January 6, 2023
For Immediate Release | Contact: Georgeanna Sullivan (202) 225-2956
“Democracy… is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder…” – Plato
To say it was a chaotic week in the House of Representatives would be quite an understatement. I’m sure it has been frustrating to watch, and I assure you it has been very frustrating to be a part of. The last time the House held multiple Speaker votes was 100 years ago in 1923. In 1856 it took two months and 133 ballots to elect a Speaker. That is not to downplay the current situation, but to note that citizen-led governments are designed to include all points-of-view which can get contentious. It’s made even more contentious when a group of people is solely focused on getting attention as opposed to the needs of the country. When they do finally discuss policy, they stomp their feet over the two percent of the pie they did not get with no acknowledgement of the ninety-eight percent they did.
My focus this week and throughout my time in Congress continues to be the issues that keep the people who I represent up at night. After two years of record high inflation, a fledgling economy, an open border that allows drugs and crime to flow freely into our country, and a heavy-handed government that has tried to control everything – from what we read, to how our kids learn, to where we worship. I’m committed to a Republican majority that addresses those issues through sound legislation and aggressive oversight. I have mentioned the Commitment to America in a few of my columns. It is our commitment to focus our efforts on an economy that is strong; a nation that is safe; a future built on freedom; and a government that is accountable to the people it serves. I believe in those tenets wholeheartedly. I believe every Republican does.
Despite the “variety and disorder” currently taking place on the House floor, there are many positives to look forward to in the new year. For me, one of those is getting to know many of the new residents of Missouri’s Third District. The changes in the Congressional boundaries have added Cooper, Crawford, Moniteau, and Washington counties and the southern half of Boone County to our district. We also have new areas in St. Charles and Jefferson counties. Having lived in Missouri my entire life, I have been to these areas more times than I can count, and I am well-acquainted with the issues these folks face. From flooding along the Missouri River to timber harvest in the Mark Twain Forest, our citizens have needs that must be met, and I’m looking forward to tackling those challenges.
Our legislative work in D.C. will also begin in earnest soon. As I said, that will include thoughtful legislation to address the economic damage created over the last two years. However, just as important will be our oversight duties. In the summer of 2021, the entire country watched in horror as the President’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan killed thirteen Americans and put the Taliban back in power. The IRS has been illegally leaking American citizens’ tax returns to reporters in hopes of gaining support for the President’s tax hikes, and a person within the Supreme Court leaked a draft opinion with the goal of intimidating the Justices. That tactic later led to an attempted assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. And most recently, we learned that the FBI and Biden White House were regularly forcing media platforms like Twitter to block information deemed harmful to the Biden family and suppress the speech of American citizens – an egregious violation of the First Amendment. We have all watched these things happen but not a thing has been done about it. With Republican chairmen of committees with subpoena power, we will demand answers and hold these people accountable.
Capitol Hill can be a chaotic place – as we’ve seen with this Speaker race – but serving my home state and district has been the professional honor of my lifetime. I’m very grateful to be able to do it again this term. Thank you again, for trusting me to do so. And if there’s anything my office can help with, please don’t hesitate to give us a call – that’s why we’re here.
CONTACT US: I encourage you to visit my official website or call my offices in Jefferson City (573-635-7232) or Wentzville (636-327-7055) with your questions and concerns. If you want even greater access to what I am working on, please visit my YouTube site, Facebook page, and keep up-to-date with Twitter and Instagram.
