The
District
The
timeless
cliché,
“time
flies
when
you’re
having
fun”
certainly
applies
to
my
first
30
days
in
office.
Over
the
past
month,
I
have
spent
as
much
time
as
possible,
when
in
the
District,
meeting
with
many
of
you.
In
fact,
the
last
weekend
I
was
home I
had
24
community
events
in
4
days.
Here
are
a
few
of
the
highlights:
I
met
with
members
of
the
healthcare
community
including
representatives
of
various
area
health
systems.
We
discussed
long-term
care
and
the
future
of
Medicaid;
the
Accelerating
Care
for
Exceptional
(ACE)
Kids
Act
of
2015
and
Children’s
Health
Insurance
Program
(CHIP).
I
also
visited
with
the
staff
at
One
World
Community
Health
and
learned
about
their
services
and
commitment
to
providing
quality
community
healthcare.
Meeting
with
executives
at
Home
Instead,
I
learned
about
caring
for
our
elderly
at
home.
My
father-in-law
currently
resides
with
Angie
and
I
and
requires
assistance,
so
it
was
insightful
to
hear
how
we
can
enable
our
elderly
to
remain
in
their
homes.
Finally,
I
met
with
parents
of
children
with
juvenile
diabetes
and
learned
how
vital
research
is
to
their
healthcare.
Members
of
the
agricultural
industry
voiced
their
concerns
about
crop
insurance
under
the
Farm
Bill
while
others
explained
how
Affordable
Care
Act
(ACA)
has
increased
business
and
personal
costs
to
an
unsustainable
level. Agricultural
income
is
down
45
percent
from
three
years
ago.
Our
agricultural
industry
is
struggling
and
a
fiscally
responsible
Farm
Bill
is
a
must.
Our
farmers
are
the
best
in
the
world
and
due
to
their
great
work
and
efficiency,
we
spend
less
than
10
percent
of
our
income
on
food.
Healthcare
is
also
a
concern
of
small
businesses
here
in
Omaha.
Small
businesses
in
America
account
for
55
percent
of
all
jobs
and
many
of
them
have
been
forced
to
change
how
they
do
business
because
of
the
ACA.
I
met
with
small
business
owners
and
the
staff
of
the
Nebraska
Enterprise
Fund,
to
include
Yolanda
Diaz,
the
owner
of
the
2016
Nebraska
Small
Business
of
the
Year
Little
Miss
Fashion.
They
were
all
interested
in
plans
for
regulatory
relief,
tax
cuts
and
healthcare
reform.
I
also
spoke
with
members
of
the
community
who
are
concerned
about
future
immigration
policy.
One
young
man
I
spoke
with
lives
and
works
in
Omaha
under
the
Deferred
Action
for
Childhood
Arrivals
(DACA) after
being
brought
to
the
United
States
as
an
infant
from
Mexico
by
his
parents.
As
someone
who
spent
nearly
30
years
serving
our
country
in
the
Air
Force,
I
am
especially
concerned
with
the
quality
and
timeliness
of
care
our
veterans
are
receiving.
I
spent
time
with
the
Director
of
the
Veterans
Administration (VA)
Hospital
in
Omaha,
Don
Burman,
who
took
me
on
a
tour
of
the
facility.
We
also
discussed
the
new
VA
Hospital
that
will
start
construction
soon.
Additionally,
I
am
working
on
solutions
to
concerns
with
our
national
security
and
recently
attended
a
briefing
with
General
John
Hyten
and
his
staff
at
U.S.
Strategic
Command
Headquarters
regarding
their
top
priorities
and
requirements.
I
also
worry
about
the
readiness
capabilities
of
our
military.
Our
Vice
Chiefs
have
called
our
military
a
hollowed
force.
This
is
unacceptable.
As
of
now,
56
percent
of
our
aircraft
are
not
capable
of
flight,
and
only
3
of
the
58
Army
Combat
Brigades
can
be
deployed.
Readiness
is
a
deterrent,
and
will
be
a
key
focus
of
mine
while
in
Congress.
Finally,
I
was
able
to
spend
time
learning
more
about
the
many
cultures
within
our
community,
including
a
celebration
of
the
Vietnamese
and
Chinese
New
Years. I
also
had
the
pleasure
to
honor
Dr.
Carol
Mitchell
at
Morning
Star
Baptist
Church
and
present
her
with
an
Official
Record
of
the
speech
I
gave
recently
on
the
House
Floor
recognizing
her
for
African-American
History
Month.
Dr.
Mitchell
has
been
a
tremendous
influence
in
the
lives
of
thousands
of
students
and
teachers,
specifically
in
the
area
of
science.
She
is
a
true
hero
in
our
community.
I
look
forward
to
the
many
community
meetings
and
events
scheduled
in
the
coming
weeks
to
hear
more
insights
from
the
constituents
of
the
Second
Congressional
District. |