Op-Eds

The following op-ed originally appeared in the June 14, 2018 edition of the Culpeper Star-Exponent. The opioid crisis is real, and it needs to be addressed. That is why I introduced a bill, H.R. 5889, the Recognizing Early Childhood Trauma Related to Substance Abuse Act of 2018. This legislation assists victims of the opioid crisis and provide professionals working with those victims the resources they need to assist. I am pleased to announce that H.R. 5889 passed on the House floor this week. ... Read more

This column originally appeared in the June 3rd, 2018 edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. People fed up with high-tax, slow-growth areas of the country migrate in large quantities to low-tax, high-growth areas of the country. Despite fleeing areas with less favorable economic conditions, when they get to the low-tax, high growth areas, they vote in favor of policies that undermine the economic environment they were attracted to in the first place! Simply put, flourishing red areas of the cou... Read more

The following op-ed appeared in the May 7, 2018 edition of the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. MEMBERS of the media are pushing the narrative that tax cuts are unpopular with voters. The truth is that they aren’t unpopular. American families like—and need—tax cuts. Taxes are unpopular because voters know they can spend their money better than Washington can. They can invest it, they can save it, and they can donate it to the causes they care deeply about. Taxes are also unpopular because Washing... Read more

The following op-ed appeared at FoxNews.com on April 30th, 2018. Very soon, Mexican and Canadian officials are going to push the Trump administration to approve and finalize a “NAFTA 2.0,” which is supposedly a renegotiation of the original 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement. The administration’s primary representative in this effort is the U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer. While we are being told by Ambassador Lighthizer and others that this will be a good deal for ... Read more

The following op-ed appeared in the April 29, 2018 edition of Richmond Times-Dispatch. What voters hate more than anything are politicians who say one thing on the campaign trail, and then abandon those promises when they get into office — especially on big-ticket items. That’s why it was disappointing to see Gov. Ralph Northam go back on his word to Virginians about sanctuary cities. A 2017 Harvard-Harris poll showed that 80 percent of voters say, “Cities that arrest illegal immigrants for crim... Read more

The following op-ed appeared in the April 19, 2018 edition of The Central Virginian. For those who waited until the last minute to file their taxes, they can take solace in the fact that Tax Day on Tuesday marked the end of the old tax code, which was outdated, confusing, and —most importantly ­— took too much of hardworking Americans’ hard-earned money. Because Republicans passed legislation late last year to provide long overdue tax relief to ordinary Americans, starting next year, filing taxe... Read more

The following op-ed appeared in the April 13, 2018 edition of The Washington Times. Conservatives are horrified by the staggering $21 trillion in debt as well as the trillion dollar deficits we are running each year as a result of the latest omnibus bill and spending trajectory. Last month, my office’s phones were ringing off the hook with constituents dismayed that Washington is once again dramatically growing the size of government and their kids’ debt bill. Adhering to the principles that I r... Read more

The following op-ed appeared March 29, 2018 on FoxNews.com. My constituents did not send me to represent them in the U.S. House in Washington to grow the size of government. We are bankrupting our country and placing a tremendous financial burden on our children. How big? A total of $21 trillion – $21,000,000,000,000. Yes, that big. Life can pull you in many directions. That’s why we focus on you, so you can focus on life. The omnibus spending bill we just passed increases spending by over $400 ... Read more

The following op-ed appeared in the March 24, 2018 edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. They say the good news rarely makes the news. It is certainly true that most of the work a congressional office does never makes headlines. Serving in Congress goes beyond casting votes on the House floor, attending committee hearings, or office meetings. For me, representing the 7th District means listening to constituents and seeing how my office can assist. It is the tireless hours staff dedicate to cas... Read more

The following op-ed appeared in the January 27, 2018 edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Too often the American people have been excluded from the process while politicians in Washington vastly expand the federal government, run up huge debts, and accept anemic economic growth as the new normal. As wages remained stagnated for 30 years, I saw the college kids I taught unable to find jobs where they could utilize their God-given gifts and talents and provide a better life for their own childr... Read more