The current dysfunction and gridlock in Washington frustrates families across our country and in our Eighth Congressional District. With the constant spin coming from national media outlets, the White House and congressional leaders, it’s hard to determine if any real progress is being made towards ending the government shutdown. In the four months since you elected me to be your voice in the United States House of Representatives I have continually called on my colleagues to work in regular ord... READ MORE
Today, October 9, 2013, Congressman Jason Smith voted in support of H.J.Res. 91 - Honoring the Families of Fallen Soldiers, to restore funding for death benefits that are paid to the families of service members killed in combat. Before the vote, Smith spoke on the floor of the House to urge all Member of Congress to put politics aside in favor of honoring American service members and their families. Click HERE to view Congressman Jason Smith’s remarks on supporting military families. “Yesterday... READ MORE
Washington politicians could learn a lot from folks back home in Missouri. In Missouri, people don’t get paid for working until they get their job done. Washington should be held to that same standard. As it became clear Monday night that President Obama and Harry Reid were not willing to negotiate with House conservatives, I became one of the first Members of Congress to ask for my congressional salary to be withheld during the government shutdown. Over 800,000 federal employees have been furlo... READ MORE
Congressman Jason Smith voted in favor of HJR 70, the Open Our Nation’s Parks and Museums Act – to provide immediate funding for national parks and museums. Included in this bill was a funding measure supported by Smith to ensure that visitors would no longer be turned away in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri’s Eighth District and would also ensure World War II Honor Flight Veterans can tour the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. “Yesterday I went to the World War... READ MORE
Today, Tuesday, October 1, 2013, in a speech before the House of Representatives, Congressman Jason Smith urged his colleagues in the House and members of the Senate to join him in refusing their congressional salary during the government shutdown. On September 30, Smith sent a letter to Dan Strodel, Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives asking for his pay to be withheld during the government shutdown. Smith made the decision to have his pay withheld because families acro... READ MORE
Today, Saturday, September 28, 2013 Congressman Jason Smith announced he will vote for a continuing resolution in the House of Representatives that will fund the federal government through December 15 and provide a one year delay of ObamaCare for all Americans. Smith also supports a separate bill to provide funding for military pay and benefits in the event that President Obama and Senate leaders are not willing to work with the House to keep the government open. “ObamaCare should be delayed fo... READ MORE
Nothing makes folks back home in Missouri more disillusioned with their government than Washington politicians who say one thing and then do something different. Four years ago when Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi forced the health care mandate through Congress, they chose to exempt themselves from the law. In fact, the President, Vice-President their staffs, executive branch political appointees, House and Senate leadership and congressional committee staffs were all exempted from Oba... READ MORE
Today, Monday, September 23, 2013 Congressman Jason Smith highlighted his original co-sponsorship of H.R. 3076 the James Madison Congressional Accountability Act. This act amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to require that the President, Vice-President, executive branch political appointees, employees of congressional committees, and employees of leadership offices in Congress also have to participate in the American Health Benefit Exchange (a state health insurance e... READ MORE
Today the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, to renew the federal government’s commitment to manage federal forests for the benefit of rural schools and counties and to improve forest health. Included in this bill was an amendment offered on the floor by Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) to stop the prescribed burning of harvestable timber in the Mark Twain National Forest.“One of the issues I constantly deal with in... READ MORE
This week the House of Representatives voted on a continuing resolution to keep the government open for business, while defunding President Obama’s healthcare mandate. I wholeheartedly supported this plan to defund ObamaCare and keep the government open and working for all Americans. This vote was a victory for my constituents who are adamantly opposed to ObamaCare and the disastrous impact it will have on our rural Missouri economy.Now that the House of Representatives has defunded ObamaCare, t... READ MORE
