The president has signed into law the Senate-amended reconciliation bill to deliver on many priorities that Western North Carolinians have demanded – tax relief for middle- and working- class Americans, unleashing American energy, strengthening our national security, and_(59).png "Facebook_Posts_(2025)_(59).png")
securing our borders. It takes bold steps to reduce the tax burden for most senior citizens with an additional $6,000 tax deduction.
By voting for this bill, I voted YES for no taxes on overtime pay or tips for hard-working Western North Carolinians. I voted YES to support 40 million American families with the permanent inclusion of the Child Tax Credits. I voted YES to strengthen our national security by investing in border security and ensuring we have the most powerful military in the world.
This bill is for and about working-class Americans and senior citizens. It delivers the largest tax cuts for the middle- and working-class Americans in our country’s history. This bill moves our fiscal trajectory on sounder footing with $1.6 trillion in much-needed government spending cuts. Our district needs pro-growth policies and our citizens need this tax relief.
My support for this bill is motivated by my desire to make life better for folks in our district. Western North Carolina can’t succeed if we aren’t succeeding as a country, and this bill will put our nation back on a path of strength and prosperity. It’s not attacking low-income families – it’s delivering bigger pay checks and increasing take-home pay for working families.
THE TRUTH ABOUT MEDICAID CHANGES IN H.R. 1
Over the past few weeks, the media and political operatives have distorted and falsely fearmongered the changes we made to preserve and strengthen Medicaid.
H.R. 1 does not cut Medicaid – it reinforces it to restore its original intent: to serve children, individuals with disabilities, low-income seniors, and other vulnerable populations. The bill addresses much of the waste, fraud, and abuse that has caused costs to balloon out of control by 60% over the past five years. The changes address two main topics: reimbursement to hospitals and populations that should not be covered.
First, let’s address the issue of rural hospitals since WNC depends on rural providers. States have been gaming the Medicaid system by allowing medical providers to artificially inflate their reimbursement by imposing an unwarranted special cost they like to call a “provider tax.” Opponents like to argue that this will cause rural hospitals to close. At the same time, many of our rural hospitals are indeed struggling because a disproportionate share of their patients receive Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements. Rural hospitals only receive about 7% of this money laundering scheme. The balance goes to larger hospitals with more favorable payer mixes.
H.R. 1 creates a $50 billion fund to help support our rural hospitals. More importantly, it provides for an eight-year phase-in period to allow Congress to monitor the actual effect of the changes and work with rural hospitals to adjust as necessary.
Now, let’s look at the covered Medicaid population. Political rhetoric would have you believe that millions of people would have their health care “stripped away.” That’s just not true. This bill does nothing to affect the qualification of anyone receiving Medicaid unless they can work and choose not to, are in the country illegally, or obtained Medicaid through fraudulent means. It does nothing to change anyone’s qualification based on their income or health condition.
Instead of cutting Medicaid, this bill adds $200 billion to improve services to those who need and deserve them, and it seeks to add fiscal responsibility that has been ignored for years and puts the programs at risk. This solution provides a tailored approach rather than increasing general Medicaid spending and will improve and protect the care of those who need it most.
READ: Scott Bessent Schools CNN On What’s Happening With Medicaid: ‘Funding Will Go Up’
NEW DISASTER RELIEF PUTS FARMERS FIRST
The new Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP), which provides $16 billion in assistance for producers who suffered losses of revenue, quality, or production of crops due to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024, is available for WNC farmers to apply for now.
The American Relief Act, which I helped author as the sole appropriator from North Carolina, coined the SDRP as part of comprehensive new plan to deliver the appropriated $30 billion in disaster assistance to farmers and ranchers this year.
After Hurricane Helene, Western North Carolina farmers are all too familiar with the devastating losses natural disasters can have on crop yield and agricultural production. This new program will put Farmers First by making sure they have the support they need to remain economically sustainable.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) will roll out the program in two stages. The first stage is open to producers with eligible crop losses that have already received assistance under crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program during 2023 and 2024. This stage’s signups started in person at FSA offices on July 10 and prefilled applications have been mailed to producers on July 9. The second stage of signups for eligible shallow or uncovered losses will begin in this fall, and I will continue to work closely with the USDA and the White House to ensure our farmers have the necessary resources to drive rural economies and keep Americans fed.
For more information, visit the USDA FSA website linked HERE.
