Taking Care of the American Economy​​​​​​​

Jobs Report

One of the brightest pieces of news recently has been the jobs report that came out in June. We added 4.8 million jobs and reduced the unemployment rate to 11.1%. Make no mistake about it, this is fantastic news. If you hadn't heard about this significant report, that's probably because the so-called "experts" predicted an unemployment rate above 20% and only 2.9 million additional jobs. These predictions were of course covered by the mainstream media prior to the release of the June jobs report, and when the real numbers came out that squashed the "expert" opinions, they media went silent. So, while there may be a long way to go in our economic recovery, rest assured that there are positive signs pointing in the right direction.​​​​​​​

Buy America Policies

Something that has often bothered me is our widespread reliance on foreign countries to produce and supply goods to the U.S. - and while I recognize that trade is a vital component of our economy and has larger implications on international relationships, I believe we can make adjustments that benefit our country and the American worker. There are too many times when we buy products and ask the question: "why can't we make this here in America?". It's a great question, and often it is because of big government solutions that inevitably don't work.

For example, a few months ago I wrote about the need for medical manufacturing to return to the United States. The reason for this was that the vast majority of our medical and pharmaceutical supplies are made in China, where the global pandemic we are all subject to originated. To me, it seems backwards to rely on the country that started a virus to give us our potentially life saving medical products. I believe a thoughtful solution here would be to promote Buy America policies that incentivize medical manufacturers to return to the U.S. and create these products here at home. The ripple effects would be widespread and beneficial for us all, and other industries would prosper within our borders from the same kind of policies.

Final Stimulus

As you may recall, a few weeks ago I updated you on the stimulus bill being worked on in the Senate. It's known as the "Final Stimulus" since Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has publicly said it would be the last one the Senate will vote on. The focus of this stimulus will be relief for health care costs prompted by COVID-19, boosting jobs, and relief for education. This is a far cry from the HEROES Act that House Democrats voted on and passed, which was a bill intended to check off liberal wish list items instead of taking care of the American people. I opposed that bill and I am eagerly awaiting the legislation coming out of the Senate. It's reported that there will be action before July, and if there is, I will keep you updated.​​​​​​​

NASA

One of my greatest duties in Congress is serving as a member on the House Committee on Appropriations and as Ranking Member on the Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee. As a member of these two bodies, it is my responsibility to diligently review the upcoming fiscal year spending bill. This year, NASA has been a huge topic, especially with the Artemis missions and President Trump's request for an increase in the space programs budget. Unfortunately, some Democrats don't want to give NASA a penny more than last year, which I believe is a big mistake. Space exploration and carrying Moon missions as well as planning for Mars missions spurs amazing innovations in the private sector. Maintaining our leadership in space is also a national security issue. Overall, we are able to partner with other nations, but we must never be in a position of not controlling our own fate in space. That's why I criticized the Democrats spending plan during a subcommittee bill markup this week and advocated for President Trump's increased budget request for NASA. There is much our two parties can agree on with regards to the space program, and I look forward to continuing working on the space budget as this year's legislative process continues.​​​​​​​