Your Turn: I won't forget where I came from
- First floor speech showed support for Keystone pipeline
- Votes range from balancing budget to amending Affordable Care Act
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With the exception of my marriage and the birth of my children, I experienced one of the most significant moments of my life last week when I placed my left hand on the Bible, raised my right hand and swore to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States.
I want to thank you again for the opportunity to take that oath of office and represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives. It's a responsibility I don't take lightly.
I am a proud constituent of Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District, and I am privileged and excited by the opportunity to spend the next two years representing my friends, neighbors and the communities we call home.
Some of the best life advice I've received was, "Never forget where you come from." Since being elected to office, that advice is proving more important to me now than before.
Generations of Emmers have raised their families and made their livelihoods here in Minnesota. My wife and I have been fortunate to do the same right here in the Sixth. You are our friends and neighbors, and it is you and the more than 759,000 Minnesotans who call the Sixth District home who will be on my mind every time I walk into the House chamber to vote.
My dedication to working on behalf of this district started long before I entered office, and I am honored to be able to continue that work as a member of Congress. The productivity of these first two weeks is evidence of that commitment to you, and I am proud that my staff and I hit the ground running on day one.
In my first week, I voted for legislation that peels back some of the more egregious pieces of the Affordable Care Act that have hurt businesses and wages, and I joined my colleagues in supporting the repeal of the medical device tax. If Minnesotans are to have acceptable and affordable health care we need to support innovation, not tax it out of existence.
In my first speech on the House floor, I urged passage of the Keystone XL Pipeline, which will help Minnesota and our nation's booming energy economy.
I also threw my support behind several initiatives by cosponsoring legislation to balance the budget, improve transparency at the Federal Reserve, protect the lives of the unborn, and reduce the burden that Washington regulations place on our state and on the businesses and farmers that drive our economy.
It has been a productive start to the new Congress, and I have no intention of slowing down.
This year, my priority will be to ensure that the Sixth District has a seat at the table, and the policies I support will be aimed at helping our communities continue to be great places to start and grow a business, raise a family, and send our kids to school.
In my new role sitting on the House Committees on Agriculture and Foreign Affairs, I look forward to supporting the backbone of our state's economy and taking Minnesota values to the leaders and the people of the world.
I will introduce legislation to improve how funding for highway interchanges is allocated and to return transportation dollars to local governments and the communities that need it most, not to unelected bureaucrats. I will also work to streamline regulation to help our energy industry prosper and to provide reliable and affordable energy across our state.
My work in Congress will be transparent and accountable, but most importantly – accessible. I'm here to serve you.
If you have any comments or concerns, or need help navigating a federal agency, please don't hesitate to contact my offices in Otsego and Washington, D.C., or send me a message on one of my seven social media accounts. Please visit Emmer.house.gov for more information.
Rest assured, I will always remember where I come from, and thank you again for the opportunity to serve you in our nation's capital. Let's get to work!
This is the opinion of U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer.