Weekly Columns
Each year on the eleventh of November, we rightly pause to honor and remember the bravery and boldness of the men and women who selflessly answered the call of duty and wore one of the many great military uniforms of the United States of America. Without question, we owe a constant debt of gratitude to generations of veterans, including many of our own family members, who made sacrifices to ensure the safety of our homeland and who faithfully fought to promote and preserve America's precious freedoms.
The last several weeks have been eventful in terms of one particular topic, and that is House Democrats and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's unprecedented pursuit of impeachment. Especially on something as consequential as impeaching the President of the United States, it is a disservice to the American people for one political party to dictate the terms of the process, as Democrats have done since day one.
President Donald Trump and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently announced that our two countries finalized a limited trade agreement, and I am encouraged that it was formally signed by both countries this week. While I was participating in a congressional delegation trip to Japan and other Pacific Rim nations in August, we were told that a deal would likely be agreed to soon. A couple of months later, I am pleased it has finally come to fruition. This limited agreement is particularly good news for American farmers, ranchers and manufacturers.
Each year on September 17, we rightly celebrate the single most important document ever written for securing liberty from the ambition of tyrants. It was on this day in 1787 that 39 of our Founding Fathers signed one of the most consequential documents in our history: The Constitution of the United States.
Even though the U.S. House of Representatives was not in session, I kept a busy schedule during the extended work period. Throughout the last six weeks, I spent a great deal of time in Oklahoma hearing directly from constituents, local community leaders and small business owners at town halls and other meetings. In addition to these valuable conversations with fellow Oklahomans, I participated in two insightful learning trips with some of my colleagues in Congress.