Columns

This week, as I visited a number of Third District communities, several major economic indicators were published, confirming what we already know: President Biden’s inflation hasn’t ended, and a radical change of direction in Washington’s fiscal policy is needed to remedy an ailing economy.

On April 13, Israel endured an unprecedented attack of more than 300 long-range missiles and drones from Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been a sworn enemy of Israel since the 1979 Iranian revolution and is the primary state sponsor of terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthi movement in Yemen. However, Iranian forces had never launched a direct barrage against Israel from its own territory prior to last week.

The Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, home of the Thomas Jefferson, the Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorials, is encircled by scenic cherry trees. Each spring the trees bloom in a picturesque display, drawing visitors from around the world. This popular tourist attraction is the result of a gift of more than 3,000 trees presented to the United States by the government of Japan.

As the 2024 tax deadline nears, Americans are well aware of the outsized impact the Internal Revenue Service can have on their time, attention, and pocketbooks. From supersized agency funding to new reporting requirements on Venmo and PayPal transactions which amount to a “Babysitter Tax” to expanding IRS efforts to take over Americans’ tax preparation and tell them what they owe, the Biden administration’s IRS has continued to expand its intrusion into the daily lives of American families.

The United States’ constitutional foundation of freedom and opportunity laid the pathway for our nation to become the most prosperous on the planet. Defending the right of each citizen to pursue prosperity while limiting the government’s intrusion into our livelihoods and pocketbooks is a proven road to improved standards of living for American households of all income levels.

As we transition into spring with farmers and ranchers hard at work, recognizing National Agriculture Week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come in American agriculture. According to a USDA study published in 2020, the seven decades from 1948 to 2017 saw American farmers nearly triple their total output while overall inputs remained nearly constant—a staggering achievement.

Since March 4, 1789, our Constitution has defined the powers of our federal government and bound the United States together. Ratified shortly thereafter, as ten amendments to the Constitution in 1791, the Bill of Rights reflects the genius of the American founders to safeguard liberty and guarantee the rights we hold dear as Americans. Through a bloody and bitter civil war, two world wars, and the threat of nuclear conflict, our Constitution, with the addition of 17 more amendments, has preserved our union longer than any other country’s governing charter in the world today.

Like many Nebraskans listening to the State of the Union address, I was hoping to hear President Biden correct course on his failed policies weakening border security, perpetuating inflation, and neglecting America’s trade interests. I was disappointed. Rather than embracing commonsense policies with potential to bring us together, the president needlessly continued down an extreme, far left, partisan path, distant from the views and struggles of most Americans.