From the moment we wake up in the morning until we go to sleep at night, the federal government under the Biden administration seeks to regulate every possible facet of our lives. The government wants to mandate that the light bulb we turn on when waking must be LED rather than incandescent. The government wants […]

While I spend much of my time meeting with constituents, working on legislation, and voting for you in Washington, my office and I are also here to serve you by working on your behalf with federal agencies. This is one of the most important parts of my job as your representative, and I have found […]

Under the 50-year guidance of Dr. David Bronner, The Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA) has grown its total assets to $40.3 Billion, as of the latest 2022 annual report, with the 2023 report due out soon.  Early on in his tenure, Dr. Bronner and his investment team were largely restricted by statute to investing in […]

We cut our Christmas tree today.  Denise, my bride of 41 years, and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Springfields’ Christmas Tree farm. Even when we lived in Atlanta, we always made the trip back to Springfield’s to cut our tree. I always let our two children ride in the back of my old […]

The assassination of John F. Kennedy happened 60 years ago this week. It occurred to me that a good many of you may be too young to remember that horribly sad day of Nov. 22, 1963. Anyone living on that day can tell you exactly where they were when President John F. Kennedy was shot […]

Saturday will be the 88th playing of the Auburn vs. Alabama football game. The stakes may not be as high this year with Alabama having already secured a berth in the conference title game and Auburn laying a foundation for the future. Regardless, there will absolutely be no shortage of passion for either team. This […]

As we give thanks for our many blessings this week, I am thinking of the 240 hostages taken by Hamas, and their families praying for them to be released. Those hostages include 33 children and at least nine Americans. The prospect of celebrating holidays without knowing if your loved one is safe is devastating, and […]

Is the economy booming?  Economist Alan Blinder recently argued that the economy is strong despite many Americans’ claims to be struggling.  Paul Krugman believes that claims of malaise reflect Republican hostility to President Biden, not reality. Do the numbers validate the lived experience of struggling Americans? Statistics, at best, reflect averages across the economy. Life […]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Thanksgiving is a special day when we get to come together to give thanks for all the good things in our lives. It’s a time to appreciate our families, friends, and the values that make our country great.  For me, I’m thankful to live in a country where the people control the government, […]

Over the years, many of you have lamented to me and said, “I am so tired of seeing all negative ads with candidates lambasting each other in political campaigns. Why don’t candidates say what they are going to do when they are elected, rather than bashing their opponent mercilessly?”    People also suggest that campaigns […]

One of my favorite things about Alabama’s First Congressional District is the opportunities and resources we have because of the Gulf of Mexico. So many of us from around the state (and plenty of neighboring states) have all enjoyed recreating in Alabama’s waters, and we all benefit from the commercial activity at the Port of […]

Folks don’t look now, but our 2024 election year is upon us.  Next year is a major year in politics nationwide.  Not only does the nation elect a president, most states also elect their governors and legislators for four year terms in presidential years. We, in Alabama, and in most southern states elect our governors […]

Tomorrow is November 11, the anniversary of the end of World War I. Today we know it as Veterans Day. Veterans Day is a time to honor everyone who has worn the uniform of the United States. Alabama is proud that the Veterans Day tradition started in Birmingham, in the aftermath of World War II when a […]

In 2022, when I held fifteen town halls across my district, I expected to hear about the cost of gas and groceries or our open southern border (and I certainly did!), but the number one concern I heard was the weaponization of our government against its own citizens.  This week, I held a telephone-town hall […]

Alabama’s forest products industry is growing. Our state boasts more than 23 million acres of  forests, which enables Alabamians to produce $12.5 billion in forest products every year. That makes forest products manufacturing one of the top industries in our state.   This industry has not only added jobs to Alabama’s workforce but has also provided […]

The latest batch of College Football Playoff rankings dropped on Tuesday night, and the top eight remained completely unchanged, with the Alabama Crimson Tide still coming in ranked 8th, even after the big win over the LSU Tigers this past weekend. ESPN’s Greg McElroy had some thoughts on the matter. With everyone ahead of Alabama […]

One hundred fifty years ago, the largest political corruption trial in history ended with the conviction of one William M. “Boss” Tweed, whose vice was so vast and comprehensive that no one is quite sure of how much money he actually stole. Estimates range on the low side of $50 million to the high side […]

One of the biggest reasons why I ran for Congress was so I could do more to help our veterans, reservists, and active duty service members. Veterans Day is a time to appreciate and honor the sacrifices made by those who have served our great nation and protected the freedoms and liberties that are the […]

The freedoms to speak and criticize public officials are crucial to ensuring that government serves the people. But must this include the freedom to propound evil, hateful beliefs?  Free speech has always faced criticism but has recently come under considerable scholarly attack. Let’s consider difficult cases for free speech absolutism, starting with the Nazis. Nazi […]

In recent years, healthcare has eclipsed agriculture as Dothan’s major industry. Dothan is the medical mecca for the entire Wiregrass, as well as rural northwest Florida and southwest Georgia. It has premier medical professionals only matched by Birmingham in the state of Alabama. Dothan doctors dominate the economy in the world’s largest peanut-producing locale. One […]

This week, a group of Senate Republicans challenged Coach Tuberville’s protest of President Biden’s Pentagon policy that forces taxpayers to fund abortion travel by demanding he end his hold on military promotions. Despite some of his own colleagues standing against him, Coach refuses to budge. And he is right to do so.  Before this year, […]

Despite a few weeks of turmoil in Washington, House Republicans are continuing to deliver results for the American people, just as we have done since taking the Majority back in January.  Under Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership, the first thing we did last week was pass a bipartisan resolution standing with Israel as it defends itself […]

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust case against Google over its dominance of online search is unfolding. This marks the first tech industry antitrust trial since Microsoft a quarter century ago. Does Google unfairly dominate online search? With a market share of between 86% and 96%, Google is certainly dominant. Microsoft’s Bing is a […]

In the past two to three years we have had some very generous benefactors make some very magnanimous contributions to their university alma maters in Alabama. One of those philanthropist is Alabama businessman Jim Kennemer. Thanks to a $2 million gift from Kennemer, the University of Alabama funded the James C. Kennemer Center for Innovation […]