Opinion

Words: the foundation of language, simple letters strung together to form a word. Then words are used to create sentences, then paragraphs, and eventually complete stories shared between human beings.

Last month, we wrapped up budget hearings with our largest state agencies and commissions. Our appropriations subcommittees are now working to craft our proposed agency budgets to present to the full Appropriations Committee in the next six weeks.

Over three years of Biden Administration foreign policy has led to national security crisis after crisis. First, the Biden Administration has provided worse than absentee leadership on our immigration system and border security policy. They have actively exacerbated the problems, resulting in one of the worst humanitarian and national security crises seen at the southern border in U.S. history. The president’s lack of leadership on the world stage has also contributed to several global catastrophes, including in Afghanistan, Ukraine and maritime disruption and violence in the Middle East.

Valentine’s Day means something different for everyone. Many couples celebrate, and single people either avoid or treat the day like any other. It can be a particularly tough time for someone in early recovery from drug or alcohol addiction.

For many, Dry January is a commonplace post-holiday season, yet you can start anytime, even in February. The goal is to abstain from alcohol for a month, giving yourself a mental and physical reset.

Last week, both chambers of Congress passed, and the president signed into law, another continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government and avoid a partial government shutdown. While this is not where I hoped lawmakers would be at this point in the appropriations process, Congress’s annual process to fund government functions and agencies, it has unfortunately been significantly drawn out this past year because of compounding delays.

Ihad the honor of testifying recently before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security about how the nation’s border crisis is imperiling public safety in Oklahoma. The Biden Administration’s failure to secure our border is a threat to public safety in our state and throughout the country.

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Oklahoma, like other states, is experiencing workforce shortages in critical industries like transportation. This industry is tasked with planning and building Oklahoma’s roadways and bridges — a massive undertaking that requires a large, highly-trained workforce. While there are ample career opportunities, one of this industry’s main challenges is students and the public simply aren’t aware of them or what education and training is needed to pursue them.

We’ve been busy in recent weeks focusing on budget hearings in our various appropriations subcommittees. Our Health and Human Services subcommittee held two full days of meetings and met with our 13 agencies, commissions, and authorities. These include state entities like the Oklahoma Health Care Authority; the Department of Veterans Affairs; the Office of Disability Concerns; the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority; the Office of Juvenile Affairs; and the Departments of Human Services and Health.

Democrats and the left-leaning media has certainly tried to paint a pretty picture of an economy on the mend over the last several months. However, their misguided reporting could not be further from the truth, and everyday Americans certainly know inflation is eating away at their hard-earned money.