Our tax system is rigged, designed to help only the most powerful people who can afford the most expensive tax lawyers to find their way through tricky tax loop holes. This week, I joined President Donald Trump in Springfield to talk about our complicated and unfair tax code, the work we must do to fix it, and how we are going to give hardworking Americans a pay raise in the process.
 
Since 2001, the tax code has changed 6,000 times. That’s more than one time a day. Due to these constant changes, most Americans have to hire a tax expert to crack our tax code and figure out how much they owe the federal government, spending their own hard-earned money to find out how much more of their paycheck they are going to have to send to Uncle Sam. It doesn’t need to be this complicated! Your tax return should fit on a single sheet of paper.
 
The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means is the only committee in Congress that has the authority to fix our broken system. As the only member of Congress from Missouri on this committee, I have had the privilege of fighting for a fairer and flatter tax code, not only for our congressional district, but all of Missouri.
 
We have not seen true tax reform since Ronald Reagan was President, and it is high time for a better deal on taxes. The work I am doing with the Ways & Means Committee and the White House is going to jump-start America’s economy and help Missourians win again. The bottom line is, the government should be taking the least amount of money from you as possible. We must make major changes to our tax code will lower tax rates and give folks in southeast and south central Missouri an instant pay raise so they can spend more of their hard-earned money on raising their families and investing in their futures.
 
Truly changing and fundamentally reforming the U.S. tax code is the best way to give American workers an increase in their take home pay. When America’s economy is healthy, it grows at roughly 3.5%, but since the beginning of the Obama Administration, it has hardly topped 2%. Our tax plan is going to return our country to more than 3% growth. Over the next ten years, this growth will result in $10 trillion dollars of new economic activity, 12 million new jobs and a $7 trillion dollar pay raise for the American worker.
 
As it stands today, our outdated tax code actually incentivizes American businesses to move their headquarters and jobs where the tax rates are lower. We can’t compete, and this is unacceptable. By lowering the tax rate for American employers creating jobs in our country, we are going to make American businesses more competitive, bringing more opportunity, higher wages and a better quality of life to people across the country.
 
When I was with the President in Springfield this week he told me he has his pen in hand, ready to sign historic tax cuts, and that he’s depending on Congress to deliver. The liberal obstruction we saw on everything from confirming President Trump’s cabinet to repealing and replacing Obamacare is unacceptable. The question for liberals in Congress should be simple: Do you believe American workers deserve a raise? I know I do. I am hopeful that the obstructionists and people who are more concerned with defeating our President than doing their job will finally come together to do what’s right for the American families and workers to grow our economy.

Another school year has begun and the sights and sounds of Friday night lights are filling the air. The beginning of a new school year and the return of high school football also reminds me about the importance of local choice, local control and local leadership over the education of the children raised here in south central and southeast Missouri.
 
Parents and educators who live here, who raise their families here and who know what’s best for our children should be making the decision about their education, not some bureaucrat in Washington. Our teachers are in these classrooms to teach, not to spend hours pushing paper to comply with federal testing standards which try to compare our children to ones raised in San Francisco. Teachers should be free to educate, not worrying about Washington regulations looming over them as they work to inspire their students.
 
I was at Jefferson R-7 High School last spring when the school superintendent gave me a MASSIVE stack of papers that the federal government was requiring him to fill out, wasting hours upon hours of his time complying with government rules instead of using his time to focus on the local school district. This kind of interference from Washington in our classrooms is unacceptable.
 
When I first joined Congress, we were able to pass legislation that would give local control back to our schools. Unfortunately, Senate Liberals and the Obama Administration wanted to keep their federal power over Missouri schools. They sent a watered-down version of the bill back to us, taking away the local control provisions I fought so hard for. I voted against this legislation because I know our schools run best when they are managed on the local level, and this bill left too much decision-making power about your child’s education in the hands of Washington bureaucrats.
 
During my time in office, I have visited schools in all thirty counties which make up the 8th Congressional district. I relish the opportunity to interact with teachers, students and parents to hear more about what issues they are facing in the classroom and how I can help them. Beyond the challenges of keeping up with unrealistic and burdensome federal requirements, teachers consistently tell me they are struggling to keep their classrooms stocked with supplies, with many taking money out of their own paycheck to buy materials needed to help their students learn. Because of this, I co-authored legislation that provided hardworking teachers with a tax cut on the supplies they buy on their own which will help our teachers save money while providing supplies for their students.
 
