I grew up in the White Mountains, so I know the challenges that rural communities face. We have to cope with devastating drought and crumbling infrastructure, and we’ve been unable to fully take advantage of the technologies that have powered a new economy and different businesses.  But we never stop fighting, and I am determined to lift the federal burdens off of our communities and get folks the resources they need to get themselves back on their feet.

Our rural communities have serious challenges to address. We have to work together and reach across party lines to address our water needs and preserve this precious resource. We must also develop our critical infrastructure to help us create jobs and get folks back to work now and to help us grow our economy in the future. Finally, folks throughout my district do not have all the security and technologies of the 21st century available to them, like access to the Internet and 9-1-1 services, and we must expand our telecommunications networks to guarantee these core services.

I am determined to make up for Washington policies that have failed rural communities. I introduced the Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act to make sure that Veterans living in rural areas could access high quality health care options. I also introduced a bill to close the black liquor tax loophole to save taxpayer money and protect jobs in rural areas, along with legislation to help firefighters in small towns get the resources they need to keep us safe.