Over the past two weeks, I’ve held 25 town halls throughout my district in Oklahoma. From Miami to Hugo and Okmulgee to Stilwell, I’ve met with Oklahomans to talk about issues that affect all of us. We have talked about health care, infrastructure, education, the national deficit, cutting the red tape of the bureaucracy, border security, and our national defense. We may have agreed on one issue and disagreed on another. Sometimes we just have to agree to disagree. That’s the beauty of democracy.... Read more

This week is National Public Health Week. It’s a fitting time to reflect on the progress our country has made to help people lead healthier lives. It’s also a great time to recognize the work that has yet to be done to continue to improve public health programs in our country. When it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, forty-six million rural Americans are at a higher risk of death and shorter life expectancies. Higher rates of smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure, less physical acti... Read more

Earlier this month, President Trump released a blueprint for his budget with an aim to put ‘America First.’ This blueprint makes it clear that our president is committed to creating a much smaller government that Americans voted in favor of last November. He proposed increasing spending for national security and more funding to rebuild our nation’s military in his budget request to Congress. I support several portions of President Trump’s budget including the funding increases to ramp up our def... Read more

It’s no secret that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has fallen into disrepair. A department created with the sole purpose to “care for him who shall have born the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” has faced significant challenges in fulfilling that mission for many of our veterans and their families. The men and women who have served our nation in the armed forces deserve quality, timely health care. Ranked second to last among large agencies, second to last in effective leaders... Read more

This week, House Republicans rolled out The American Health Care Act (AHCA) to start the process of repealing and replacing Obamacare. Our plan keeps our promise to repeal the individual and employer mandate, preserve Indian health care, provides a stable transition to a system that is patient focused, and deliver lower costs, more choices, and greater control over health care for Oklahomans. There is nothing more personal in the world than health care. Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace Ob... Read more

In a time of division in our country, President Trump delivered optimism and hope at his first Joint Address to Congress on February 28. The president has proven to the American people that he has already delivered on many of his campaign promises. He promised to shake up Washington, but told us that moving forward he would need Congress to work together to make a difference for our constituents back home. His speech aimed to remind us all that what unites us together is far more powerful than ... Read more

Tuesday, April 18th is quickly approaching and if you’re anything like thousands of other Oklahomans, you’re dreading the day. It’s Tax Day – the day your taxes are due to the federal government Each year, Oklahomans spend countless hours, time, money, and resources to file our taxes. We might purchase expensive software to help us do it ourselves. We might hire costly accountants to file our taxes on our behalf. We look for tax advice and tips wherever we can find it. The unfortunate reality is... Read more

This past week, Valentine’s Day filled many of our lives with hearts. There were candy hearts by the dozen for my kids and greeting cards with hearts from Cupid. However, far less popular and far less celebrated in February is American Heart Month, which takes place all month long. American Heart Month first started in February of 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson was asked by Congress to make a proclamation recognizing February as American Heart Month. Back then, cardiovascular disease caused m... Read more

Each new presidential administration comes with a set of new cabinet members. The president’s cabinet is one of the driving forces of his administration because the people he chooses will advise him on topics within their respective jurisdictions. Some of the cabinet positions being filled include the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Energy, and the Ambassador to the United Nations. Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution says that after a new ... Read more

My wife and I have always taught our kids to follow the Golden Rule of the bible: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” As a Christian, I believe that it is our duty to take care of our friends, our neighbors, and even those we do not know. Medicaid is the safety net that many of our fellow Oklahomans can use to receive health care. As a government program, it allows us to take care of some of our nation’s most vulnerable patients including children, expectant mothers, the elderly... Read more