Weekly Columns
April 10, 2017
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.
April 3, 2017
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.
March 27, 2017
Last week, Congress came very close to delivering on our promise to repeal and replace Obama Care. For the past seven years, Americans have been burdened by this so-called Affordable Care Act, which caused premiums and deductibles to increase, while choices and providers dwindled.
Issues:Healthcare
March 20, 2017
Each year, Congress has the responsibility to pass a budget, and then appropriate funds in accordance with that budget to fund the federal government agencies. The process typically starts in February when the President submits his proposed budget. But Congress has no obligation to adhere to the President's budget or even to put it to a vote. President Obama's budgets were routinely rejected - and not on a partisan basis.
March 20, 2017
Each year, Congress has the responsibility to pass a budget, and then appropriate funds in accordance with that budget to fund the federal government agencies. The process typically starts in February when the President submits his proposed budget. But Congress has no obligation to adhere to the President's budget or even to put it to a vote. President Obama's budgets were routinely rejected - and not on a partisan basis.
March 13, 2017
In the past seven years, Congress has voted to repeal Obamacare more than 60 times. However, repeal was never successful due to obstructionists in the U.S. Senate and a certain veto by President Obama. With a new President and conservative leadership in Congress, repeal of Obamacare is now well within our reach.
Last week, two key House committees passed the first draft of the American Health Care Act, setting the stage for the ultimate repeal and replacement of Obamacare.
Issues:Healthcare
March 6, 2017
President Trump was elected in no small degree based on the economic and national security anxieties facing millions of working class Americans. He correctly identified with, and gave voice to, their anger and their frustration. Consequently, the tone of his campaign and the early days of his presidency were not exactly upbeat in tone. However, his Joint Address to Congress last week was a sharp and welcome change.
February 28, 2017
When he addresses Congress for the first time tonight, Donald J. Trump will do so as one of the most untraditional and unexpected presidents in American history.
February 27, 2017
For the past sixteen years the United States military has been engaged in several conflicts, primarily, but not exclusively, in the Middle East. It's not an exaggeration to say the United States has been in a state of war since the attacks of September 11. And yet, we have been trying to combat growing threats of new kinds of terrorism worldwide without a formal authorization of military force since 2003.
February 21, 2017
There are a number of initiatives and policy questions to address in the first one hundred days of a new administration. However, the defense of our nation is among the first and most important of government's duties, and the state of Oklahoma rightly takes tremendous pride in preparing the military for any fight so that we may all live in peace.