On August 7, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced a $500,000 grant to the Health Wagon for construction of a health care clinic in Clintwood. Some people think Obamacare is the only thing that matters when it comes to health care, but as this recent good news from ARC reminds us, there is plenty of activity occurring elsewhere in federal health policy. Other federal programs related to health care and other problems in the field deserve our attention. As a member of the Health Sub...
Read more
Help for Veterans Although the Veterans Administration was formally organized during the Herbert Hoover presidency, benefits for veterans can trace their roots to near the nation’s birth. Veterans deserve the thanks and support of all Americans for the sacrifices they made on our behalf. Thus, veterans are promised benefits in recognition of their service. For too many veterans, these promises were hollow. Scandals involving unacceptable wait times for medical appointments revealed in recent yea...
Read more
The 115th Congress has been working to improve the lives of average Americans. From taking on the opioid crisis to cutting taxes for the great majority of Americans, the House of Representatives has pushed for solutions. I believe the results make Americans better off. Economy Constituents frequently ask about jobs and economic development when I talk to them while traveling around the 22 counties and 7 independent cities that make up the Ninth District or in electronic town halls. I believe we ...
Read more
Update: Since this column was first issued, both H.R. 3994, the Advancing Critical Connectivity Expands Service, Small Business Resources, Opportunities, Access, and Data Based on Assessed Need and Demand (ACCESS BROADBAND) Act, and H.R. 4881, the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act, passed the House of Representatives. --- For Americans from all parts of the country to participate in modern life, it is vital that they have access to broadband. We increasingly use the Internet for information...
Read more
Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, has great credentials. He is a strong pick to join the Court, and I hope the Senate acts on his nomination promptly. But Judge Kavanaugh’s resume, while glowing, highlights an unfortunate fact about the Supreme Court. Of the nine current justices, all attended law school at Harvard or Yale (Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg started at Harvard before transferring to Columbia and finishi...
Read more
Reports have circulated in recent months, mostly on questionable news outlets like Facebook etc., asserting that a Balanced Budget Amendment passed through Congress, namely H. J. Res. 2, requires money to be taken from the Social Security Trust Fund. Claiming that balancing the budget takes money away from Social Security or Medicare is crazy talk! I supported the Balanced Budget Amendment and I want to tell you about the facts of the Balanced Budget Amendment in an effort to address any misunde...
Read more
I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. – John Adams to his wife Abigail John Adams was certainly correct that Americans would long cel...
Read more
Farm Bill Farming is essential to our way of life. Of course, we all rely on farmers to get food to our tables. Our economy also depends on agriculture, Virginia’s largest private industry and an important part of the Ninth District. We count on farmers, and farmers need stable, consistent policies from Washington. That’s why the farm bill recently passed by the House of Representatives is so important. I supported this year’s farm bill. It maintains programs vital to farmers and the rural commu...
Read more
Opioids can affect people from any walk of life. As the House of Representatives considers legislation to fight the opioid epidemic, Democrats and Republicans in Washington are finding a lot of common ground. During two weeks in June, the House will devote itself largely to opioid legislation. This week, a bill I introduced called the Creating Opportunities that Necessitate New and Enhanced Connections That Improve Opioid Navigation Strategies (CONNECTIONS) Act passed the House. The bill’s lead ...
Read more
On June 8, the House of Representatives passed the Energy and Water appropriations bill to fund the Department of Energy (DOE), among other programs. The United States is in the middle of an energy boom, and I believe the Energy and Water bill we passed will help keep us on the right path. Energy policy is integral to the economic and national security of our country, and future energy policy depends on the investments in research we make now. When it comes to the types of energy a national ener...
Read more
