Over the last two weeks I have visited dozens of farms and ranches and listened to hundreds of farmers on my second annual Eighth Congressional District Farm Tour. Agriculture in South-Central and Southeast Missouri is incredibly diverse. If fact, we grow everything except citrus and sugar. While the crops we grow and the livestock we raise are diverse, every farmer I talked to in the last two weeks brought up the same topic: the EPA war on rural America. No other federal agency pushes more intrusive and ineffective regulations on farmers than the Environmental Protection Agency. On the Farm Tour, the EPA’s proposed “Waters of the United States” plan was discussed numerous times. Back in April, the EPA announced it would
- Aug 29,
Agriculture is the number one industry in Missouri. Our Eighth Congressional District is home to a great variety of agricultural interests. Our district is one of the most diverse agriculture districts in the country growing everything except sugar and citrus fruits. In the fertile Missouri Bootheel we grow cotton, rice, corn, soybeans, wheat, peanuts and even raise catfish. In stark contrast to the Bootheel stand the Ozark Foothills where we have cattle, dairy and timber producers. This week and next, I am traveling our district and listening to the challenges farm families are facing on my two week Farm Tour. Although each farm is unique and each crop or animal raised is different, the message from each visit is the
Aug 22,Like you, I have watched and read news reports on the surge of unaccompanied children from Central America who are arriving in record numbers in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. These young people are making this dangerous passage through Mexico assisted by smugglers and then entering the United States. Make no mistake about it, the crisis at our southern border is directly connected to President Obama’s refusal to enforce current immigration laws. On July 31, 2014 the House of Representatives was scheduled to be out of session. However, House Republicans were committed to passing thoughtful, but firm legislation to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into our country. The United States Senate had already left Washington for the August
Aug 15,This week the House of Representatives authorized a lawsuit against President Obama for his failure to faithfully execute laws passed by Congress. While the President has largely ignored the lawsuit and even called it a “stunt,” this is no joking matter. The lawsuit is needed to preserve the separation of powers clearly outlined in our Constitution. No person, not even the President of the United States, is above the law. This lawsuit is a check on the President’s disregard for laws enacted by Congress. Article I of our Constitution gives the power of legislating to Congress. Article II says the President should “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” No part of the Constitution gives the President the authority
Aug 01,During his State of the Union speech in January, President Obama said he hoped 2014 could be "a year of action." Six months have passed since the President issued his challenge, but leaders in the Senate are still refusing to even hold a vote on common sense bills passed by the House. National news personalities like to refer to Congress as a "do-nothing" body. The truth is, Senate leaders have refused to take up 148 of the 189 bills the House has passed. These are bills that would ease burdensome regulations on small businesses and families, establish America's energy independence and stop ObamaCare. Like you, I am concerned about federal regulations imposed by the Obama Administration. In the House
Jul 18,