back on my Summer 2020 focus on Southern Missouri Agriculture. Visiting all 30 counties across what makes up the 8th Congressional District during the normal Congressional August break in voting has been a tradition I have carried on since becoming your Representative in the United States Congress. It is during these visits that I get to hear directly from our area farmers, families, and small businesses about what new challenges th... READ MORE
In 2016, the James Comey-led Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtained warrants to spy on the Trump Campaign using highly questionable and provably false evidence. While we’ve known that this was little more than a partisan witch hunt, a government report published at the end of last year exposed the Comey-led FBI’s gross negligence for what it was. This was a hit job carried about by bureaucrats who were trying to prevent then candidate Donald Trump from being elected. The report’s finding... READ MORE
Every year, I crisscross Southern Missouri, visiting farms, farmers, and families in each of the 30 counties which make up our congressional district. The places I visit are diverse – some plant row crops, some raise bison, some harvest timber, and some are in agri-tourism, but at each I see the humble, honest Missouri values, the fulfillment that comes from working on one’s own land, and the pride that comes from feeding communities or producing the raw materials that fuel local economies. Unfo... READ MORE
Our nation thrives when we take power away from Washington bureaucrats and give it back to the people. That was an important theme this week as I began my annual summer visits to southern Missouri farming operations. I made stops in 12 of the 30 counties I have the honor of representing in Congress and appreciated all the farmers, business owners and their families that took time to share their personal stories and concerns about the federal government with me. The Obama Administration weaponize... READ MORE
Spending nights at my home in Missouri, working on my family farm, visiting with friends, neighbors and farmers – asking them how I can help, it’s the reason I take the first flight home I can when voting in Congress is done for the week. I’ve never felt comfortable in Washington, nor do I want to. But this week, more than others, made me long to be around Missourians. It was one of those weeks where the agenda put forth by Speaker Pelosi and her band of progressives made me sad for the directio... READ MORE
In recent years, Americans have been taken advantage of on the world stage – with unfair foreign trade practices, weak nuclear agreements, and lopsided international pacts. President Trump promised the American people he would not stand for international deals that rip off the United States, and he followed through on his word when he pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Unfortunately, House Democrats this week voted to tie President Trump’s hands to President Obama’s leg... READ MORE
As we approach the 100-day mark of new Democrat leadership in the United States House of Representatives, I am disappointed by how the People’s House under Speaker Pelosi’s leadership has spent the last three months. In their first 100 days in power, the new majority showed it is less concerned with responsibly conducting the people’s business and more concerned with opposing the President of the United States. They’ve been willing to break every rule on the books to jam through unprecedented fe... READ MORE
This week Democrat leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives voted on H.R. 1, the “For the People Act,” their signature legislation this Congress. Speaker Pelosi said her goal is to clean up elections and “restore integrity” to government, but H.R. 1 makes our elections vulnerable to fraud, violates the Constitution, and injects taxpayer funds into political campaigns. Unfortunately, H.R. 1 isn’t for the people at all, but for the politicians and political consultants who will profit and stay... READ MORE
Newly elected radicals in the U.S. House of Representatives say the world will end in twelve years unless we pass their “Green New Deal.” Candidates for President have lined up to endorse the plan, which would completely overhaul our entire economy and ban affordable energy options. They say the climate is “our World War II,” but their plan is a war on working families and the American economy. What blows me away about the Green New Deal is how unbelievably unrealistic it is. Their plan calls fo... READ MORE
This week I was incredibly honored to be asked to escort the President of the United States into the U.S. House Chamber to address a Joint Session of Congress and update American citizens on the strength of their country. I was amazed that in the moments just before walking in to give his speech to the country, President Trump leaned over to me and remarked how much he enjoyed spending time with Missourians over the past year and can’t wait to come back. We then walked onto the House Floor, and ... READ MORE