At almost all of my stops, I also heard about how much waste was being created by programs like Michelle Obama’s federally mandated school lunch plan. In 2010, then First Lady Michelle Obama along with liberal leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid took their interference from the classroom to the lunch room and unveiled new government rules for how your kids should eat when they are at school, creating more expenses and unfunded Washington mandates for our local school districts – often resulting in schools having to scale back the amount of meals they could afford to serve.
 
As students get back to school and you head out to enjoy the local high school football game, Congress must get back to work and take action on tax cuts, infrastructure investments, lowering healthcare costs, and improving national security. As we work on these issues, I will continue my fight to keep Washington out of Missourians’ homes, pocketbooks, family farms and children’s classrooms, making sure you and your family can enjoy the freedom of locally controlled schools.

On Monday, August 21, 2017, Missourians and folks all across the United States will experience a once in a lifetime event, the 2017 Great American Solar Eclipse. The last time this happened in the continental U.S. was nearly 40 years ago. What’s even more exciting is that a total solar eclipse has not been seen in our area since 1442!

For a couple of minutes around noon on Monday, you can expect total darkness. Birds will stop singing, crickets will start chirping, and your farm animals may think it’s time to head back to the barn for the night. During this time, while the sun is directly behind the moon, we will be able to see stars and planets we can’t normally see. We will also be able to see the “corona,” or the outer edge, of the sun.

In the parts of Missouri that are along the “path of totality,” they are expecting record breaking crowds. Hotels and motels have sold out, and I’ve even heard about folks renting space on their farms for tourists in RVs and people who want to set up camp to watch the eclipse.

According to the St. Louis Eclipse Task Force, the eclipse will cut across Missouri starting at St. Joseph in the West and cross over to Ste. Genevieve in the East. More than 3 million Missourians live in the path of totality. Areas of our district that will be in the path of totality include DeSoto, Farmington, Festus, Hillsboro, Perryville, Potosi, Ste. Genevieve and Sullivan.
 
The Great American Eclipse is a once in a lifetime event, but it’s also a great example of the growing agri-tourism and entertainment industry in our area. As I’ve taken the month of August to focus on farms, I have seen just how quickly this industry is growing, and I am excited that we have a truly cosmic event to spur this industry along. In fact, at one of my stops in Jefferson County, they were getting ready to host an eclipse viewing event on their farm handing out eclipse viewing glasses, Sun Chips and more eclipse-themed gear!

This natural phenomenon is bringing visitors from all over the world to our little corner of the country, and while they are here, they’ll see for themselves what makes it great to live in the 8th.
We have an awesome opportunity to enjoy Missouri’s great outdoors and spend time with friends and family, but we have to do it safely. Remember, you cannot look directly at the sun without damaging your eyes, so you must wear a pair of certified solar eclipse glasses. If you can’t find these, you can watch online. For more information about local events near you, visit MissouriEclipse2017.com

Whether it is a border you can walk across or a border you can launch a missile across, it is the responsibility of Congress and the President to protect our country from those who wish to harm the United States. The last administration drew lines in the sand with foreign countries and let them blow away over and over again.
 
Instead of negotiating failed nuclear deals with Iran, this week we advanced some of the toughest sanctions to date on countries like Russia, North Korea and Iran. The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act punishes Russia for using the internet to attack vital components of our infrastructure and imposes catastrophic economic sanctions on Iran and North Korea for their support of terror organizations, continued antagonistic missile tests and their threats to bring terror and chaos to America. With this action, we are cutting off access to resources like fuel and food and sending a message to these countries that their continued behavior will not go unpunished and that all options remain on the table in response to their aggression.
 
Simply put, America should not stand idly by as foreign regimes threaten our freedoms and way of life. We should not tolerate continued nuclear advancements by North Korea and Iran and the detainment of members of the U.S. Navy by countries like Iran. I know Congress and this President will have the resolve to take the needed further actions should they be warranted.
 
The other security measure we voted for this week is the Make America Secure Appropriations Act which will help fortify our country’s southern border. We cannot leave our borders open to dangerous gangs like MS-13 whose members illegally enter our country while smuggling drugs, weapons and criminals.
 
This bill gives President Trump and his White House every penny they requested to shore up more than 70 miles of damaged and open border in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and San Diego, California and expand our border protections. The money will also be used for planning additional border wall construction and reinforcing the walls that are already protecting portions of the United States’ border with Mexico.
 
