Every year, I am honored to have the privilege of nominating outstanding young men and women from southern Missouri for appointment to our nation’s finest service academies. In the spring, I am overcome with emotion when calling many of the same students to tell them they have been admitted to one of our nation’s prestigious service academies.  

 

Earlier this spring I traveled to West Point and had the opportunity to visit with the cadets I have nominated in recent years and as well as other cadets from Missouri. We had lunch together and they told me about their academy experience and what they were looking forward to doing next – serving their country. Lucas Manion from Park Hills, Taylor Brooks from Dora, Garrett Manley from Marston, Malachi Leece from Webb City, Chris Radford from Bourbon, Parker Petersen from Kirksville and Kalen Kahn from Bonne Terre, while unique and inspirational each in their own way, together they represent the same shared vision of service before self, emboldened by the motto which unites them, “This We’ll Defend.” While getting one of the best educations in the world, these young men will have the honor of serving the best country in the world. Their dedication to America is inspiring and one of the many reasons they have been appointed to such prestigious schools.

 

I also had the opportunity to pause and remember Tom Surdyke, a brave Missourian and West Point cadet I had the privilege of nominating in 2015. Tom selflessly sacrificed his own life to save the life of a drowning civilian while on a vacation with friends just before the start of his sophomore year at West Point. He embodied service and put others before himself even in his last moments on earth. 

 

By air, land and sea, the U.S. Armed Services have defended America’s freedoms and fought bravely for our rights as an independent nation. Our service academies set demanding academic and physical standards that ensure the continuity of our troops and produce exceptional officers to lead our military. 

 

Most recently, I had the privilege of congratulating a new class of four Missourians on their appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy.

 

Jonathan “J.T.” Meinke from Jackson received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was honored during a ceremony at Jackson High School this week. And John “J.P.” Schuchardt from Cape Girardeau, who will attend the U.S. Naval Academy this Fall, was recognized during a ceremony at my office in Cape Girardeau. I also want to congratulate Wyatt Murphy from Poplar Bluff and Christopher Steward from Campbell who have both accepted their appointments to the U.S. Air Force Academy. 

 

Only the most outstanding and dedicated young men and women are admitted to these institutions. These young adults have proved their leadership abilities and academic prowess at home and earned a spot to study and serve with the brightest at our nation’s service academies. They are now standing out as leaders among their peers at West Point, the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy.

 

I’m so proud of each and every one of Missouri’s service academy appointees. As you say a prayer for our Missouri cadets and all those from Missouri serving in the Armed Forces, know their futures are bright. Be proud that these talented young men and women will continue to excel in their military careers and that they are leading in the fight to keep our country safe and secure.  

 

As a fourth-generation family farm owner, I know just how important agricultural operations are to Missouri’s economy and our rural communities. Missouri farmers are some of the hardest working people around, and it's a privilege to represent them in the United States Congress. Whether you grow corn or cotton, raise cattle or pigs or run one of the many other ag operations across our great state, your hard work not only feeds and clothes Americans, but millions of other families around the world. This week, through National Agriculture Week, we recognize the dedication, strength and perseverance of the American farmer. 

 

In the summer of 2016, when visiting the countless farm operations which call southern Missouri home, the number one concern I heard from folks was about how the aggressive regulatory agenda from the Obama Administration was hurting the ability to farm one’s land, to provide for their family and to continue family operations which had been in practice for generations. Whether it be trying to prevent their own kids from working on their farm, keeping farm equipment off of rural roads, trying to regulate every bucket of water on a farm or treating spilled cow’s milk like the ’89 Exxon Valdez accident – Missouri farmers were being crushed under a regulatory agenda which severely tied their hands and hampered their ability to operate.

 

Before he was even inaugurated, President Trump and his team took an interest in hearing how they could provide regulatory relief to rural America. I sat down with his team and explained the regulations that were most harming Missouri farming operations. Within his first months of office President Trump repealed many of those regulations and has continued to remove more each and every day. As a matter of fact, he has removed over 1000 regulations, saving our economy over $8 billion in regulatory costs. Missouri farmers deserve to work day in and day out on their land, not worrying about some regulation written by an out of touch Washington bureaucrat who has never set foot in our home state or on a farm.

