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

The significant disparity in work opportunities for people with disabilities is the direct result of government programs and policies that propagate dependency.

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.

I was single when I was first elected to Congress - and at 35 years old, I had given up the hope that I'd find my own 'Mr. Wonderful,' get married, and have a family.

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.

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.

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.

While health reform is a worthy goal, we shouldn't pay for it by taxing those who already have high medical costs because they or someone in their family has a disability.

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.

We can build a better, more representative democracy through technology and ensure what Abraham Lincoln called the last, best hope for Earth will endure past the 21st Century.

The American people know that our economy is struggling right now, partly because of the debt that is impacting American families, hardworking taxpayers all across this country.

When President Obama was in the Senate, when he was a U.S. senator, he voted against raising the debt ceiling. And he said it was a lack of leadership that had brought us to this point.

The ADA gave more than 50 million Americans with disabilities, just like my son Cole, the chance to live the American Dream and be defined only by their potential - not their limitations.

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.

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.

In order for America to remain the leader in medical innovation, we must reduce costs, ease regulatory burdens, and increase the efficacy of producing new treatments and cures here in the U.S.

We need to modernize an outdated agency, bring it into the 21st century, and ensure that the VA is better equipped to treat the health and psychological issues that are unique to our veterans.

My mom sacrificed everything for my brother and me. She taught me so many things - about life, love, faith, ambition, and family - and she instilled in me the desire to have my own kids one day.

Women oftentimes are the ones making those economic decisions, sitting around the kitchen table and trying to figure out how to pay for rising gas prices or food prices or the health insurance costs.

With each generation, women's ability to live the lives they choose reaches a place their grandmothers never thought possible. But that doesn't mean everything is perfect or that our work is finished.

It came down to the AHCA or the continued disaster of Obamacare, which was an easy choice. The AHCA is a major improvement, because a federal one-size-fits-all approach to health care isn't the answer.

To ensure that America remains the leader in medical innovation, we must reduce the costs of developing life-saving drugs and ensure that there are appropriate economic incentives in place to produce them.

We were given a system of government that places the people at the center of all decision-making and relies on the consent of the governed, with our rights and the government's limitations clearly outlined.

As a young woman, I was fortunate to have the leadership of Jeanette Hayner, the courage of Jennifer Dunn, the faith of Elisabeth Elliot, and the indomitable spirit of Margaret Thatcher to guide and motivate me.

When our Founders created this great experiment in self-governance, the House of Representatives became, by design, the body closest to the people. We are the most accountable, and we must be the most transparent.

Far too many government spending programs have gone years, even decades, without being reauthorized, leaving the American people less able to effectively review, rethink, and possibly eliminate government programs.

We need to work together to support common-sense solutions to establish and maintain regulatory certainty and predictability for the mining industry and reduce excessive, duplicative, and expensive permitting delays.

Children in foster care are there through no fault of their own, and they face challenges that would test the resolve of even the most mature adults: frequent moves, early trauma, instability, and in many cases, abuse.

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.

House Republican women are trailblazers in their own right, and we are focused on a bold, forward-looking agenda to restore a confident America, where every individual and family feels secure in their lives and in their futures.

At each point of our process to repeal Obamacare, we have not lost sight of our responsibility to the most vulnerable in our communities. Safety nets and protections are important and must be maintained for those who need them most.

Our goal is to reaffirm that government by the people, speaking through their elected representatives, is the best way to keep us free and safe, protect our liberty, and make sure the promise of America exists for the next generation.

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.

Technology has changed almost everything. One institution remains stubbornly anchored in the past. It's where I work - the United States Congress, a 19th Century institution using 20th Century technology to respond to 21st Century problems.

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.

Despite the fact that important measures such as the Americans with Disabilities Act passed only with crucial Republican support, the public - and the community of disability advocates - normally identifies this issue with the Democratic party.

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.

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.

As the wife of a retired Navy commander and the representative of the district covering Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington, I see firsthand the permanent effects of war - both physical and psychological - on those who serve our country.

When I think of the limitless potential my young daughters, Grace and Brynn, will have as they grow into young women, I want my girls' generation to remember the strength, determination, and struggles of the women who came before them and paved the way.

Restoring the people's voice in Congress is not just one part of our Better Way agenda, it's the most important part. Unless people are back in the driver's seat, we won't be able to rebuild our military, roll back the red tape, or help our most vulnerable.

I do see women voters shifting to the Republican Party and doing so significantly. And the issue that's doing this is the fear the federal government will prevail in making the Affordable Health Care Act permanent law and how that will hurt small businesses.

The American people, in their own families, they understand that you have to do that. You have to make the tough decisions. You have to get your budget. You have got to put it in order. And they expect their elected officials and their leaders to do likewise.

The power in Washington, D.C., is centered on the status quo - outdated systems, models, and programs built for a previous century. With more silicon and less concrete, we can open up those models to return power and independence to every man, woman, and child.

We need to address the systemic structural issues within the VA - the misallocation of resources, the interminably long waiting lists, the bureaucratic inefficiencies - to ensure that our American heroes are properly protected the second they return home from war.

Throughout human history, some of our most influential inventors, entrepreneurs, and leaders have had disabilities. For example, Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, and Charles Schwab are all dyslexic, while scientist Stephen Hawking has used a wheelchair for decades.

As the highest-ranking Republican woman in the U.S. House of Representatives and the mom of two daughters, I believe if we're serious as a nation about empowering every American to pursue his or her own dreams, then true cases of gender discrimination need to be confronted.

When Obamacare was introduced, Republicans and Democrats knew the status quo wasn't working. But Republicans rejected the notion that to help 2 million people with preexisting conditions get access to care, we needed a 2,000-page bill that transformed one-sixth of the economy.

Our goal as Republicans is to ensure gender discrimination ends once and for all, and to also help guarantee those who want to remain in the workforce and continue their careers aren't hindered by clunky, outdated regulatory structures that penalize them for making that choice.

We must remember that although we come from different backgrounds and ideologies, we're all part of this great experiment in self-governance. We're all united by common values of liberty, justice, and equality of opportunity, even if we don't always agree on how to achieve them.

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