Making America secure at home and abroad is so incredibly important. Our work takes major steps to stop the bad guys abroad and fortify our borders at home, making sure we keep anyone who doesn’t have America’s best interest at heart from crossing both our physical and virtual borders.

Time away from family and friends, missing the birth of their sons and daughters, deployed overseas during holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, anniversaries gone by… these are just a few things the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces give up in order to defend our freedom. Our troops sacrifice so much for us, and last week, I had the honor of voting for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which will give them the resources they need to protect our great nation and make America safe and strong.
 
Our country is facing growing threats around the world, and as these threats increase, so do the needs of the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our freedom. As our troops put themselves in harm’s way to defend us against threats to American values, it is our job to make sure that they are more prepared than ever.
 
The number one responsibility of the federal government is to keep you and your family safe. While we work at home to secure the border and defund Sanctuary Cities that harbor dangerous illegal immigrants, there are ever-evolving threats spreading world-wide. ISIS, North Korea and Iran are just a few of the menaces we are facing. Fully supporting our men and women in uniform is the best way to defend against these international bad actors who want to destroy America’s way of life. Unfortunately, in recent years, our military has been subject to damaging budget cuts, reducing some of our capabilities to pre-9/11 levels. But now, we are giving our Military Generals what they asked for, fully funding our military’s budget request and ensuring they have the newest most up to date resources they need to fight against threats to our freedom.
 
My vote for the NDAA will provide our troops with the equipment, personnel, weapons systems, protections and capabilities they need to accomplish their missions and thwart countries who want to hurt us, like North Korea and Iran. One of the most concerning threats from these rogue nations are intercontinental ballistic missiles which is why we are increasing spending for our missile defense programs by $12.4 billion dollars. We are also giving our men and women in uniform the best body armor and increasing spending to modernize and improve this vital and sometimes last line of defense for our troops. There is also a provision in NDAA that makes sure no terrorists from Guantanamo Bay are moved to U.S. prisons. Most importantly, the NDAA gives our brave men and women in the military a well-deserved pay raise. In fact, it’s the highest pay raise for our troops in more than seven years.
 
I often tell our troops that I am thankful for their service, but I am honored to have been able to actually show them just how grateful I am for what they do to protect us by voting to give them the resources they need and deserve.

Growing up in rural Missouri, I knew if I didn’t feed our animals by 6am, I was going to be in trouble. Starting the day with this chore was essential to the rest of the day on the farm going smoothly. I approach my job as your Congressman the same way I approached my jobs on the farm – if things like tending to the animals or repealing Obamacare don’t get done on time and in the right way, you can’t accomplish bigger things like putting food on grocery store shelves or restoring healthcare choice and lowering insurance costs for Americans.
 
Traditionally, August is a time when Members of Congress get to spend time back home without having to fly back and forth to D.C. for votes and committee hearings. I always appreciate this time of year because I get to spend time with fellow Missourians and make stops in all 30 counties in our district to visit family farms and small businesses. I also get a break from sleeping on the couch in my office! But my job is to defend Missourians’ way of life, and I don’t want to see my colleagues take a break from work in D.C. until we make some real progress.
 
We have a failing healthcare law that leaves folks at home with little to no healthcare choices, a massive and burdensome tax code that takes Missouri families’ time and money and complicated and expensive regulations that need to be rolled back. Spending a few nights of August on the couch in my office would be well worth the tradeoff of getting some real work done, but first, we are going to need the Senate to take some action.
 
We have passed 269 bills out of the House of Representatives in just a few short months, but Senate Liberals have been doing their best to slow down our work ever since President Trump was elected. Of the 269 bills we have passed, 226 have stalled out and gone nowhere in the United States Senate. Unfortunately, Senate Liberals don’t understand working quickly and consecutively to accomplish goals – they only understand how to put up roadblocks in President Trump’s way. They are trying to obstruct the legislative process and stop us from delivering on the policies and the agenda Americans voted for in November.
 
The Senate is also behind on confirming President Trump’s nominees to his administration. At the same time during the Obama Administration, more than 90% of President Obama’s nominees were confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote. But Senate Liberals have only allowed 10% of President Trump’s confirmations to happen by voice vote. Furthermore, only two of President Trump’s 23 judicial nominations have actually been confirmed by the Senate. Once again, Senate Liberals are intentionally holding up the process for the Trump Administration.
 
Because of Senate Liberals’ inaction, there’s no time for a break. We have to work longer and harder than ever before to overcome Senate Liberals’ obstruction of President Trump’s legislative agenda.

