After the first Gulf War, I finished my degree in accounting and went to work. Whether manning oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico or working as a Department of Defense contractor in the Balkans and central Asia, I know the value of hard work and have never been afraid of an uphill battle. Eventually, I returned to my beloved home state of Mississippi and built my own small business from the ground up, a CPA practice focused on patriotic Americans working overseas. I don’t just talk about job creation; I have been a job creator.
And still despite all that was going on, I served. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, I was sent to Camp Shelby in Mississippi, where I worked in direct support of the training and mobilizing the troops who were deploying for Operation Enduring Freedom. To this day, I am proud to be a member of the Mississippi National Guard.
I am also a proud father to three amazing children, which ultimately was what got me into politics. I wanted a better world for my kids than the one I saw unfolding in front of my eyes. I knew big-government spending and a rising national debt crisis would cripple the economy and make it difficult for our kids to find good jobs. I couldn’t sit by and allow that to happen.
In 2010, I took on a 20-year incumbent Democrat - a man who was considered unbeatable - and won. Over the last 10 years, I have fought against President Obama's tax hikes and helped President Trump roll back crippling regulations. I have made our national security my top priority because I know what our enemies look like. I also have prioritized border security in my role on Homeland Security Appropriations because BORDER SECURITY IS NATIONAL SECURITY. As we have seen in Afghanistan and at our borders recently, nothing has been as consistently disastrous as the Biden Administration.