We depend on our rivers and dams for energy, transportation, irrigation and recreation and I will continue this year to fight for what’s best for the Pacific Northwest.

No longer should we rely on oil from countries that are not necessarily friendly or democratic.

Maintaining healthy forests is essential to those who make a living from the land and for those of us who use them for recreational purposes.

People in Eastern Washington should be confident in knowing that the government will not come and seize their property or farm land. Legislation is needed to correct this decision and restore the principle of having limited government involvement.

The Pacific Northwest depends on inexpensive renewable energy from our dams.

My top three priorities for my first term in Congress are growing our economy; providing for quality, affordable health care; and keeping our nation and communities safe.

Yet since the 1950s, little has been done to prepare for our country’s current or future energy needs.

Today, over half of China’s undergraduate degrees are in math, science technology and engineering, yet only 16 percent of America’s undergraduates pursue these schools.

Private ownership of property is vital to both our freedom and our prosperity.

This year I hope to introduce legislation that would require Power Administrations to list direct and indirect costs associated with ESA compliance as a line item on customer’s power bills.

What has made America great have been the opportunities given to everyone in this country. Since our founding, individuals and families have come to America to seek freedom, opportunity and the choice for a better life.

Everywhere I travel throughout Eastern Washington, I hear from people demanding we do a better job of controlling our borders and reducing illegal immigration.

We depend on our rivers and dams for energy, transportation, irrigation and recreation and I will continue this year to fight for what’s best for the Pacific Northwest.

Providing tax relief and reducing regulations leads to job creation and new economic opportunities for our small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy.

Eastern Washington families and businesses should be able to deduct every penny of state and local sales tax they pay throughout the year from their federal tax bill, especially when people in most states are deducting their state income taxes.

Many defense experts have predicted that we face no greater threat from a single country than from Iran.

Math and science fields are not the only areas where we see the United States lagging behind. Less than 1 percent of American high school students study the critical foreign languages of Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Russian, combined.

It is not acceptable that we continue to see thousands of acres burn because of forest fires, because of poor management on our forests, big kill, and we have these catastrophic situations take place when we are not able to take action.

Eastern Washington has experienced a number of deadly forest fires this season, and it is crucial that we have bipartisan legislation that will expedite the research and restoration process.

We need to tap the resource of current and retiring science and math professionals that have both content mastery and the practical experience to serve as effective teachers.