Blog

Friend,

Last week was a busy week in the House of Representatives -- and I was honored to play a role in leading on several policy initiatives to make a difference in the lives of our local veterans, provide for our national security, combat Ohio's human trafficking crisis, and continue the dialogue on healthcare.

Here are 8 things from last week that I wanted to make sure you saw:



1. Resourcing our military.  The House passed the annual defense policy bill (FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act) by a strong bipartisan vote. This is big news for our national defense: this bill provides a pay raise for our troops, implements much-needed reforms at the Pentagon, and represents a down-payment on the military needed to face threats to our national security both today and tomorrow. Learn more, here, and watch our press conference, here.  




2. Combatting trafficking. The House is continuing the fight to combat human trafficking by passing 3 bills to crack down on child abuse and exploitation, and implement stronger detection systems in the U.S. Read more about the bills, here, and watch the press conference that I joined, here.  



3. Improving veterans' education benefits. The transition from active duty to civilian life can be difficult for our warfighters -- both physically and mentally. The House Veterans' Affairs Committee introduced the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Education Assistance Act to help ease this transition. This legislation also includes a bill that I introduced to help make educational benefits and opportunities more readily available for men and women serving in the National Guard and Reserve components of our Armed Forces. Learn more about the bill, here, and watch our Q&A with reporters, here. 



4. Hearing from OH-02 healthcare employers. It was great sitting down with representatives from Cardinal Health, which is based here in Ohio. As the House continues to work to empower Americans with more healthcare options and lower costs, I'm continuing to hear from constituents, healthcare professionals, and industry leaders across Ohio and the country.  Send me an email to share your thoughts with me. 




5. Addressing drug prices. The House Doctors' Caucus, of which I am a member, sat down with Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to discuss the factors causing rising drug prices and how we can improve competition in the market.  



6. Discussing our nation's healthcare system. Elizabeth (Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati) and Rory (Southern Ohio Medical Center, Portsmouth) joined me to share how hospitals in OH-02 are using the 340B drug program. 



7. Keeping Americans safe. In light of recent terrorist attacks in Europe, allowing the transfer of terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay to our American homeland would only put more innocent lives at risk. Until we establish a consistent policy on how to deal with future terrorist detainees, Guantanamo is the safest and best option. Watch my speech on the House floor during debate, here. 



8. Reviewing veterans' healthcare. I appreciated sitting down with representatives from TriWest Healthcare Alliance to discuss the VA Choice Program -- and hear their thoughts on what we can do here in Congress to ensure that veterans can see a physician (inside or outside the VA) when they need one. 

Yours in service,

P.S. Want to stay updated on my work in real time? Be sure to follow me on Instagram for behind-the-scenes shots as I work to represent you in Congress.