KEEPING OUR PROMISE TO THOSE WHO SERVE – PAST AND PRESENT
The U.S. House passed our first appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2026 – the _(63).png "Facebook_Posts_(2025)_(63).png")
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act.
This appropriations bill keeps our promise to the men and women in uniform who serve and protect this country – past and present – while making sure that tax dollars are used efficiently.
The bill fully funds veterans’ health care, benefits, and VA programs while also supporting our military readiness through investments in military construction and family housing.
Additionally, this funding bill strengthens our national security by prohibiting the VA from purchasing resources directly or indirectly from China and investing in U.S. security priorities in the Indo-Pacific region.
You can hear more about the bill here.
A VICTORY FOR TOMATO GROWERS IN OUR MOUNTAINS
In what was a major victory for farmers across the country, the U.S. Commerce Department announced in April that it would withdraw from the 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement. Beginning July 14, 2025, a 20.91% tariff will be imposed on tomato imports from Mexico.
Recently, I expressed my appreciation to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick for the White House’s decision to terminate the agreement, a flawed deal that has unfairly disadvantaged American growers for years.
Mexican tomato imports into the U.S. have increased nearly 400% since 1994 due to illegal dumping practices, eroding the market share held by American growers from 80% to 30%. Further, investigations have shown that Mexican producers continually violated the terms of the agreement. This termination is a necessary step in enforcing U.S. trade laws and strengthening the domestic supply chain.
The termination of the agreement is a win for American agriculture, as our farmers can now compete fairly in the market without any hindrances from goods coming from Mexico.
APPROPRIATORS ARE ADVANCING BILLS THAT KEEP AMERICA STRONG AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE
House appropriators continue to debate and pass vital legislation out of the House Appropriations Committee that display our commitment to limited government, secure borders, _(65).png "Facebook_Posts_(2025)_(65).png")
and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
WNC’s businesses and farms that rely on community and hard work are facing labor shortages, and the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill addresses this issue through the H-2A and H-2B visa program. The amendments offer tailored solutions to stabilize seasonal labor by ensuring reliable access to visas for compliant employers while protecting local jobs and supporting small businesses.
The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act was also passed out of the House Appropriations Committee. This funding bill re-centers the U.S. Department of Agriculture on its core mission by cutting more than $2 million in wasteful spending and protecting farmers from regulatory overreach. It champions local farmers, strengthens U.S. national security, and safeguards American taxpayer dollars. Overall, this bill delivers key wins that improve accountability and rein in wasteful spending.
Lastly, through the Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill that the House Appropriations Committee passed, we’re leading by example and enabling Congress to better serve the American people. Through our efforts to responsibly cut unnecessary programs, we can more thoughtfully fund congressional operations.
HELENE RECOVERY: BY THE NUMBERS
The resilient people of Western North Carolina continue to make headway in rebuilding our mountains, and the $17.4 billion in federal funding that I authored as the sole appropriator in the North Carolina delegation continues to be allocated to disaster-stricken communities.
Thus far, Western North Carolina can expect the following funds to reach our district for disaster relief efforts:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: $635 million
- Federal Emergency Management Agency: $7.6 billion
- National Park Service Construction: $1.7 billion
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and State and Tribal Assistance Grants: $63 million
- U.S. Forest Service – Operations: $18.5 million
- U.S. Forest Service – Forest and Rangeland Research: $25.8 million
- U.S. Forest Service – State, Private & Tribal Forestry: $71 million
- U.S. Forest Service – National Forest System: $1.2 billion
- U.S. Forest Service Capital Improvement and Maintenance: $1.5 billion
- U.S. Department of Transportation – Emergency Relief Program: $2.4 billion
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Community Development Block Grant Program: $1.65 billion
Throughout our recovery process, I will continue to make sure that every dollar needed makes it to our mountains to fully recover from the worst natural disaster to ever hit our region.
A CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU TO WCEN VOLUNTEERS
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My office was pleased to join ReadyCommunities in recognizing Western Carolina Emergency Network (WCEN) volunteers with the 2025 ReadyCommunities Partnership National Service Award.
When Helene struck our mountains, WCEN organization members and fuel delivery drivers stepped up in monumental ways to support the community and meet their needs.
We talk a lot about mountain values in WNC, and these volunteers came together to help one another get through a time of crisis. Stories like these remind us how proud we should be to have been born and grown up in these mountains.
