If you only read the headlines, you'd think today's political climate is particularly divisive. But as a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I've seen firsthand the bipartisan work of this Congress, which has been the most productive in decades in securing victories for our nation's veterans. Republicans and Democrats in the House have worked together to pass more than 70 bills addressing the needs of our veterans, 26 of which have been signed into law by President Donald Trump. ...
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When our servicemembers wear the uniform, they make a commitment to serve our country. In return, our country makes a commitment to them: to take care of our heroes when they come home. This Congress has been the most productive in decades in delivering results for our veterans. We’ve sent bipartisan legislation to President Donald Trump’s desk that brings accountability to the Department of Veterans Affairs, increases transparency in the timeliness and quality of care, and streamlines the broke...
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As Israel continues to face threats from Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas and terrorist groups throughout the Middle East, U.S.-Israeli relations are as important as ever. The Hoosier state plays an integral role in this relationship and can serve as an example for the rest of the country. Indiana is one of three states that lead the National Guard's partnership in homeland defense cooperation with the Israeli Defense Force’s Home Front Command. The Indiana National Guard specializes in joint urban...
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Recent news surrounding a potential President Donald Trump-Kim Jong Un summit revives an alternating cycle of provocation and negotiation that started more than 30 years ago. It should encourage our policy, strategy and planning developers to shift into overdrive to address the complex problems we will face someday, possibly soon. However, the complexity of these problems has been overcome before by strong Hoosier leadership. Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar had the keen foresight to look over the horizo...
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Crafting U.S. policy toward China is one of the most complex challenges we face today. Strategic competition from China on the world stage is growing in every possible dimension -- diplomatic, political, informational, military, and economic. Particularly troubling is Beijing’s strong-armed approach favoring regional dominance over cooperative regional growth and security. This is evidenced by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s continued efforts to centralize political power at home, such as by abol...
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With a 17-year-low unemployment rate – 4.1 percent – and a spike in labor force participation, our country is currently experiencing its strongest growth since the end of the Great Recession. Tax reform and regulatory rollback have contributed to this progress, but even more can be done to ensure that our economy continues to prosper, including removing unnecessary barriers to growth. One action Congress can take to ensure this growth continues is to permanently repeal the harmful Waters of the ...
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In year one of the Trump administration, Congress worked with the White House to enact historic tax cuts and roll back burdensome regulations. The results speak for themselves. More than 4 million Americans have received special bonuses and 90 percent of American workers are seeing bigger paychecks since Congress passed tax cuts last December. Filings for unemployment benefits recently fell to the lowest level in almost five decades. Today our economy is on its strongest growth path in over a de...
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All across America, military families are making personal sacrifices to keep our country safe. As a veteran who served overseas and away from my family, I know the toll service takes on those who wear the uniform and their families. But military families should not have to sacrifice the quality of their children’s education to serve our country. Currently, more than half of military families live in states with no school choice options whatsoever. For these families, if a child is assigned to a ...
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As a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserves and the most recently deployed member of Congress, I know firsthand that serving in the armed forces requires tremendous sacrifice. As a husband and father of three young daughters, I know the decision to serve is never taken lightly. As Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley recently said, “We need to grow in order to meet the demands that the nation expects at the readiness levels it expects.” Military readiness includes recruiting and retaining the bes...
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America’s military must be ready to fight and win on every battlefield, in every domain, on every day. That daunting task is more challenging than ever. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis stated in the Summary of the 2018 National Defense Strategy that “free men and women in America’s military will fight with skill and valor to protect us.” As a nation, we must be equally willing to support our military with the resources necessary to be ready for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s uncertainties. The s...
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