Responding to President Biden's Final State of the Union Address

Last night, I attended President Biden's State of the Union address, where we confirmed what people across this country have suspected for a while: President Biden is completely disconnected from the issues facing Americans.

It is hard to process hearing the president say that the state of our union is strong while he refuses to act on the southern border and continues to attack American energy production. These are challenges being felt in every corner of the country, and Central Washington is not excluded from that.

I was also disappointed with his overall tone and do not think it was unifying by any means.

The way I see it, we have a president that is failing our region, and while the state of the union may not be strong, my commitment to strengthening Central Washington’s economy, infrastructure, and way of life is.

Fighting for Responsible Federal Spending

This week, the House of Representatives passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 that includes funding directed to Central Washington, protects American farmland, and cuts wasteful, reckless federal spending.

I am proud to support these bills that do exactly what we set out to do: rein in the out-of-control D.C. spending that we have become so accustomed to seeing. This package represents the first overall cut to non-defense, non-VA spending in nearly a decade.

We were looking down the barrel of another seven months of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer’s budget, but instead delivered on conservative wins that kick last cycle’s far-left policies to the curb and showed the Biden Administration that they can’t continue to spend money we don’t have without any repercussions.

I am also proud to have secured funding for major projects and initiatives in Central Washington that directly contribute to our local infrastructure and economy. This is what happens when we spend responsibly and don’t fund bloated initiatives that contribute nothing to our region.

This week, I spoke with the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association regarding the Lower Snake River Dams.

What we are seeing is the Biden Administration and dam breaching advocates pushing a “de facto” breach of the Four Lower Snake River Dams, by opening the gates to reduce the water below the minimum operating levels for hydroelectric generation.

The consequences of this would be losing our reliable, clean, and affordable baseload power source responsible for powering 750,000 homes and businesses. This would also more than double the region’s risk of power shortages and lead to a serious increase in CO2 emissions.

It is blatantly hypocritical to call for green energy solutions, yet disregard it when extreme environmental activists tell them to.

It was great discussing these concerns with the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, and I enjoyed hearing their thoughts as well. As long as I am in Congress, I will fight to ensure our dams will not be breached.

Honoring my Central Washington State of the Union Guest

Discussing Legislative Priorities with the Hop Growers of America

Visiting with the Former Kennewick Chief of Police

Meeting with Young Learners from Winthrop