Recommitting to Conservative Priorities in a New Congress
A new year brings a valuable chance to reflect on the accomplishments of the previous year and prepare for the opportunities ahead in the next. This week, it was especially meaningful to have my two young children with me as I was sworn in to serve Nebraska’s Third District as a member of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. Today, I am more committed than ever to securing a prosperous future for the next generation of Americans, one built on the foundation laid by our Constitution and those who have fought to defend it.
In January 2023, to begin the 118th Congress, the first bill passed by the House was my legislation to defund the Democrats’ attempt to supersize the IRS by pouring $80 billion into the agency and hiring 87,000 new IRS enforcement agents. Since then, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has reported the IRS has struggled to find new hires, targeted middle-class families with the majority of new audits, and neglected to update its own antiquated technology. While the Senate and the Biden-Harris administration failed to take up my bill after it was passed by the House, I have fought hard to successfully reclaim much of these taxpayer funds as part of several funding bills, and the first bill I introduced this week in the new 119th Congress is a bill to finish the job.
Looking back on last year, legislation I introduced in the previous Congress to safeguard American agriculture passed both houses of Congress and was recently signed into law by the president. The Beagle Brigade Act permanently authorizes the program which trains detector dogs to sniff out prohibited agricultural items which could carry foreign plant or animal pests and diseases into our country. Our farmers and ranchers tirelessly safeguard their stock from contaminants, and this new law augments Customs and Border Patrol efforts to identify and stop foreign pests and diseases from entering our food supply chain.
Another bipartisan bill of mine to streamline how employers report their employees’ health insurance coverage for tax purposes became law after President Biden signed it on December 23, 2024. In a rapidly changing economy, employers need certainty to navigate the evolving needs of the workforce, and thanks to this bill, employers will now be able to electronically file certain documents related to employees’ health coverage if employees agree to allow it. I am also proud to say my bill with Senator Fischer to transfer reservoir land in Hitchcock and Frontier Counties to local control was enacted on the same day.
I also worked with Sen. Ricketts and the entire Nebraska congressional delegation to memorialize the public service and contributions of Third District Nebraskans through legislation to rename the post office in Lexington after former Representative Bill Barrett and his wife Elsie, and the federal building in North Platte after former Representative Virginia Smith. Although President Biden has not yet signed these bills, I am hopeful that he will sign them in the near future.
At the start of a new year and a new Congress, we have the chance to deliver the commonsense policies needed to get our country back on track. Small businesses and families are hurting. American producers are falling behind in the global marketplace. We face severe challenges, and we need a leader who can find a way to move forward.
We must unite and capitalize on this historic momentum to secure our borders, ensure the safety of the American people, strengthen families, and kick-start economic growth. We must make permanent the 2017 tax cuts for families and small businesses, level the playing field in trade for American producers and consumers, and rein-in overspending and overregulation.
Speaker Mike Johnson has worked tirelessly to unite the Republican Conference and ensure we hit the ground running in 2025. His conservative principles and determination have rightfully earned the confidence and support of a majority of my House colleagues, and I am ready to get to work alongside him to advance the priorities of President Trump on behalf of the American people.