Tri-City Ledger -

“We will never accept political gridlock as our fate.” 2020 Democratic Party Platform Last Saturday the House of Representatives met to pass a bill blocking the reform of our troubled Postal Service, reform which is desperately needed for a...

Apparently, I and the rest of the House of Representatives are being called back to Washington for a series of votes this Saturday. Has Speaker Pelosi finally reached an agreement with President Trump and Senator McConnell on the next phase of...

On August 18, the U.S. will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to our Constitution which guaranteed women’s right to vote. The women’s suffrage movement in our country began in the 1840s as women...

Last week I had a virtual conference with the leaders of the local school systems in our district. Starting a new school year is a difficult task in the best of times. Doing so in the middle of a pandemic with the disease spreading as it is now...

The day I was sworn into Congress, a man I had never met before but had heard a lot about and admired approached me to introduce himself and welcome me to the House. His name was John Lewis. He told me he was born and raised in Troy, Alabama, and...

When the House returns to business next Monday, we will take up the National Defense Authorization Act I wrote about last week. Then we will take up appropriations bills for next fiscal year, which begins October 1, and likely another Coronavirus...

Last week, the House Armed Services Committee, which I’m proud to be a member of, passed and sent to the full House the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. This is the 60th year in a row that we...

This weekend America will celebrate its 244th birthday. Unfortunately, we do so in a time of a pandemic, a struggling economy, and violent protests. But, it’s still our birthday and we should both commemorate and celebrate it. We usually do a good...

Our brilliant Founders built our democracy upon two different but complimentary pillars. The first and more obvious pillar is our constitutional system itself, what the writers of the Federalist Papers called the “new science of politics.” Our re...

These last few weeks have riveted the country’s attention on police brutality. The murder of George Floyd was an atrocity, and unfortunately it’s not the first one. As we have so often in our history, it’s time for America to respond with...

First it was the public health experts whose projections were wrong about COVID-19. They predicted far more spread of the disease, and death from it, than we have actually experienced. They also predicted that those states which opened up before...

I was a young teenager in the late 1960s, but I remember the riots and violence that occurred around the country, and especially in the large cities. I was concerned that we were headed down that road again with racial violence around the country in...

This year, during the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Memorial Day provided an even more unique opportunity to reflect upon what makes our nation great and the shared values we hold as a people. Though our celebrations may have been scaled down,...

Last Friday the House of Representatives took a truly unprecedented step. The Democrat majority voted to change our rules and allow members to vote online in committee action on bills, and to vote by proxy on passage of bills and resolutions....

Last week Governor Ivey issued orders allowing Alabama’s restaurants, hair salons, barbers, and other personal service businesses to reopen Monday under social distancing guidelines. This is an important step towards safely reopening our state’s...

Closing down the American economy has a real and enormous effect on the lives of countless Americans. Layoffs and job losses are devastating for individuals, families, and communities. In good times, it generally takes three to six months for...

Alabama reached and passed the peak of COVID-19 new cases during the week of April 12. As I have written previously, this doesn’t mean we haven’t seen new cases since then because we have. Nor does it mean we won’t see new cases in the future...

Passover and Easter came and went with all of us still in extreme social distancing. There were online Seders. Many of us missed being in church on Easter Day for the first time in our lives. Easter egg hunts and parties were cancelled, and parents...

Like many of you I “attended” Palm Sunday worship online. It was strange not to be there at St. James Fairhope physically for the Liturgy of the Palms to gather outside for prayers and walk into the church together with our palms singing “All G...

In Genesis 2, God says “It is not good that the man should be alone.” He made us for Himself, but he also made us for one another. Separation is painful for us all. This fight against the coronavirus called COVID-19 is hard. We are forced to...

As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to change the way we live our daily lives, its important to take note of the ways this challenging time has brought our communities together. It has been reassuring to see stories of neighbors helping neighbors...

I wanted to update you on the latest COVID-19 coronavirus developments. While the situation remains serious, the risk to most Americans remains low. It is important that we stay calm and do not panic unnecessarily. The federal government continues it...

Although the COVID-19 coronavirus is dominating the news, it’s important to know the facts about the virus and the ongoing work to prevent its spread. I’d also like to dispel some misinformation regarding your government’s actions to fight it....

I can think of no fight more noble or important than defending unborn children. The Scriptures make clear that God makes every person in his image, so this issue is very near to my heart. I am proud to be a leader in the fight to end abortion. With...

The Second Amendment is under attack like never before in our nation’s history, but I am leading the fight to preserve your constitutional rights. Last year, just weeks after taking power, House Democrats passed a bill to limit the constitutional...