In June, with the support of President Trump, we acted to give US Customs and Border Protection more resources to secure our border by making it easier for them to hire our brave military veterans and law enforcement officers. Last week, we continued the work to enhance security by advancing Kate’s Law which will keep Missouri and all Americans safe from the danger of crimes committed by illegal immigrants. At the same time the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act was passed which increases penalties for Sanctuary Cities and disqualifies them from receiving some federal funds. These bills build on the work I have already started by authoring legislation to stop even more federal funds from going to dangerous Sanctuary Cities like San Francisco.
 
Juan Lopez-Sanchez had seven felony convictions and had been deported five times before he shot and killed Kate Steinle on a pier in San Francisco in 2015. I’m saddened it took losing a great American like Kate for people to realize that we cannot allow Sanctuary Cities to ignore federal laws, but I’m glad we are finally led by a President prepared to take this issue as seriously as I am.
 
Named for Steinle, Kate’s Law establishes new maximum sentences for illegal immigrants who try to reenter the United States after being convicted of a felony. My vote for Kate’s Law last week was another step to keep our families, friends and neighbors safe. Over 300 cities and counties like San Francisco have policies to stonewall the federal government and prevent the Department of Homeland Security from effectively enforcing our immigration laws. But we are a nation of law and order, and cities that actively work against the law of the land should face consequences.
 
In addition to Kate’s Law, I voted for the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act last week because it is a step in the right direction by making Sanctuary Cities ineligible for certain federal support.  I will continue to fight for my legislation which goes even further by fully disqualifying any Sanctuary City from federal transportation dollars‎. I know the only way we will see real change from Sanctuary Cities is if we force them to operate without federal funds. Only then will they realize their need to comply with federal immigration laws. The bottom line is, cities and counties that fail to work with us to make America safe cannot be trusted with federal funds.
 
Sanctuary Cities that harbor criminals like Juan Lopez-Sanchez and protect them from the full reach of federal law must be completely cut off from federal funding until they are ready to comply with federal immigration laws. It is the number one responsibility of your federal government to provide for the defense and security of this great nation. Fourth of July served as a great reminder to us all of how fortunate we are to live in a free and open country - it is important we take the steps needed to fully keep safe the American families and children who call her home.

Being an American makes me feel proud, fortunate and humbled all at the same time. Proud that our Founding Father’s vision became a reality. Fortunate because I was lucky enough to be born in this incredible, free nation and humbled by the blessing of serving our country in Congress.
 
We are a nation of humble beginnings. Colonies of England, bound to serve the King. But our Founding Fathers saw potential for more. The Continental Congress voted in favor of our independence from England on July 2, 1776.  Two days later, on July 4, 1776, delegates from the 13 colonies that sparked the great American experiment adopted the Declaration of Independence.  
 
Every year, we celebrate our independence, and rightfully so as it was hard fought and won. Oh say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave – we cannot forget that there was a moment amid the clashing bayonets, exploding cannons, gun powder and smoke when we were not sure America would prevail. But we have never doubted our ability, strength and resilience as a nation since.
 
Even in some of our lowest, most difficult moments, America has stood together and stood strong. September 11, 2001 stands out to me as one of those moments. When I got the news, I was shocked and saddened, thinking to myself who would want to hurt a country as incredible as ours? Like many of you, I called to check in with friends and family that I had not spoken to in a while to make sure everyone was ok, and I hugged them all a little tighter the next time I saw them.  
 
The attacks on September 11th broke many, many things – lives, homes, hopes and dreams for futures together – but it could not break our American spirit. In fact, it made us even more resolute in our beliefs. We banned together and came back even stronger and prouder of our country – ready to fight to defend our freedoms and our way of life. American flags were hung outside of nearly every home and we rebuilt the World Trade Center even taller than before.
 
But there are smaller, different battles we wage every day as well. It’s a fight for Missourians’ way of life. Whether that’s making sure the government doesn’t try to regulate every drop of water on your land, or how you heat your homes in the winter or how you spend your paycheck, it’s a fight for what our Founding Fathers believed America could be. The land of the free.
 
We enjoy freedoms every day. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the freedom to bear arms. All because we prevailed in our fight for independence and have a military who continues to heroically defend our nation’s sovereignty.
 
