Lessons from the Storms
The 2017 hurricane season has been the most active and destructive to the United States in a number of years. From Puerto Rico to Texas, storms have caused devastation, some of which lingers long after the hurricanes have dissipated. The challenge of rebuilding is daunting.
As part of the rebuilding process, we should learn how to better prepare for similar… Read more »
Good Riddance to “Sue and Settle”
You may recall from civics class that our Federal Government has three separate branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Your teachers probably never included the Sierra Club on that list. Thanks to the practice known as “sue and settle,” however, special interest groups like the Sierra Club may have more influence on our country’s laws than the… Read more »
Energy Independence is Closer Than Ever
“America is at the beginning of an energy Renaissance.”
Energy Secretary Rick Perry recently offered this view in testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, on which I serve. His optimism marks a refreshing change from the last Administration.
On February 23, 2012, then-President Obama ridiculed the idea that more oil… Read more »
Right-to-Try Update
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, on which I serve, recently heard testimony from Dr. Scott Gottlieb, head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), about expanding access to new, unapproved treatments for patients with life-threatening illnesses. I have long supported the idea of “right-to-try,” having introduced bills on the issue since… Read more »
Tax Reform Delivers for the American People
Benjamin Franklin famously noted that “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” He may have been right that taxes are a certainty, but there’s no reason why they have to be as complicated as the current U.S. tax code makes them.
It’s been over thirty years since the last major tax reform, and the tax code hasn’t kept up with… Read more »
Healthcare and Foreign Affairs
Healthcare Update
Due to its arcane rules, the Senate faces a September 30 deadline for voting on a plan to replace Obamacare that requires a simple majority, not a 60-vote supermajority, for its passage. Current efforts center on the plan put forward chiefly by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
The House of Representatives passed a… Read more »
Bringing Back Options for Health Insurance
Obamacare was a poorly designed piece of legislation. It should never have passed. By now, the United States Senate should have passed a replacement bill. As predicted, the consequences of these two actions are now having significant consequences on the availability of health insurance in the United States and particularly in rural western… Read more »
Disaster Relief and the Debt Ceiling
In the span of a few weeks, the U.S. mainland has faced two storms of immense power in Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have faced the wrath of these hurricanes and must now rebuild after the destruction they caused.
Hurricane Harvey was the first major hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland in 12 years and Irma… Read more »
Hurricane Harvey
I wish to express my sincere condolences to those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the communities that found themselves in the path of destruction, and I stand with all of my fellow Americans in hoping for your safety and a swift and full recovery. I am proud to say that first responders from Southwest Virginia have traveled to Texas… Read more »
Vehicle Attacks, the Second Amendment, and a Free Society
I was saddened to hear of the recent terrorist attacks in Spain. A terrorist drove a van into a popular Barcelona street packed with pedestrians and other members of the same terrorist cell rammed a car into a crowd in the seaside town of Cambrils. Fifteen people were ultimately killed in the attacks, many of them tourists simply… Read more »
