Blog

Friend,

Here in Congress, we've hit the ground running for the Administration's first 100 days - working to make some long overdue changes to get our country back on track. Here are a few highlights I wanted to share with you:



Rolling back excessive regulations. Federal regulations now impose an estimated annual burden of $1.89 trillion – and it’s crippling our job creators. Since January, we have used the Congressional Review Act or CRA (a tool that empowers Congress to overturn federal regulations passed in the 11th hour of the previous administration by a simple majority) to undo a series of costly regulations and provide relief to American employers. Previously the CRA had only been used once to undo burdensome federal regulations! Today, President Trump has already signed 13 of these into law



Providing the best possible care for our heroes. This year, I introduced a bill to streamline and update VA hospitals' hiring processes and in March, it passed the House with a unanimous bipartisan vote (412-0). In order to provide our veterans with the best quality medical care, VA hospitals must be recruiting and retaining the best medical professionals. My bill helps achieve this goal – and it now awaits action in the Senate. The House also passed a bill that I cosponsored to make it easier to fire VA employees who aren’t providing proper care to our veterans. It’s common sense.



Taking questions and connecting with constituents. So far in the 115th Congress, I've been able to connect with 30,384 constituents through live, free telephone townhalls – from the convenience of their living rooms. Appreciate hearing from so many of you on healthcare, national security, the Russian investigation, and job creation – just to name a few of the topics discussed.



Advocating for our service members. In March, I testified before the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee about the military readiness crisis facing our Armed Forces and why it is so critical that our defense budget provides them the resources and capabilities they need to keep us safe and come home safe themselves. The 2017 defense appropriations bill passed the House by a big bipartisan vote – sending a clear message that national defense is not a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American issue.



Working to lower healthcare costs and increase access to care. While Congress works on legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, there is still a lot to be done in partnering with the administration to jumpstart healthcare reform. Because of the way Obamacare is structured, HHS Secretary Tom Price has a lot of flexibility to undo some of the most costly regulations and start to make positive changes. As a member of the Congressional Doctor’s Caucus, I appreciate being able to work with Secretary Price to lower healthcare costs and increasing access to care.



Sitting down with constituents. In January, I held one of my Coffee with Your Congressman events -- a public forum for coffee and conversation to discuss important issues of the day. I listened to many folks with differing points of view on how we can get our country back on track.



Hearing from military leaders on the ground in Iraq. As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I traveled to the Middle East to meet with military and intelligence officials and get a firsthand update on the implementation and execution of our strategic national security objectives, including the progress in the fight against ISIS in Iraq.



Protecting life. It was an honor to host so many constituents from across southern and southwest Ohio for the annual March for Life here in D.C. The progress made to protect the unborn so far in the 115th Congress has been incredibly encouraging to be a part of  -- the House and Senate passed H.R. 7, with my support, to stop taxpayer funding for abortion and, just recently, the President signed it into law.



Holding listening sessions + roundtables. I’ve appreciated having multiple opportunities to hold roundtables and listening sessions across the district. These forums allow me to directly listen to the concerns and thoughts of local employers, small business owners, healthcare professionals, and more – folks who are on the ground, dealing with the realities of our economy, our communities, and healthcare system. I look forward to continuing these constructive conversations and taking these thoughts and ideas back to D.C. with me.



Advocating for Piketon. As Secretary Rick Perry begins his tenure as Secretary of Energy, I invited him to come tour the Piketon plant - a visit that would offer important insight into DOE's cleanup and enrichment operations. I look forward to working with Secretary Perry and my colleagues in the Ohio delegation to continue fighting for the Piketon community.



Responding to your thoughts, questions, and concerns. From January 3 to April 28, my office received 32,867 emails, letters, and phone calls and I appreciate every single one of them. Your thoughts and concerns are incredibly valuable as I work to represent you here in Congress, so please continue to weigh in and share your ideas with me. Find out how to get in touch with me, here.

The 115th Congress has only just begun and there is much more to tackle – like reforming the tax code, rebuilding our military, lighting up the economy, securing our border, and creating a free-market healthcare system that provides patients with more options, lower costs, and better care.  As I keep working on these issues, I will keep you posted on our progress and I look forward to continuing to hear from you as well

In your service,