Working Hard in the People's House

From calving and planting to spring cleaning to graduations, busyness often seems to take on a special intensity across the early months of the year. This year has been no exception, and in the House of Representatives the new Majority has been hard at work on behalf of the American people.

The new Republican Majority has brought greater access for constituents and visitors to Capitol Hill and a greater commitment to in-person hearings and meetings. The benefits of fully reopening the People’s House have resulted in a high level of productivity, and the House has already passed more bills, sent more significant bills to the president’s desk, and had more significant bills signed by the president than the House had at this point last Congress. On March 23, House committees conducted 42 hearings in a single day, a record for the modern congressional era.

This week, as the Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, I led a hearing focused on opportunities for American leadership to counter China’s trade and investment agenda. I was grateful to have Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue at the hearing. As always, the Nebraska Farm Bureau represented Nebraska well and shared a helpful perspective on behalf of Nebraska agriculture.

There’s no treading water on trade matters, especially as China forges ahead with an agenda that cheats to shape the global playing field in its favor. Through its aggressive Belt and Road Initiative as well as purchasing land near military bases, deploying surveillance equipment, and operating recently exposed spy outposts in our own backyard, the Chinese Communist Party continues its brazen attempts to bully other nations into submission.

With so much at stake, I was also pleased to participate in a bipartisan meeting with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen earlier this month. The meeting was fittingly held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and we discussed the importance of Taiwan’s role in regional security and the potential aggression of China. Affirming our support for a democratic ally such as Taiwan is another significant aspect of standing up for freedom around the world.

There’s no shortage of work to be done in Congress, as we look ahead to the upcoming debate around the debt ceiling. Washington’s spending problem has fueled inflation and damaged our economy, and we can no longer wait to address it. I am still reviewing legislation introduced this week to address the debt ceiling, and I am disappointed President Biden is refusing to come to the table to work toward a solution. Any debt ceiling proposal must not pass the weight of our crippling debt on to future generations. We must enact meaningful reforms to cut spending, provide opportunity to all Americans, and rebuild the economy.

House Republicans are fighting for the American people, and we won’t let up.

###