A passion for public service is what drives me as I work for you. My dad served in World War II, and he instilled in me the spirit of putting service to others above self, which still drives me to achieve every day. The greatest honor of my life is to serve you as your Representative in the First District. I still make the drive from my little town of Montross each day because I believe the best ideas don’t come from Washington, but from my constituents.
I always want to hear from and connect with residents of the First District, whether it be through in person town halls, telephone town halls, forums of all kinds, business visits, or just running into folks at the hardware store. What I’ve been hearing from constituents is that our community is nervous about how the economy will bounce back from the pandemic that has gripped the world.
The latest monthly jobs report showed that the unemployment rate dropped to 8.4 percent in August, which marked the fourth month of declines. As we work to bring the economy back to where it was before the Coronavirus shut down much of the economy and businesses nationwide, we must continue to support our small businesses and prepare potential employees to fill jobs as they become available.
Let me be clear: my top priority is the health of this nation. I remain committed to working with all my colleagues and this administration to continue to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 that will keep Americans safe and help us fight the spread of this virus. At the same time, we must continue to tackle the economic fallout this virus has caused to Americans’ livelihoods and the strength of our economy.
This pandemic has also revealed that it is well past time we break China’s supply chain monopoly and work towards bringing production and manufacturing back to the United States. When Republicans were in the majority, we worked together to pass historic tax reform that paved the way to the lowest unemployment rate this nation has seen in 50 years. It is these same pro-growth policies that are guaranteed to jumpstart the economy, strengthen our workforce, and ensure that medical innovation and manufacturing thrive in the United States for the next century
And we are making real progress on these issues. Here are just a few of the bills I am co-sponsoring:
Domestic Medical and Drug Manufacturing Tax Credit
- Lowers tax rate on the income from the domestic manufacturing and sales of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and medical countermeasures.
- Facilitate the retention and creation of high paying jobs, support domestic innovation, and enhance national security and public health
Bringing Back American Jobs Through IP Repatriation
- American companies can bring back their Intellectual Property developed outside the U. S. without any immediate U.S. tax cost.
- Supports high-paying jobs in production and applied research and, ultimately, a higher standard of living for all Americans.
Coronavirus Relief for Working Seniors Act of 2020
- Rewards work by temporarily eliminating the penalty on certain seniors who choose to keep working.
- Provides relief to seniors who may want or need to earn at higher levels than planned in 2020.
- Ensures more workers are available to reopen the economy.
American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act of 2020
- Reduces America’s dependence on foreign sources of critical minerals by supporting responsible domestic mineral development.
- Enhances the supply of critical minerals, with applications including healthcare, defense systems, and renewable energy technology. These minerals are essential to our modern way of life.
- Provides opportunity to reduce China’s dominance in the critical minerals market. For years, they have controlled the vast majority of the global supply.
Finally, I believe that economic growth and job creation is best supported by fewer and smarter regulations, affordable energy, a simpler tax system, and policies that encourage a better trained and educated workforce. Increasing STEM/CTE education gives students the opportunity to develop a practical skill set and enter the job market confident and well prepared. We can better prepare our professionals of tomorrow by increasing access to dual enrollment CTE training courses so students can work toward certifications and credentials in high school.
I am optimistic for our future as a nation. I believe that we will continue our economic success around the world. In addition to my priorities listed above, I will continue working to fix our crumbling roads and bridges, ensure veterans receive the benefits they deserve, cut the red tape hurting our businesses, lower the cost of health care, and secure our borders. With only a few weeks left in the year, I am ready to tackle these critical challenges facing the Commonwealth and the nation.
