It’s easy to forget, but eight months ago, our economy was booming. Under the leadership of President Trump, Republicans created an environment for American business to thrive. We were seeing historic lows in unemployment and wage growth for workers. Our country was in great shape.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 was thrust upon us and many states shut down businesses and people began to stay home and take precautions to flatten the curve. We’re going to beat COVID-19 and get back to normal. The question is, what will that look like? If we want to return to a booming economy where there is an abundance of jobs and people are able to take care of themselves and their families, Republicans have a plan.

We’re making a Commitment to America.

First, we must restore our way of life.

• America is facing an invisible enemy. We did not invite it. But, we will defeat it. We must increase the number of rapid tests available to the public, promote healthy immune systems by encouraging vitamin D for those with a deficiency, quickly and safely develop a vaccine and modernize our medical system, which includes protecting those with pre-existing conditions and making tele-medicine more available to all Americans, including those living in rural areas.
• We must also create safe communities and neighborhoods by ensuring police officers have the resources they need to protect us, not vilifying and defunding them.

Next, we must rebuild the greatest economy in a generation.

• We can return to the booming economy of earlier this year. The Republican-led Paycheck Protection Program has already saved millions of jobs by ensuring businesses have the resources to retain workers.
• We must end our dependence on China. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) controls large parts of critical supply chains, including in the field of medicine. We need to bring manufacturing, including medical manufacturing, back to the U.S.
• We must also improve America’s infrastructure. This includes providing rural broadband to Americans living in less-populated areas.

Then, we’ll renew the American dream.

• Providing a good education is the first step in achieving the American dream, so it is imperative we provide our children the best chance to succeed. But as spending and student loan debt go up, test scores remain stagnant. We must return control back to states and local communities, who know the needs of our children better than unelected Washington, DC bureaucrats.
• We can also attack the student debt problem by allowing students to refinance their loans, offer more competency-based education courses at our universities that allow students to learn at their own pace and often graduate faster and encourage high school graduates to explore careers in the skilled workforce, whose training is often much less expensive (leading to much less debt) than a traditional four-year degree. Young adults who graduate with career and technical degrees also make themselves available for the good, high-paying jobs available to skilled laborers right out of school.

The direction our country takes, however, is up to you. What I can do is pledge that I will tirelessly fight for your freedoms and for your ability to work. I will fight to limit the size of government in order to reduce unnecessary infringement on your life. I hope that you will join me in this fight, because we can achieve these goals, but only by working together.

As we await a COVID-19 vaccine, there are things we can do right now that will help us stay healthy and survive the virus should we contract it. One thing we can do is make sure we have a healthy immune system. Vitamin D is essential to a healthy immune system, which is crucial to fighting the virus once it is inside the body. I take vitamin D supplements, as does Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Something else we can do right now is research treatments for people who do have the virus. Research teams at Israel’s Hebrew University of Jerusalem, working in conjunction with New York’s Mount Sinai Medical Center on COVID-19 treatments and therapeutics, released a study that suggests the FDA-approved cholesterol drug Fenofibrate, the generic form of the brand name drug Tricor, may significantly downgrade COVID-19’s severity and symptoms.

After three months of testing several FDA-approved drugs, the research team found that Fenofibrate (Tricor) caused the cells within the lungs to start burning fat, which significantly reduced COVID-19’s ability to reproduce and survive. The researchers stated that  “the virus almost completely disappeared within only five days of treatment”, according to the Jerusalem Post. The lab studies were conducted in both Israel and New York and were replicated several times with different samples of human lung tissue.

Because the drug is already FDA tested and approved, this research has the potential to help us combat COVID-19 sooner rather than later. I hope that other researchers, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will pursue this lead and other leads we have to lessen the ill-effects of COVID-19.

I again called for further investigation of Fenofibrate's effect on COVID-19 on the House floor:

The final round of voting for the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin is open until October 14. I am proud to say that two of the final four products are from the Sixth District! Click the photo below to cast your vote.

This week, I had the opportunity to speak with Concerned Veterans for America about what I'm doing in Congress to make sure veterans receive the best health care possible through the VA. This organization works to protect the very freedoms that veterans fought and sacrificed so much to defend. 

I held a virtual town hall meeting with Andrew Mangione and members of the Association of Mature American Citizens to discuss issues facing seniors, including how I am working to protect Social Security and Medicare. 

Eight of us were sitting in chairs, one of us was driving a tractor! I was happy to speak with Edge dairy Farm Cooperative about what Congress should do to make sure Wisconsin's world-famous dairy industry continues to thrive.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Let us celebrate those who have beaten this terrible disease, remember those we've lost, stand with those still fighting and encourage medical screenings and self-checking for women young and old.

Throughout Made in America week, we recognize that the "Made in America" stamp is a testament to the expertise and work ethic of millions of American inventors, craftsmen, tradesmen and laborers that make up the most skilled and dedicated workforce in the world.

On October 7, 2020, my colleague, Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, became the longest-serving member of Congress from Wisconsin. Congressman Sensenbrenner represents Wisconsin's Fifth Congressional District and has served our state since 1979. He career has included a tenure as Chairman of both the House Judiciary Committee and House Science Committee. Congressman Sensenbrenner is retiring at the end of the year and I wish him all the best.