As we work to stop the spread of Ebola, I have urged the Obama administration to do everything in its power to help protect the American people from this deadly virus. To date, over 9,000 people have contracted Ebola worldwide and more than 4,500 have died. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not properly prepare hospitals for incoming cases of Ebola, and I worry hospitals are still not prepared to handle an epidemic in this country. Only after two of our medical professionals wer... READ MORE
These days we not only need to protect our privacy from online hackers but from the federal government. The bulk data collection done by the National Security Agency unmasked earlier this year poses a threat to our civil liberties. National Cyber Security Awareness Month reminds us that the government needs to honor our constitutional right to privacy. It also reminds us that there are bad actors in the online world, and we need to take necessary precautions to protect our privacy. I have worked... READ MORE
Each October, America celebrates National Manufacturing Month. This is an opportunity to reflect upon the rich history of American manufacturing and look at where it is headed. Two hundred years ago, immigrants from all over the world moved to America to work in factories during the Industrial Revolution, and today, American manufacturing is still a world leader. According to the Manufacturing Institute, “The U.S. manufacturing sector is so huge that if it were its own country, it would rank as ... READ MORE
When I talk to individuals throughout the district, many have heard about the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to use 40–plus–year–old laws to close coal power plants, regulate puddles of water and restrict how children can help on family farms. This week, I am focusing on how another 40–year–old law, the Endangered Species Act, is increasingly used to erode private property rights, restrict how farmers use their land and water, and could destroy Missouri’s timber industry. Most everyon... READ MORE
It has been more than SIX YEARS since backers of the Keystone XL Pipeline first submitted an application to the U.S. State Department to begin construction. This crucial project would build needed infrastructure while creating thousands of jobs and promoting energy independence. Congress demanded action; President Obama should not make us wait. In 2012, President Obama made it clear that he would rather please environmentalists than create jobs in America when he rejected the Keystone XL Pipelin... READ MORE
This week, the United States House of Representatives passed the “Jobs for America Act” to grow our economy and put Americans back to work. This package of bills included proposals to provide our farmers and small business owners with needed tax relief, and reduce unnecessary regulations. For the 2014 tax year, unless the “Jobs for America Act” or something like it passes, the amount of equipment that farmers and small businesses can expense like tractors, heavy machinery, or computer software, ... READ MORE
Last fall, millions of Americans and families right here in Missouri had their health insurance plans cancelled despite repeated promises from President Obama that if you liked your health plan, you would be able to keep it. Now, millions more with employer-sponsored coverage are also facing plan cancellations because their plans do not meet ObamaCare’s requirements. In response to this problem, this week the House passed H.R. 3522, the “Employee Health Care Protection Act.” This bill would help... READ MORE
Like you, I am horrified by the revolting public executions of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff by Islamic extremists. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of these young Americans as they try to cope with unimaginable grief. These murders, as well as the appalling violence toward children and the elderly, are an unmistakable sign that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS, has grown stronger in the absence of American leadership. ISIS extr... READ MORE
Over the last two weeks I have visited dozens of farms and ranches and listened to hundreds of farmers on my second annual Eighth Congressional District Farm Tour. Agriculture in South-Central and Southeast Missouri is incredibly diverse. If fact, we grow everything except citrus and sugar. While the crops we grow and the livestock we raise are diverse, every farmer I talked to in the last two weeks brought up the same topic: the EPA war on rural America. No other federal agency pushes more intr... READ MORE
Agriculture is the number one industry in Missouri. Our Eighth Congressional District is home to a great variety of agricultural interests. Our district is one of the most diverse agriculture districts in the country growing everything except sugar and citrus fruits. In the fertile Missouri Bootheel we grow cotton, rice, corn, soybeans, wheat, peanuts and even raise catfish. In stark contrast to the Bootheel stand the Ozark Foothills where we have cattle, dairy and timber producers. This week an... READ MORE
