Weekly Column
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.
Since I joined the U.S. House of Representatives in January, I've done my best to steer clear of the political circus we see on a daily basis in Washington. Instead I've worked successfully with my colleagues to pass legislation preventing child abuse and making it easier for Americans to save for school and retirement. I've been laser focused on passing the United States Mexico and Canada Trade Agreement, moving forward welfare reform, and implementing the 2018 Farm Bill.