We have proved to be the home of the brave many times over in our nation’s short, 241-year history. From the Vietnam War to rallying in the face of a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, defending humanity and defeating the Nazis, to the War on Terror that is still being valiantly fought today, Americans have faced adversity bravely and boldly. I am thankful for our freedom and the brilliance of our Founding Fathers who had a dream of what this piece of land that was colonized by England could become. On July 4th and every other day, I am so very proud to be an American.

We are barely halfway into the year, and Senate Liberals are ignoring the will of the American people and obstructing the democratic process yet again. First it was subjecting President Trump to the longest Cabinet confirmation process in modern history, then they tried to stop Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was previously confirmed 99-0 by some of the same Senators, from joining the Supreme Court, and now they are threatening to miss committee hearings, bill markups and votes, halting business in the Senate because they disagree with President Trump.
 
After saying they wanted no part in the process of fixing healthcare, Senate Liberals were outraged when their colleagues came together to work on their own solution. Some Senators even tried to make it sound like the people who were working together were doing so in secret. But the truth is, their plan is not secret at all. Like me, they want to lower the cost of healthcare for millions of Americans. But there are some Obamacare-Loyalist-Senators who are refusing to come to hearings, purposely holding up normal legislative business in the Senate and obstructing our country’s democratic process. Their actions are a waste of the hard-earned money you pay in federal taxes each month.
 
These liberal Obamacare-loyalists are still in complete denial about what the American people want, even though the people spoke loud and clear in the last election. Some folks in the Senate won’t even do their job and meet us at the table to discuss how to repair the damage Obamacare has done to healthcare in America. Even after the President of the United States asked for their input and ideas, Senate Liberals chose to politicize the process and act out in a way they think will get them reelected.
 
But why are some of these Senators insisting on standing by a failing law? Within the last week alone, we have heard even more Obamacare failures. For example, Aetna announced even more states where they will no longer be providing plans. In New Mexico, there has been a proposed premium hike of 80% and in Iowa, insurers have asked for a 43% premium increase. In Missouri, 26 of the 30 counties I represent have been left with only one provider. The bottom line is Obama’s healthcare law is failing –  the prices are sky high and the choices are slim to none. The American people cannot afford to foot the bill for this failing policy that Obamacare-loyalists are attached to solely because of the people who enacted the law – Barack Obama and his cohorts Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.
 
Instead of investing in an agenda that reflects what Americans voted for in November, liberal Senate extremists have done nothing but stomp their feet and try to stop their colleagues from moving forward with real solutions for hardworking Americans. Their political grandstanding is out of control. It’s time for these Senators to stop playing games and do their jobs.

In the early morning hours of June 14 – in the middle of a picturesque American backdrop – a gunman targeted Members of Congress and opened fire on a baseball field in Virginia where they were practicing for their annual charity baseball game.

The shooting in Virginia was the second time in less than a decade that a member of the U.S. House of Representatives was shot. In this case, it was Congressman Steve Scalise, the House Majority Whip, who remains in critical condition. Congressman Scalise, Members of the House and Senate and their staffers were partaking in America’s pastime and two brave Capitol Police Officers were doing their job when they were attacked. In 2011, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was simply doing her job as well, holding a meet and greet outside of an Arizona supermarket, when she was shot in the head.

It has been nearly 20 years since Majority Whip Tom DeLay came face to face with a gunman in the United States Capitol when the attacker proceeded to enter his office. Like my friend Steve, Tom had Capitol Police Officers nearby who acted with complete disregard for their own safety and bravely protected everyone there. Tragically, Officers Jacob Chestnut and John Michael Gibson were shot and killed that day.

I want to reiterate Speaker Ryan’s statement, an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. In the midst of partisan tension, harsh language and political criticism, the violence we experienced made us stop, slow down, and remember that no matter what side of the aisle we are on or what policies we agree or disagree with, we are all Americans working every day to serve those we call friends and neighbors back home. Like President Trump said, "We may have our differences but we do well in times like these to remember that everyone who serves in our nation's capital is here because above all they love our country. We can all agree that we are blessed to be Americans."

I also want to express my deep gratitude for the heroic actions of the Capitol Police Officers. Had they not been there, the fate of dozens of my colleagues could have been much worse. Once again, the thin blue line held in the face of unspeakable violence.

I ask you to join me in praying for everyone who was involved in the attack to recover quickly and completely. Pray for their families as well who are holding vigil at hospital bedsides. And finally, pray for our nation to heal. As we move forward from this horrific event, we must not forget that what makes America great is that we are all different. We cannot allow those differences to bring anger and violence to our doorstep and threaten our democracy.