I’ve long believed that leadership means more than talk; it means getting results. During my first year in office, we achieved many important victories to make our community stronger, and aim to continue that momentum in 2016.
On Feb. 2, the Obama administration announced its intentions to retire our entire A-10 Warthog fleet and half of all our EC-130H Compass Call aircraft. Both moves would significantly reduce missions at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and harm Southern Arizona families.
Drawing upon my experience as a former A-10 pilot and squadron commander, I successfully led efforts in the House to fully protect both these aircraft this year, including offering amendments to protect against back-door attempts to mothball either aircraft. As a result, both these planes will continue flying in 2016, making a difference on the battlefield.
In addition to legislation protecting our aircraft, in 2105, four of my bills passed the House, including one that has been signed into law: the Border Jobs for Veterans Act. This new law fast-tracks veterans for open jobs at our ports of entry, and at the time of its signing was just one of 52 substantive bills signed into law this year.
Related to expanding economic opportunity for our families, my advocacy this year led to the inclusion of four Southern Arizona infrastructure priorities in long-term transportation legislation, enabling them for federal funding. One of the projects, the Sonoran Corridor, is estimated to have a $32 billion annual impact on the regional economy and support as many as 189,000 jobs after construction.
In addition, a top issue on the minds of many Southern Arizonans I speak with is keeping our country and communities safe. The administration’s flawed strategy has failed to contain ISIS, which has shown a capability to export terror and its hateful ideology around the world.
I’ve been a leading voice for a stronger strategy to defeat ISIS and improve security at home. My colleagues and I investigated our security vulnerabilities for six months as part of a bipartisan task force focused on combating ISIS. We released a final report in September containing 32 key findings and more than 50 recommendations.
While the administration has been slow to act on these solutions to make our country safer, the House already has passed legislation with several of our recommendations, with plans for more legislative action in 2016.
I’ve also led efforts to secure our border. One of my first actions in Congress was to bring 20 members of Congress to the Arizona border to see and hear about what our residents live with every day. One of my bills to improve accountability of border projects passed the House in July.
In 2015, I held town halls with seniors across Southern Arizona, and have made fighting for their needs a top priority. I’ve introduced bipartisan legislation to prevent a tax hike on seniors contained in the Affordable Care Act and supported numerous bills to pass the House to strengthen Medicare and protect health-care plans our seniors cannot afford to lose.
Our community also includes more than 80,000 veterans. That’s why I’ve fought hard for better services for those who served our country, including leading calls on the VA that resulted in increased health-care access for rural veterans.
Other achievements this year include introducing legislation to help communities better identify and treat mental illness and a bill to stop the inhumane testing of cosmetics on animals. In 2016, we look to continue building upon efforts from this year to increase access and affordability of higher education as well as expanding equal opportunities for women.
My first 12 months focused on getting results and doing things that will help, not hurt, our residents. We’ve achieved a lot already, but I know we have much more to do. I’ll continue working hard every day to put the needs of Southern Arizona first and make a difference in our community.
