I had a productive couple of weeks in both the district and Washington. During our District Work Period, I ventured across the district visiting farms and businesses, and out on the water inspecting the dredging project at Harkers Island. Meeting with constituents and community stakeholders who contribute so much to the vibrance of beautiful Eastern North Carolina is such a pleasure.  

In Washington, I introduced two bills critical to improving access to quality healthcare in rural communities. In addition, I had the opportunity to meet with business and public service leaders in our state to discuss how Congress can help them with the challenges they face. As always, it is an honor to be sent to our nation’s capital to be your voice and protect our way of life. 

I will continue fighting for the values of North Carolina’s Third Congressional District. If you wish to stay more engaged and aware of what is happening in Washington and our District please follow me on my socials linked above or here: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. 

Introduced Legislation to Permanently Expand Access to Telehealth Services for Rural America

After practicing medicine in rural eastern North Carolina for the last 25 years, I know that many patients have to travel hours to access healthcare. They face significant burdens in cost as well as time away from work. Telehealth services are critical for these rural communities who live far from clinics and hospitals.

We saw how beneficial this valuable service was for folks during the pandemic and it should continue to be available for all Americans. I’m proud to spearhead this effort and am committed to advocating for this commonsense policy alongside my colleagues.

Read more here. 

Introduced Legislation to Preserve New Graduate Medical Education Slots for Rural Communities

Decades of real-world data show rural trained physicians are more likely to practice in rural communities. To grow the physician workforce and increase access to care for patients throughout the nation, we must prioritize the areas of need that are experiencing the most acute physician workforce shortages. Rural hospitals are struggling to recruit physicians with increasing difficulty, in part because of an imbalance in the apportionment of graduate medical education slots.

Healthcare access continues to decline in rural America, and we must act swiftly to reverse this dangerous trend. Failure to do so will lead to more hospital and physician practice closures, greater instability in the supply of new physicians, and further burden patients already forced to travel long distances for care.

Read more here.

Meeting with NC Fire Service

It was great to meet with folks from the NC Fire Service. I am committed to ensuring our fire departments have the necessary resources to do their critical jobs while staying safe.

Thank you for your swift response to protect our communities.

Meeting with Leaders of PNC

I had the pleasure of meeting with leaders of North Carolina’s PNC banks to discuss their role as a regional bank and efforts to support the growth of our communities.

Thank you for promoting economic development that supports businesses and individuals across Eastern North Carolina.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) is receiving criticism after canceling a congressional hearing to explore Washington, D.C.’s response to George Washington University‘s pro-Palestinian student protests.

Comer announced the cancellation of the hearing on Wednesday following the clearing of the campus protesters by the Metropolitan Police Department earlier that morning. The demonstrations had been ongoing for 14 days and led to 33 arrests after the police gave six warnings for the students to disperse from the area.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser was set to testify alongside MPD Chief Pamela Smith on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

“It was unfortunate the situation at GW forced the Oversight Committee to act; however it was apparent that the DC police force was not going to do their job,” Comer said in a statement. “Therefore, after meeting with GW leadership and touring the encampment, we decided to hold a public hearing to get answers as to why the Mayor would not uphold the law.”

He added, “I am pleased that the potential Oversight hearing led to swift action by Mayor Bowser and MPD Chief Smith. We will continue to hold D.C. officials accountable to ensure our nation’s capital is safe for all.”

Comer’s response received blowback from several Washingtonians seeking accountability and answers for why the protests were allowed to continue for a lengthy period of time on the GWU campus.

“Huh? Why was the hearing canceled? Why wouldn’t you drill down on why it took so long for Bowser to let the police clear GW out in the first place?” Washington radio host Vince Coglianese said in response to the hearing’s cancellation.

“Good grief. Letting her off the hook. What a disappointment!” radio personality Julie Gunlock said.

“Republicans are so feckless. What a farce of a government we have,” another social media user said.

“The GOP cancelled the hearing with the DC Mayor. How is that being held accountable?” another person asked.

One social media user reacted, “It took way too long!! Still needs to be held accountable for taking too long!”

A Florida congressman defended the House Oversight Committee’s efforts to pressure the mayor and police to act on the growing encampment on the campus, though.

“For days Hamas apologists illegally overtook GW & harassed/intimidated Jewish Americans. Mayor Bowser refused to clear them out. ONLY AFTER @GOPoversight met w/ GW leadership, toured the encampment & scheduled a hearing for today, did DC act. It NEVER should have come to this,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said on Wednesday. Donalds had toured the student protest encampment first-hand last week.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“It should not take an act of Congress for Mayor Bowser to do her job. Once again, @GOPOversight
and the @HouseGOP are GOVERNING where the Democrats have FAILED,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) said.

“It shouldn’t have taken the threat of a Congressional hearing for DC Mayor Bowser to finally allow DC Police to respond to George Washington University’s call for them to clear the anti-Semitic and unlawful encampments. It should’ve been done on Day 1,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said in response to Comer’s hearing cancellation.

DUMFRIES, Va. – It’s good to be a cop in the DMV. 

According to a new WalletHub study, Washington D.C. is the fourth-best place to be a police officer, and Maryland is the sixth. 

To rank the best and worst states for police officers, the WalletHub team said they used a formula that compared the 50 states and D.C. across three key dimensions: opportunity and competition, law enforcement training requirements, plus job hazards and protections.

Then, they said they used 30 additional relevant metrics, ranging from the median income for law-enforcement officers to police deaths per 1,000 officers to state and local spending on police, to come up with the scores. 

The report indicates that while the job may be hazardous and crime is high, D.C. is rich in opportunity, officers are paid pretty well, and the training requirements are top-notch.

“Some states make protecting and serving the public in a law enforcement career more appealing than others,” said WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe. “The best states for police officers offer competitive compensation, supplemented by solid training that helps minimize the chances of deadly violence between officers and civilians. State-level policies like ‘red flag laws’ or ‘Blue Alerts’ also contribute to a better environment for police.”

Check out the full study here.