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Weekly Columns

Trump's Leadership on the Global Stage
May 29, 2017
Weekly Columns

Last week, Donald Trump wrapped up his first foreign trip as President of the United States. His travels took him to the centers of the world's three predominant monotheistic religions, at each of which the President mixed traditional diplomacy with his own unique approach to politics and public policy.

Issues:Defense, National Security & Foreign AffairsForeign Affairs
American Health Care Act Protects Patients and the Economy
May 22, 2017
Weekly Columns

For nearly eight years Republicans have made repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, one of the central tenets of their campaign. President Trump also made repealing the ACA central to his campaign. During that time, Democrats lost over 900 state legislative seats, 12 governors, 69 U.S. House seats, 13 senate seats and the White House. The recent passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) was the first step in making good on that promise.

Issues:Healthcare
The Importance of an Independent FBI
May 15, 2017
Weekly Columns
President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey has predictably brought howls of protest from leading Democrats in Congress.
Cole Op-Ed in WSJ: Republicans, Democrats Both Win on NIH Bill
May 9, 2017
Weekly Columns
In your editorial “Not Draining the Swamp” (May 3) you suggest that the $2 billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was a political victory for the Democrats. While I’m pleased that we had strong bipartisan support for our bill, to label it a Democratic victory is simply not accurate.
Issues:Healthcare
Congress Keeps America Open for Business, Finally
May 8, 2017
Weekly Columns
In what has become an all too familiar exercise, last week Congress passed a Consolidated Appropriations bill, sometimes known as an Omnibus, at the 11th hour thereby narrowly averting a government shutdown. This legislation extended funding for the remainder of the 2017 Fiscal Year. It is work that should have, and could have, been completed last December.
The North Korean Dilemma
May 1, 2017
Weekly Columns
In 1945, following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II, the Korean peninsula was divided on the 38th parallel with the southern portion occupied by the United States and the northern potion occupied by the Soviet Union. The arrangement was intended to be temporary until a reunification could be negotiated.
Issues:Defense, National Security & Foreign Affairs
Keeping Our Nation Safe
April 24, 2017
Weekly Columns
This past week marked the twenty second anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. That day is still fresh in my memory. At the time, it was and still remains the largest and most deadly act of domestic terror the United States had ever suffered. I, like so many other Americans, wondered how could something so horrible, so unthinkable occur in America's heartland? Sadly, it wasn't the last time that America witnessed terror on our soil.
When the Alfred P.
Issues:Defense, National Security & Foreign Affairs
For Syria, An AUMF Is Needed
April 17, 2017
Weekly Columns
For the past sixteen years, the United States has been engaged in several military conflicts, primarily, but not exclusively, in the Middle East. Unfortunately, after eight years of President Obama's erratic and uninformed foreign policy, the threats to the United States have only grown.
Issues:Defense, National Security & Foreign Affairs
Justice Neil Gorsuch
April 10, 2017
Weekly Columns
The sudden and untimely death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016 left an enormous void in our nation's judicial system. It would not be an overstatement to say he was one of the most consequential justices in American History. It was a fitting and appropriate decision, therefore, to delay hearings and a confirmation vote until the people had the opportunity to weigh in through their vote for president.
Congress Must Finish Their Job
April 3, 2017
Weekly Columns
President Trump and his administration have laid out a very ambitious legislative agenda. Health care reform, border security, tax reform, increased military spending and a massive investment in our nation's infrastructure are just a few examples of the complex policy changes the Administration is pursuing.
While I support the Administration's overall policy agenda, with a few exceptions, I believe Congress needs to take care of our basic responsibilities before embarking on the more difficult and time-consuming agenda items.