 

But more than just regulations, many of our farmers are faced with some of the highest tax burdens found anywhere in the world. Last year, I traveled with the President twice to Missouri to talk about how we could deliver real tax cuts and real tax relief to the thousands of Missouri farm families who make a living off the land. I talked to the President about how our farmers needed expensing relief to know they could deduct that next piece of equipment right away, how we needed to make sure our farmers could continue to use a cash basis accounting and how the unfair death tax was punishing farming families who were simply trying to keep their operation going from one generation to the next. We talked about how we needed to lower rates on farmers and simplify the filing process so they could spend more time in their fields and with their families than worry about calculating every receipt. After making frequent trips to the White House, going to hundreds of meetings with my colleagues on the tax-writing committee and making countless late night phone calls to get the President’s opinion on the tax cuts bill, we were able to deliver real tax relief to Missouri families and farmers with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law last December.

 

By reducing regulations, cutting taxes, and creating a fair playing field for farmers, we’ve made it possible for rural America to come roaring back to life. For only the second time in the last century, the number of farmers under 35 has actually gone up and in 2017, rural job creation accounted for a larger share of overall job creation than ever before. With the President’s leadership, we have been able to deliver tax cuts for American farmers, put more money back in Missourians pockets, reduce federal regulations, drive down energy prices and grow the economy to bring jobs back to rural America.

 

During National Agriculture Week, and every other week of the year, it is a real privilege for me to support Missouri’s biggest industry and serve as their voice in Congress. As we continue to work on behalf of rural America, I know we can deliver on even more policy wins for the hardest working folks in America, our farmers, and make it easier for them to do what they do best… feed and clothe the world.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement today after his trip to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he spent the Easter weekend with Airmen from the 442nd Fighter Wing deployed out of Whiteman Air Force Base.

“I could not be more proud of the Airmen from Whiteman Air Force Base who are putting their lives on the line and sacrificing time with their families to keep our country safe,” said Blunt. “The Airmen who are deployed to Afghanistan with the 442nd are playing a pivotal role in the fight against the Taliban. I’m grateful for their service, and for all of our military men and women who are carrying out dangerous and difficult missions across the globe.”

The U.S. Air Force deployed the A-10 Thunderbolt jets to Afghanistan in January to provide close air support and precision strike capacity for a variety of efforts, including counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism efforts against the Taliban.

Last month, Blunt announced that funding for A-10 wing replacement was included in the recently-enacted government funding bill for this year. Blunt previously traveled to Estonia in September 2015 when the A-10s were deployed in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

 

During holy week, beyond decorating and hiding eggs and spending time with our family, we celebrate Jesus’ life, death and most importantly His resurrection. As I reflect on the importance of Easter, I think about how new beginnings have benefited us all. While the Friday of the crucifixion brought grief and loss to Jesus’ loved ones, Sunday brought joy when they found that the tomb was empty and Jesus had risen. His death felt like an end, but truly, it was the beginning of eternal life.  

 

Growing up as the son of a preacher, we learned the details and importance of Easter early on. From betrayal to faith, Easter serves as a reminder that we have a God who has defeated the grave and in that, we have the strength to stand by our faith and live a life that glorifies Him.

 

In recent years, we have seen Washington bureaucrats often test our faith by denying Christians of their rights as government mandates found themselves at odds with the closely held religious beliefs of millions of Americans. Under Obamacare, employers were forced to provide health insurance that covers services and medications that violate their religious beliefs. The same law attempted to require certain religious groups who had historically opted out of health insurance to, for the first time ever, purchase government coverage or risk a fine. Government’s failure to understand that millions of American’s answer to someone higher than a federal bureaucrat has even played out right here in Missouri’s Eighth Congressional District. The National Park Service wanted to require a permit and a 48-hour notice before baptisms could occur within the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. While we were successful in reversing that decision, we must always be mindful of a government capable of infringing upon the beliefs you and I hold dear.

