Columns

Our nation's law enforcement officers work every day to keep our communities safe. We owe it to these brave individuals to provide them with the resources necessary to do their jobs both safely and securely across America. I stand with our law enforcement officers and thank them for putting their lives on the line. Yet despite their service, there are still calls to "defund the police," which would leave our communities less safe and drive economic opportunity away from areas that need it most.

When I speak with the farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and other businesses in the Third District, a common theme is the importance of trade to our state's economic success. This week, the Ways and Means Committee held our annual hearing on the administration's trade policy agenda, where members of the committee had their first opportunity to hear from and question Ambassador Katherine Tai, our recently confirmed United States Trade Representative (USTR).

Many parts of the economy in our great state of Nebraska are thriving. However, the new slate of tax increase proposals coming from the Biden Administration will undermine the success of Nebraska, and states like it, by removing capital from family farms and small businesses at a time when we need to be encouraging economic growth.

This week President Biden delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress. He began by acknowledging the success of the COVID-19 vaccine development under the previous administration while touting its rollout under his own. Getting as many Americans as possible vaccinated is a key to reopening and rebuilding the economy across our country, and we should rightfully be proud of how quickly American ingenuity led to this lifesaving development.

Nebraskans know how important it is to protect our environment, especially the farmers and ranchers across the Third District whose livelihoods are tied directly to the land they cultivate, the water they use to irrigate, and animals they raise. Across party lines it is clearly understood that there are ways we can address environmental concerns and improve access to the energy we need to fuel our economy. However, the government must not arbitrarily pick winners and losers or create new policy solely for messaging purposes.

Earlier this year, President Biden pushed his $1.9 trillion spending package, the American Rescue Plan, through Congress and signed it into law claiming it was a dire necessity because of the pandemic. However, his administration has been very slow in rolling out programs created by this massive bill despite saying it was so urgently required. Instead, they have been busy proposing more "emergency" spending, before money allocated in the previous bill has even been spent and while our economy has begun bouncing back, largely on its own.

Over the last four years, we have seen our trade relationships and trade agreements updated at record rates. Now with Ambassador Katherine Tai, who most recently served on the staff of the House Ways and Means Committee, sworn in as the new United States Trade Representative, it is time to hit the ground running and pick up where the previous administration left off by leveling the playing field with our trade partners, improving market access for U.S. goods, and finalizing pending free trade agreements.

We are now one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. While the virus has drastically and unfortunately changed the way we operate personally and professionally, my staff and I have continued serving Nebraskans. Although a lot of my travel has been limited, I look forward to hitting the road again and visiting with folks in person very soon.