Ronald Reagan once said his fondest hope for young people is that they would love their country for her selflessness and idealism. As the school year comes to a close, I have reflected on all of the great schools I have had the pleasure of visiting while in Congress. From Rolla to Caruthersville, Sikeston to Gainesville, and Festus to Doniphan, I’ve been bringing Congress to the classroom. When I speak with students, my message is simple: You can make an impact no matter your age. Young people d... READ MORE
This week in Washington we worked to fund your priorities. This is the first time since 1974 that Congress has gotten such an early start on appropriating your tax dollars. This process gives us the opportunity to make sure your tax dollars are spent wisely on what is most important to southeast and southern Missouri. It’s the right step to appropriating funds rather than passing temporary patches through continuing resolutions which give a blank check to the administration. I had three prioriti... READ MORE
Tax day has come and gone for most, but some taxpayers are still trying to get their returns straight. This year, there has been an astronomical uptick in identity theft used for fraudulent tax returns. When some law-abiding citizens filed their tax returns, they discovered a thief had already used their social security number to file a return. That leaves the taxpayer with months of frustrating calls and letters to the IRS to get it straight. This week I took action to prevent this abuse on har... READ MORE
This week, I voted to repeal the death tax and help put the American Dream back within reach for family farmers across southeast and southern Missouri. Since I was first elected to Congress, I have worked to get a vote on repealing the death tax for family farmers, including cosponsoring this important piece of legislation. Across our area, farmers worry that the death tax will keep them from passing the family farm down to their children. A full repeal of the death tax would alleviate this worr... READ MORE
Tax Day—a day that many Americans dread—is quickly approaching us yet again. April 15 is the deadline for filing your taxes with the IRS, a process that is increasingly cumbersome and confusing. Today, America’s incredibly complex tax code is almost 4 million words long. It is no surprise that more than 60 percent of taxpayers pay for help when preparing their taxes. All told, American taxpayers will spend a total of 6.1 billion hours working on their tax returns. With a tax code so long and com... READ MORE
This week, I met with school superintendents and county commissioners in south-central Missouri to give an update on the Secure Rural Schools funding program. Twenty-one of the 30 counties in our congressional district receive this federal funding which benefits many rural schools in our area, but authorization for this program expired at the end of Fiscal Year 2013. Without continuation of the Secure Rural Schools program, schools and counties face a 75 percent reduction in funding, amounting t... READ MORE
It is no secret that America has the finest fighting force this world has ever seen. When those brave military men and women return from service, it is our duty to provide them with the benefits they have earned and deserve. From long wait times to subpar care, the Department of Veterans Affairs has not provided the exceptional care that we expect for our heroes. This is especially apparent for veterans in rural areas. As an advocate for rural America, it has been my mission to improve the care ... READ MORE
It is no secret that more than six years into office President Obama continues to push a radical anti-gun agenda and attempt to bypass the law-making authority of Congress. We saw this recently in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) proposal to restrict the manufacture and sale of ammunition commonly used by sportsman and hunters. Many of you shared in my outrage for the proposed ban and together we made our voices heard. This week, the ATF dropped its proposed ban, tw... READ MORE
“We must maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.” These are the words Ronald Reagan spoke more than 30 years ago and a philosophy I still believe wholeheartedly today. Yet, with proposed cuts to our national defense, including potential cuts at Fort Leonard Wood, it seems some have forgotten the necessity of a strong military. Fortunately, folks from all around Missouri gathered at Fort Leonard Wood this week to oppose cuts and highlight both the major impact t... READ MORE
When I talk to my colleagues in Washington, D.C., they do not always understand the burdens rural America faces from unnecessary regulations. During my first week in Congress, an “expert witness” told me it was pure fiction that government regulations affect private industry. It felt like the Twilight Zone and is exactly what’s wrong with Washington. Unelected bureaucrats that have never left five square miles around D.C. are trying to regulate every aspect of our lives. From the Environmental P... READ MORE
