I have always said that southern Missouri is home to some of the most dedicated and talented farmers, workers, and families anywhere. Our workforce has an undeniable strength and tenacity; employers are now recognizing this and finding out that our home is one of the best places to expand, invest, grow and hire. Briggs & Stratton first came to Poplar Bluff 30 years ago and they saw the high standard to which our workforce holds themselves. Recently, the company spent a great deal of time decidin... READ MORE
“Perhaps the Court can heal itself before the public demands it be restructured in order to reduce the influence of politics.” This is the warning that Senate Democratic Leaders, and one of their nominees for President, delivered to the Supreme Court earlier this week. It is part of Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and liberal elites continued disdain for our Constitution and the laws of this country. Leftists and their progressive representatives had no problem with the federal bench when its make... READ MORE
Last month we celebrated over 240 years of our nation’s independence, but this Saturday we celebrate an equally momentous occasion: Missouri statehood. For 198 years, rural Missouri values have instilled the tenets of individual liberty, moral responsibility, and the importance of providing for your family. My family has proudly called Missouri home since long before it was a state, and as a seventh-generation Missourian, I could not be prouder of our noble state for reaching its 198thbirthday. ... 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
“Southern Missouri is home to the most diverse Agriculture found anywhere in the country.” It is a line I have repeated more times than I can count. It is what I say when educating other elected officials serving in the U.S. Congress who might think of us as flyover country, or when I talk to Washington bureaucrats who have never stepped foot in Missouri let alone on a farm. I’m quick to point out how drastically different and more costly their lives and the lives of the folks they represent wou... 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
History was made again this week in your United States House of Representatives, but as we have come to expect under the democrat majority led by Speaker Pelosi, it was for all the wrong reasons. For the last 60 years, the annual vote in Congress to authorize your Department of Defense has been conducted in a bipartisan manner with both Republicans and Democrats coming together to support our military and it’s mission. The National Defense Authorization Act is an important vote that determines h... READ MORE
In the middle of celebrating the most patriotic week of the year, a celebration of our American independence, the birth of our Democracy, and the rights of the individual over the State, we were reminded yet again that some choose to ignore the hard-fought history of our great nation and be ashamed of it instead of honor the values we, as Americans, stand for around the world. First it was the names of our mascots, the namesakes of our schools, the monuments in our parks, and now our flag. The ... READ MORE
Hometown parades, American flags waving, backyard barbeques and of course fireworks lighting up a night sky - some of my most vivid memories of growing up in southern Missouri are from the Fourth of July. As a family, we would gather at my grandparent’s house for some food and games before heading over to Main Street for the Salem parade and then city park for the fireworks show. After the excitement of seeing all our friends downtown, we would go back and shoot off some of our own fireworks at ... READ MORE
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) continued his fight for all forms of feral hog eradication in the Mark Twain National Forest this week, including hunting, when he successfully inserted language into the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill which called on the Forest Service to work with stakeholders in the Mark Twain area in implementing a strategy which involves all methods for eradication. “Feral hogs are nothing but pests to local farmers and make ... READ MORE
