Taxes

Investing in the growth of a child as a parent, teacher, or mentor, and then seeing the child flourish to their fullest potential is both rewarding and inspiring. In schools and homes across the Third District, Nebraskans work tirelessly to create opportunities for students to learn and thrive. As a lawmaker, my mission is to support this work by maximizing the opportunities available to each and every student.

In life and legislative work, a new year brings new opportunities and new undertakings. As we enter 2024 and the second session of the 118th United States Congress, there is much work to do, and I’m optimistic we can achieve results for the American people. Commonsense policies promoting economic growth and productivity in our communities can benefit our country as a whole. With no shortage of obstacles to overcome to curb wasteful spending, deliver tax relief, and manage federal programs, it is time to get to work for the American people.

This week in the House, I supported a resolution empowering a full inquiry into President Biden’s interactions with his family’s foreign business dealings. Records obtained by the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability reveal the Biden family and their business associates have received over $20 million in payments from entities in foreign countries including Russia, China, and Ukraine dating back to 2013.

Serving on the House Committee on Ways and Means, my work covers a wide range of policy issues. The longest-running committee in Congress, Ways and Means derives its authority over all tax, revenue, and trade matters directly from Article I, Sections VII and VIII of the Constitution, which place jurisdiction for the origin of revenue-raising bills in the House of Representatives and the “Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises” before the federal legislative branch.

With the election of Speaker Mike Johnson, the House is back to work. We certainly have our work cut out for us as we fulfill our responsibilities to the American people. Speaker Johnson hit the ground running to responsibly fund our priorities, including our support for Israel.

This week, the House was set to continue its work on the twelve annual appropriations bills to ensure the government is responsibly funded. Unfortunately, our legislative work to cut wasteful spending was disrupted when a small handful of Republicans voted with Democrats to remove the Speaker of the House. I voted against vacating the chair because it sets a disruptive precedent and because the House should be focused on delivering results for the American people.

Labor Day is an opportunity to acknowledge and show appreciation for the contributions of the American workforce. Unfortunately, American workers don’t have much to celebrate this Labor Day. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.2 million workers have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more. Some 5.2 million workers across the United States are “not in the labor force who currently want a job.” Real wages have decreased 4 percent since President Biden took office, overall prices are up over 16 percent, and interest rates are soaring.