Columns

We know we can’t tax our way out of debt. The best way to bring down the deficit is by growing the economy through better tax policy and holding the line on spending. This is why the House fulfilled its constitutional power of the purse by passing the Fiscal Year 2018 budget resolution during the first week of October.

There is not enough long-term thinking in Congress. With tax reform, we can and must change this mentality. Focusing on the future will deliver more economic growth and greater opportunity for generations to come.

As North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un issues more threats against the United States, President Trump’s executive order targeting North Korea’s trading partners is a meaningful step to ramp up the pressure on this dangerous regime.

To empower more Americans to lift themselves out of poverty, we need to measure the effectiveness of our welfare programs and focus resources on those producing real results. Right now, I am pleased to be working on renewing an evidence-based program with a proven track record of improving outcomes for families in Nebraska and across the country.

Congress has a lengthy to-do list this fall, but I am grateful to have spent August traveling the Third District and hearing directly from Nebraskans on your priorities.

On the Ways and Means Committee, I have the opportunity to work directly on growing our economy, creating jobs, and reforming our tax code. I am eager to continue this work, especially as we take on tax reform this fall. At the start of this Congress, I was selected for an additional committee assignment on the Committee on House Administration (CHA), where I can help improve the operations and accountability of the House of Representatives.

We must uphold our commitment to the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. Since the start of this Congress, the House has passed two dozen bills to better serve our veterans.

Talks began in Washington, D.C., on August 16 among trade officials from the United States, Canada, and Mexico on modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This has caused understandable concern for producers, but if the U.S. maintains the right priorities in these negotiations, the agriculture industry can benefit from an updated agreement.