North Alabama has been essential to every major American victory in the 20th Century, and we are once again poised to deliver for the 21st. There would not have been enough munitions for the Great War without the nitrate plants in Muscle Shoals. There would not have been sufficient electricity for Oak Ridge to make […]

On May 3, 2018, I stood in a warehouse at Tombigbee Electric Cooperative in Hamilton, Alabama, alongside Governor Kay Ivey and then–Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, to announce to Alabama and the rest of America the creation of the USDA’s ReConnect Program. That day marked the start of a new chapter in connecting rural America […]

Earlier this year, during the International Space Station Research & Development Conference in Washington, I had the great opportunity to unveil my space vision for the rest of the 21st century. Outlining the five pillars of American space power: Leadership – U.S. leadership and international rule building in space Permanence – The strong permanent U.S. […]

Back in 2018, while I was serving as the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, I oversaw the creation of the USDA’s Rural Broadband Reconnect Program. The goal of this program was to do the same thing for internet connectivity that the rural electrification program did for electricity almost 100 years ago. The […]

On May 4, I spoke at the Huntsville Madison County Chamber of Commerce on the challenges our nation is facing on multiple fronts from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. I’ve coined them the Four Horsemen of Darkness. I spoke in Huntsville for the simple reason that since the end of World War II, almost […]

From the southern border to our backyards, fentanyl and methamphetamine are pouring into the United States in record amounts. These lethal drugs will eventually end up in the hands of American citizens, ruining lives, and shattering families. Fake prescription pills commonly bought and sold illegally are the primary carriers for lethal doses of fentanyl crossing […]

At the anniversary of Joe Biden’s inauguration, we reflect on a year of unfulfilled promises, radical leftwing policies, out of control inflation, foreign policy failures and a nation divided even further by the hand of the president. One year ago, Biden stood on the steps of our Capitol and spoke the words “for without unity, […]

Veterans Day not only has strong support across Alabama, it actually has its roots here. The idea of a national holiday honoring all veterans, from both war and peacetime, has its origins here in our state. Back in 1945, Birmingham’s Raymond Weeks first proposed changing Armistice Day, which was at the time set aside to […]

When I was a teenager back in the 1980s, Alabama had a hit song called “40 Hour Week.” It was an anthem to the American work ethic. You still hear it played on country radio today. One of its great stanzas is: This is for the one who swings the hammer, Driving home the nail […]

Over the past few weeks, I have written about my role on the Appropriations Committee, covering two of the three subcommittees I serve on in Washington. First, I discussed defense and how important it is that we build up our armed forces for the future. Later, I talked about agriculture and rural development, which hits […]

The markup process for the 2022 federal budget is well underway, and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have been heavily involved in this process. A few weeks ago, I wrote about my position on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and my top priorities serving in that role. I had mentioned that I […]

Congress is currently in the middle of the markup process for the 2022 federal budget. As a member of the appropriations committee, I serve on the Defense and Agriculture subcommittees and I’m the ranking member of the Commerce, Justice, and Science committee. In the coming weeks, I want to discuss with you what I see […]

There are few things in everyday life that teach our kids life lessons better than sports. As they grow up and play for different teams they learn about commitment, hard work, how to win with grace, and how to pick yourself up and move on after a loss. These lessons stay with them forever, and […]

In President Biden’s first address to Congress Wednesday night, he talked about showing that American government can work. He believes that only government can lead the way and only government can solve our big problems. (A far cry from when President Reagan told us the truth, that government isn’t the answer to our problems, it […]

Fifty days ago, President Joe Biden declared in his inaugural address, “Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation.” Most Americans, myself included, listened to these first words of the new administration with hopeful ears. But as we have come to learn, […]

This Thanksgiving will be different from any other we have had in our lifetimes. This past year has been a struggle, as every single one of us has had their normal lives disrupted. Many of us have also lost friends and family as the coronavirus has swept through our communities. To say 2020 has been […]

All across the state, there are schools starting back up for the fall. As we are all eager to get our kids back to school, many parents and school officials are facing difficult decisions about whether to teach kids in person or move to an all-virtual or hybrid model. While this will present challenges for […]

Like most places today, the coronavirus is dominating a lot of the talk on Capitol Hill. As it has become clear that China’s efforts to contain the virus have failed, and there have now been deaths in the U.S., concern has grown about a possible outbreak here at home. We’ve seen that concern directly with […]

When I was growing up in Haleyville, I can remember people in July and August saying, “it’s hotter’n blue blazes outside.” Well, you could certainly describe America and Alabama’s current economic boom as being “hotter’n blue blazes.” Alabama’s economy is scorching hot, with the lowest unemployment numbers in our state’s history. One county economic development […]

Our beliefs, our ideals, and our very way of being are almost entirely rooted in the way we were raised. The values that are instilled in us by our parents as children, are in most cases the values we carry forth with us in our lives as adults. So if someone asks me why I’m […]

At the end of this month there will be an anniversary of a very important date in world history. It’s a date that is seldom noted and certainly not celebrated. In fact, it’s a date most would rather forget. On September 30, 1938 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed a deal with Adolph Hitler and […]