For this Sunnyside farmer, there's no place like home

A few weeks ago, I was speaking with former Defense Secretary General James Mattis about some of the lessons he’s learned over the years. One of his biggest takeaways? How incredible of a community Central Washington is, and that sometimes it takes leaving to know what you have.

As I breathe in the clean, crisp air in Sunnyside this winter morning, I couldn’t agree more.

Central Washington truly has it all, from majestic rivers that we’ve harnessed to power our homes to gorgeous national forests and public lands. In our communities, people know and care for one another. We have world-class scientists and innovative farmers living next door to each other, working to bring more prosperity to their communities and our environment.

That’s what I fight for in Congress every day: the values and beliefs of Central Washington’s men and women. And this year, I have secured major successes for Central Washington.

Most notably, my legislation, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, passed the House earlier this year to address the agriculture labor shortage we’ve been experiencing for many years by ensuring Central Washington growers have a legal and reliable workforce to produce our high-quality food and fiber. Additionally, the 2020 WHIP+ Reauthorization Act, which I introduced earlier this year, was signed into law and will help fortify our food supply by enabling our farmers to recover from the catastrophic wildfires and intense drought we’ve experienced.

I also introduced some key pieces of legislation to help our producers become more resilient and protect our resources. The Conservation and Innovative Climate Partnership Act of 2021 seeks to connect land-grant institutions like Washington State University with local farmers to boost conservation and innovative climate practices, protecting our environment while benefiting our producers. I also introduced an amendment to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing agricultural land in the United States, which received unanimous support from the Appropriations Committee. Ensuring our adversary does not get a hold over our food supply chain is imperative for protecting our own domestic production.

After meeting with law enforcement officers and community leaders, it’s become clear that in Central Washington, we understand how important law and order is to the safety of our communities. That’s why I cosponsored the Back the Blue Act, to protect our public safety officers by establishing new criminal offenses for killing, assaulting, and fleeing to avoid prosecution for killing a judge, law enforcement officer, or public safety officer. This legislation also expands grant opportunities to be used to build trust and improve relationships between law enforcement and their communities for men and women who don’t live in communities as supportive as ours.

I introduced the Violence Against Women Extension Act of 2021 to reauthorize Department of Justice programs that combat violence against women. I also introduced the Second Amendment is Essential Act of 2021 to categorize the firearms industry as a critical infrastructure sector and those it employs as critical infrastructure workers so that, even in times of national disaster, our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms remains intact.

As we continue working to rebuild from the devastation the pandemic wreaked on our economy, I’m proud to have worked to combat some of the trillion-dollar spending packages that are hurting our economy. I introduced the National Signing Bonus Act of 2021 to convert existing pandemic unemployment benefits into limited time signing bonuses for new hires, to incentivize going back to work and helping our small businesses recover. I’ve also proposed a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States to ensure we rein in federal spending and utilize taxpayer dollars in a prudent and responsible manner. Finally, I’ve backed the Death Tax Repeal Act to repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes and protect our small family farms and way of life in Central Washington.

I’m also pleased to report that this year alone, my office has returned over $250,000 to the people of Central Washington and closed over 700 constituent cases with federal agencies. We’ve hosted job fairs, service fairs, and telephone town halls. We’ve honored our veterans, spoken to our producers and scientists, and listened to the concerns of the community. To Central Washington, know that I’m listening – and I look forward to continuing to serve you in the coming year.

So, thank you, Central Washington, for helping to reinforce every day why I ran for Congress and what it is I hope to achieve for our home. As this year comes to a close, my prayer is that each of us finds peace and joy during this holiday season. I wish you and your loved ones a safe, blessed, and very Merry Christmas.