The Bost Bulletin

Dear Friend,

For decades Washington politicians have failed to stand up and do the right thing, spending more and more of our money to dig us deeper and deeper in debt. Last week, Joe Biden and congressional leaders negotiated a $4 trillion debt limit increase on top of the nearly $32 trillion in debt that’s already suffocating our country. When the deal was brought to the House floor for a vote on Wednesday, there was only one option as far as I was concerned: I voted NO.

House Republicans fought to include provisions in the bill that I support, such as energy permitting reform, work requirements for healthy SNAP recipients, and reclaiming some unspent COVID emergency funding. But the bill didn’t go far enough. Joe Biden and the D.C. Democrats have proven they won’t work with us to do what it takes to get spending under control.

We owe it to our children and grandchildren to do better and think bigger when defeat this debt burden. If we don’t implement long-term spending reforms, we will continue digging the hole deeper and make it that much harder to avoid economic instability each and every time there’s a debt limit debate in the future.

For me, this vote was unequivocally the right thing to do. But I want to hear from you on this important issue:

Setting Priorities for the Farm Bill

We saw a great turnout for my listening session with local farmers to hammer out district priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill. Illinois' 12th District is the most diverse agricultural district in the state; and as your voice on the House Agriculture Committee, it's my priority to ensure our farmers, producers, and rural communities have a Farm Bill that works for them.

Welcoming a Hero Home

After almost 80 years, Southern Illinois will finally lay to rest a fallen hero. Tech. Sgt. James Howie was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron during World War II until his B-24 Liberator bomber was shot down during Operation TIDAL WAVE in 1943. With his remains now identified through DNA testing, his hometown of Chester has held a burial service on Saturday. It was an incredible honor to be in attendance with family members, local servicemembers, and fellow Southern Illinoisans who welcomed Tech. Sgt. Howie home. Learn more about his story by clicking here.

Office Hours in Hardin County

My staff will be hosting mobile office hours in Elizabethtown TUESDAY, JUNE 6th to give Hardin County residents an opportunity to talk with our casework experts face-to-face about any questions you may have regarding veterans’ benefits, Social Security, Medicare, the IRS and a host of other federal programs. We look forward to being your advocate and doing all we can to help. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out to our Murphysboro office at (618) 457-5787.

To stay updated on the work I am doing, make sure you follow me on Facebook or Twitter. And if you would like to receive these email updates, make sure you sign up for my newsletter here.

- Mike