 

I was fortunate enough to travel to the Holy Land a few years ago. I was without words walking down the same streets I grew up reading about in the Bible, seeing the birthplace of Jesus Christ and witnessing baptisms in the Jordan River. My visit to Israel deepened my faith and strengthened my resolve to stand up for Christian values each and every day. Furthermore, it solidified in my heart our continued need to protect our greatest ally in the word, Israel - a place which holds relics for the Christian and Jewish faiths alike. Beyond serving as an example for democracy, rule of law and equal treatment of all people in one of the most volatile regions in the world, the direct roots, origins, and holy sites of many faiths are honored and celebrated around Israel. It is high time we show our allies like Israel that we stand with and support them and it is why I applauded President Trump’s announcement late last year to follow through on a 22 year old commitment to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

 

Even in the face of adversity, we must stand up for what’s right. As a Christian and as a Member of Congress, I’ve had the honor of standing up for our faith and taking action to protect religious rights. Whether that’s voting to defund taxpayer abortions, stopping Obamacare from violating American’s religious beliefs or standing up to the National Park Service’s attempts to require permits for baptisms on public water, I am proud to use my vote and my voice in Congress to protect the rights of the faithful worldwide.

Signaling that the priorities and values of the Midwest no longer take a back seat to those of the coastal elite, for the third time in less than eight months, this week President Trump once again visited our great state.

 

Last August, I joined our President in Springfield to officially kick off our push for comprehensive tax reform to reduce the tax burden on American businesses, farmers, families and workers. Three months later, I once again joined the President in St. Charles as we continued to push for historic tax reform to benefit our economy. Less than one month later the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was officially signed into law. 

 

This week, the President returned to the heartland to meet with Missourians from all across the state who were benefiting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Dave Johnson from Mid-Am Metal Forming shared that in addition to giving out bonuses to employees, they were now hiring at all facilities across our state. Kevin Baker from Great Southern Bank shared that the bonuses they distributed were used for everything from much needed repairs to long overdue family vacations. And from College of the Ozarks, employees described how their tax cuts bonuses helped them pay medical bills and save for retirement. Dr. Jerry Davis, College of the Ozarks President, made sure to let President Trump know that unlike what Nancy Pelosi thinks, the tax cut bonuses were not just “crumbs” for folks in Missouri.

 

These stories are just some of the many I’ve heard about how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is helping Missourians. Whether it was meeting the folks at the AT&T Call Center in Cape Girardeau who were using their new tax cut bonuses to buy a washing machine for their family or the individual at the Bank of Advance in Dexter who told me they were using their bonus to pay for their daughter’s college education expenses – these great stories are repeating themselves all across Missouri and all across the country. I started this week at Lowe’s in Rolla where I got to meet employees who received bonuses, new benefits and higher wages as a result of our tax cuts legislation. It’s incredible to watch a piece of legislation that was signed into law just a few months ago already having such a noticeable impact.  More than 4 million Americans have received bonuses, wage hikes or new benefits since the passage of this relief while American employers are no longer looking abroad to locate, but are investing hundreds of millions of dollars right here in the U.S. to grow their workforce and expand operations. In addition, numerous utility companies have used the new tax law to reduce rates and bring down the cost of the monthly home heating bills their customers are paying. 

 

Hearing these stories makes me even prouder of all the hard work and long nights we spent writing and passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I am truly honored to have played a role in putting more money in Missourians’ pockets. Over the past year as I’ve worked with President Trump and his Administration, I’ve seen how the President operates. He listens to multiple points of view, takes in all of the information, puts thought into what needs to be done and decisively takes action. But our work on tax cuts isn’t finished. 

 

Several weeks ago, the President shared with me what he again said publically during the roundtable in St. Louis, that he is now ready to look at “phase two” of tax cuts for hard working Americans. The impact of our tax cuts legislation so far has been incredibly successful, but there is more we can do to help working families, provide greater relief to our farmers and further incentivize employers large and small to want to invest here in the U.S. We are the greatest nation on earth with the greatest workforce on earth. You will find no more disciplined, hardworking, and family oriented employee than right here in southern Missouri - I know that, and with his third visit in such a short period, our President knows that. I look forward to continuing to work with our President to reverse the policies of the previous Administration which sought to punish the American worker, rather than reward them for years of dedication and hard work.