Everyone knows something is wrong with prescription drug prices. I hear frequently from constituents struggling to pay exorbitant prices for drugs. What is to be done in this situation and who is to blame are hot topics in public discourse.
It’s worth keeping this background in mind when pondering what to make of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare’s announcement on March 6 that it “will… Read more »
Members of Congress gathered together on the morning of Wednesday, February 28, not to vote or meet in committee, but for another important purpose: to honor the life of Reverend Billy Graham, who died on February 21.
Billy Graham was only the fourth person to “lie in honor” (distinct from lying in state) in the Rotunda of the Capitol. As an expression of the nation’s respect for him,… Read more »
Traveling Across the Ninth
When the House of Representatives is not voting in Washington, I use the time I have to travel across the Ninth District to hear your stories, your questions, and your concerns. So far this year, I have visited all 29 jurisdictions that make up the Ninth. These visits covered topics from economic development to safety in our schools to individual constituent… Read more »
Committees are the engines that drive Congress. At the committee level, Members of Congress learn about issues, carefully consider legislation, and conduct oversight to see what works in the Federal Government and what doesn’t.
Serving on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as I do, means a busy schedule. We have a broad jurisdiction that covers policy areas of great importance to… Read more »
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed by Congress in mid-December and signed into law by President Trump on December 22 of last year, was crafted with a few important goals in mind. That you deserve to keep more of your hard-earned money. That we should encourage businesses to invest and grow in the United States, not overseas. That the people, not the government, know best how to prepare for… Read more »
President Adds Momentum for “Right to Try”
Longtime readers of this column know that I am a strong advocate for changing the law to permit the “right to try” – the right for patients facing life-threatening illnesses to try experimental treatments.
I believe this approach is both compassionate and commonsense. If a person facing the end of his or her life opts for an experimental… Read more »
Put ARC in the Appalachian Region
Washington, D.C. has been the nation’s capital for over 200 years. The Capitol Building, the White House, and the Supreme Court Building are all located there. So are the headquarters of most federal agencies.
Because of the explosion of government agencies and programs since World War II, Washington, D.C. and its suburbs have grown in population… Read more »
CHIP: The Rest of the Story
Yogi Berra is said to have commented once, "It's déjà vu all over again." I think I understood what he meant after I, along with the Republican House majority, voted yet again on January 18 to fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This is the third time I have voted for an extension of CHIP and the second time the entire House has done so, in… Read more »
MLK
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” – Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963
I agree with the sentiment of Mr. Joe Sheffey, former chairman of the Pulaksi County Board of Supervisors, in part of his remarks on Martin Luther King given to… Read more »
Marijuana and the Rule of Law
In the very cold first week of 2018, marijuana became a burning public policy issue. As a CNN headline captured, many people found themselves thrown into confusion on the question: “Is weed legal or not?”
Regular readers of this column likely know my position on marijuana. I support legalizing it for medicinal use but oppose legalization for recreational… Read more »
