“Since President Trump moved back into the White House, he has been working at full throttle to make America strong, safe and competitive again. In November, the American people issued an overwhelming mandate to save our country from the destructive path that we were on, with skyrocketing interest rates and open borders flooded with historic rates of illegal immigration and deadly fentanyl flowing into our communities. 
 
“President Trump is delivering on the promises that he made to the American people by closing our borders, standing firm against our adversaries and finding ways to save taxpayer dollars. 

“In the House, I am committed to the President’s America First Agenda for our Nation, and specifically Eastern Kentucky. Our region is unique in our challenges, and likewise, unique in our strengths. For generations, Eastern Kentucky powered the nation’s energy supply through coal, oil, timber and gas production, until our coal mining industry was decimated by the war on coal, making us more reliant on foreign energy supplies. President Trump declared a national energy emergency on day one, to promote domestic energy production and to provide an affordable supply of energy to drive our nation’s economy. 
 
“This year, I invited two important guests to join me for the state of the union address – a longtime leader for Kentucky’s energy industry from Hazard, Kentucky, my friend Joe Craft. Joe has not only been a leader in the coal, oil and gas industries, but he has generously given back to our region year after year, most recently investing in SOAR – Shaping Our Appalachian Region – to help our region rebuild and recover.
 
“I am also pleased to welcome my pastor, Reverend Ryan Coffey from First Baptist Church in Somerset. He had the opportunity to lead the House of Representatives in prayer in 2023, and I am honored for him to return to Capitol Hill for this pivotal time in our nation. 

“As DOGE works to root our waste, fraud and abuse, I want to be very clear – it is also important that we protect the programs that are vital in rural America. Across my 33 counties in southern and eastern Kentucky, approximately half of my constituents receive Medicaid benefits. I have no intention of gutting Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security. Those programs are critically important to people who need them, and those who are working but cannot afford healthcare. At the same time, it is important that we investigate any misuse of funds that could jeopardize the future of those vital programs. It was just a few years ago that former Eastern Kentucky attorney Eric C. Conn pleaded guilty to defrauding the Social Security Administration out of $550 million dollars. So, we must be vigilant in our work to protect taxpayer dollars from abuse and to ensure those benefits get to the people who desperately need them for years to come. 
 
“I look forward to working with President Trump and his administration as we work together to build a stronger nation, and I believe that starts with improving rural America.”