This week, the American people chose to return Donald Trump to the White House while also electing a Republican majority to the Senate, and likely the House as well. Investors also received good news this week as the stock market had its best one-week rally in a year. Corn and soybean prices ended the week higher than they began, and multiple indexes surpassed record highs. This positive trend is not coincidental. The last Trump administration brought tax relief, regulatory relief, and an overall positive environment for job creation and investment. I look forward to working with President Trump and my colleagues in the House to do it again.
While the inflation which was the hallmark of much of the Biden-Harris administration may have slowed, prices haven’t gone down, and families are still plagued by high prices. A major driver of that inflation was tax and spending policies which disconnect government benefits from work, especially expanding the child tax credit into a mandatory spending program which sent families monthly checks regardless of whether then needed them or wanted them. To drive prices down and affordability up, we must start with reining in overspending and getting discouraged workers off the sidelines and into good-paying jobs.
Economic policy is just the beginning of fulfilling the mandate the American people have given Washington to correct course. During both the lame duck period and in the next Congress, we can and will stand up for American innovation, unleash prosperity, and advance policies which empower our hardworking farmers and ranchers.
The American people have sent a clear message about how we must secure our borders, support our allies abroad, and promote regional security by strengthening our national defense and enhancing economic bonds. Supporting our allies such as Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan means we must stand up to rather than vainly attempting to appease aggressors.
The need for the U.S. to maintain a strong position grows increasingly important each day as China, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Iran, and various terrorist proxies in the Middle East have been emboldened by weakness displayed by the outgoing administration. According to General Kevin Schneider, the commander of U.S. Air Forces in the Indo-Pacific Command, during the last five months the Chinese military has sent 300 percent more flights into airspace around Taiwan to intimidate the government and threaten civilians than it did during the same months in 2023.
During this time of global unrest, we need to be nearshoring and friendshoring our supply chains while bolstering our trade relationships. We can achieve this by strengthening existing trade agreements, investing in new partnerships, and ensuring our industries can remain competitive on the global stage through rules-based and science-driven trade. With the six-year review of USMCA coming in 2026, it is essential we hold close partners like Mexico and Canada accountable to set an emphatic tone for our trade relationships globally.
It is past time for Congress to reassert its authority on trade. This is why I have introduced legislation which would renew crucial trade programs such as like the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which helps grow developing economies through trade when they treat U.S. products and IP fairly in return, and the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), which ensures U.S. manufacturers have access to foreign manufacturing components which aren’t available domestically. These programs have historically enjoyed bipartisan support. Likewise, I continue to advocate for a Farm Bill reauthorization which includes robust support for trade promotion programs alongside programs like crop insurance which give domestic producers needed certainty. Creating strong demand for American agricultural products through new market access and science-based standards is critical for our agriculture producers in the long term.
With the prospect of unified control of the House, Senate, and the White House, Republicans are ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work on behalf of the American people. We must restore and preserve the gains of pro-growth policies such as those the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We must also put a stop to irresponsible fiscal policies and overspending such as Inflation Reduction Act handouts and President Biden’s student loan transfer schemes.
The American people want to see commonsense policy solutions to overcome the serious challenges our country faces. Standing in the way of this is the severity of political polarization and the lack of civil discourse, one of the biggest concerns I hear from Nebraskans, and particularly young people. To accomplish the task, we have to come together, focus on what unifies us, and concentrate on bettering the lives of the American people and our children. I am ready to get to work.