Weekly Column
It's been nearly a year since I packed a suitcase and flew to our nation's capital to be sworn in as South Dakota's lone representative. It was a proud moment for my family and me. I stood on the U.S. House floor, raised my right hand, and swore my oath to the U.S. Constitution alongside my three boys and better half. A few weeks later, I was appointed to a leadership position as a Subcommittee Ranking Member on the Agriculture Committee – it's been an honor helping to lead a committee that does such important work for South Dakota.
Dear Santa,
This year, we finalized a trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, gave our troops a pay raise, and in what can only be called a Christmas Miracle – Congress passed a budget. We got a lot done this year, but I wanted to make sure you got my Christmas list just in case there was a little more room in the sleigh.
All I want for Christmas is…
Eight days. That's how many working days the U.S. House of Representatives has left this year to pass major legislation.
Eight days to pass a budget and eight days to finalize the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA). For context, President Trump finalized the USMCA trade agreement with our allies on November 30, 2018 – a year ago.
Am I surprised it's taken over a year for Congress to act on a trade agreement that would add $68 billion to our nation's GDP and more than 176,000 jobs? I hate to admit it, but no.