Columns
Regulations. While the word is often used in a negative light, the process of setting regulations as established by the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), enacted in 1946, plays an import role in allowing federal agencies to appropriately implement federal laws passed by Congress. Under APA, agencies are required to release a draft rulemaking, allow time for public comments, and respond to public concerns when releasing a final rule.
Every year, when Congress adjourns for an extended district work period during August, I continue to take the opportunity to travel the district, hold meetings, and find out what is on the minds of Nebraskans across the Third District. This August I met with folks all across the district, from Auburn and Peru to Alliance and Scottsbluff, and many communities in between. I appreciated hearing their insights.
As we enter the end of summer and the beginning of fall, we have a few things to anticipate: harvest, back-to-school, and Husker football. It also means Congress will reconvene following work done across our districts.
There are many things to work on when Congress reconvenes in September. I hope our focus will be trade. It is incredibly important to our economy, particularly agriculture, and we should always be looking to expand markets for American goods and services. Trade is one of my top priorities in the Committee on Ways and Means, which has jurisdiction over trade.
When I have the opportunity to travel around the 67,000 square miles of the Third District, I spend a lot of time in the car driving the many highways and byways of Nebraska. I enjoy this time on the road, taking in the diverse scenery as I map my way from town to town.
Agriculture is integral to Nebraska's history. The Homestead Act of 1863 allowed U.S. citizens to earn ownership of lands in the west including Nebraska, provided they improve and farm the land for five years. Four years after the Homestead Act, in 1867, Nebraska earned its statehood with help from these new farmers and ranchers.
As the strongest democracy in the Middle East, Israel is a special partner and crucial ally to the United States. Together we collaborate on defense, intelligence, and trade. In fact, President Reagan signed our country's first trade agreement with Israel in 1985.
We have a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Last year, federal revenue was at a near record high, yet our debt continued to increase. Despite attempts to restore fiscal order, this trend has been ongoing for years.
In 2011, Congress and President Obama brokered a bipartisan compromise to stop the bleeding. The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) cut spending, capped future spending, and included no tax increases. While this bill was not perfect, it showed bipartisan resolve to address our spending crisis.
One of my top priorities is improving health care for rural Americans. Access to high quality, affordable, and available heath care is increasingly lacking in many areas. Empowering providers to better meet the needs of patients and reducing costly and burdensome regulations can go a long way to streamline and strengthen our health care system.
With July upon us, we are now more than halfway through the first year of the 116th Congress. So far 2019 has been marked by partisan divides which have stood in the way of results.
There is much work to do to solve our nation's challenges. Instead of focusing on impeachment or forcing the President to release his tax returns, Congress should be working on efforts to ratify the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), lower health care costs, and rein in our debt.
As recent trends demonstrate, we must take border security seriously. In May, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped 144,000 people from illegally entering the United States – the most in one month since 2006. This incredible number of people is almost three times the population of Grand Island.