Congressman Long was born and raised in Missouri’s 7th Congressional District where he proudly serves his constituents today.
Congressman Long has always believed we need more lawmakers in Washington, D.C. with real-world experience. He owned and operated auction and real estate businesses in southwest Missouri before running for office.
Voted ‘Best Auctioneer in the Ozarks’ 9 years straight, it’s no surprise he has been inducted into both the National Auctioneers’ Association Hall of Fame and the Missouri Professional Auctioneers’ Association Hall of Fame. His motto in the Auction business was “When you want it done right” and that attitude holds today. While he’s known for his unconventional, out of the box thinking, it all gets back to trying to do his best whether that’s selling grandma’s antiques or negotiating with his colleagues on Capitol Hill for the best outcome for his constituents. He’s known for his good nature and humor in Washington which both serve him well when negotiating with colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
I am 100 percent pro-life. I believe in the sanctity of human life, that life begins at conception, and in protecting the rights of the unborn.
Abortion is an intensely personal issue which inspires deep passion on both sides, and I recognize the strong feelings it evokes. When the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade in 1973, it threw open the doors for abortion without giving the people an opportunity to make their views known on the issue through their elected representatives. The judicial protection for abortion has unfortunately continued in opposition to the expressed will of the majority of the people.
I will continue to advocate for this position in the U.S. Congress. Every Congress I cosponsor legislation that will establish that life begins at conception, prevent tax payer dollars from funding abortions and ensure that no funds provided under Title X should be awarded to entities which perform services for, or provide funds to, another entity which performs abortions.
I am also proud to be a member of the pro-life caucus, a bipartisan group of representatives who are against the practice of abortion and believe in fostering legislation that promotes life. During my time in Washington, I promise to advocate for the rights of the unborn and will actively fight against legislation that allows taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.
Agriculture is a vital part of the Seventh District’s economy. It is important that Congress supports the growth and development of the agriculture industry by fighting for policies that will encourage economic growth in Missouri and nationwide. We must ensure that farmers get relief from the regulatory burdens that kill job creation and make life even harder for our nation’s agricultural producers. I am proud of bills that I sponsored being passed into law to enable farmers to work their land without having to do unnecessary paperwork and comply with ridiculous government regulations.
Since the founding of our nation, the agricultural industry has been at the forefront of our economy. America has been the world’s leading agricultural producer for many years and with our vast natural resources we need to keep it that way. Agricultural products are a source of significant exports, which benefits our overall economy while providing Americans with a stable, safe and nutritious food supply.
I look forward to my agricultural tour of southwest Missouri every year, where I get to meet with farmers in the district and hear about the issues facing their industry. I will continue to fight to expand international markets for Missouri’s agricultural products and to rein in the federal government’s overreach of farming activities.
Since taking office in 2011, I have faced a number of difficult decisions and worked out a specific approach to legislation to ensure that I am representing both the people of my district and my own personal beliefs. For each piece of legislation I vote on I ask myself a number of questions such as: does it reduce the size of government, promote personal responsibility, strengthen the family, reduce the tax burden and promote personal freedom? While running for this seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, I campaigned on those principles and continue to work to uphold them today.
I have and will continue to work diligently to uphold these principles through my votes in the House. I look forward to continuing to advocate for conservative ideals in Congress and will relentlessly support legislation that reduces taxes, limits the size of the federal government and strengthens our national defense.
I have always believed that local school officials and parents are much better suited to know what is best for their students, not the federal government. Consequently, my top priority for improving education is to remove burdens and let the state and local authorities decide what is best for our children. Currently there are many federal unfunded mandates on education which try to force a one-size fits all system on our children. The problems facing students in Springfield are different from the problems facing students in St. Louis, let alone California or New York. The federal government should empower local educators and parents with the tools needed to address problems as they see fit. Washington bureaucrats who have never set foot in the state of Missouri are not the answer.
The education of our children is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The years before a child reaches kindergarten are among the most critical in his or her life. That is why I support programs such as Parents as Teachers, which was started by Senator Kit Bond. This program gives parents the resources they need to best prepare their children for school. Such programs encourage parents to become more engaged in their children’s learning process from an early age. I also believe we must do what we can to keep students engaged through their elementary and secondary education. We must prepare our students to succeed in a global economy by giving control to our local educators. Whether that means preparing them for a community college, a career or technical institution, a four-year university, or the workforce, we must give our students the tools to succeed.
As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, our main focus is ensuring Americans get the energy they need cheaply and reliably. I fully share many Missourians’ concerns over our energy policies and priorities. Our current domestic energy production cannot meet the needs of consumers, which is why I support an “all of the above” energy policy, which takes advantage of all of our options and resources. Increasing domestic energy supplies and reducing our dependence on foreign oil would strengthen our energy security. This reliance negatively impacts our economy and poses a serious threat to our national security. We must continue to reduce burdensome regulations surrounding energy production while encouraging all types of energy moving forward. We need more oil, gas, coal and nuclear energy production combined with more wind, solar, hydropower and geothermal energies. This will lower prices, create jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and strengthen our national security.
I believe that Obamacare has done more harm than good to our nation. While some provisions such as covering pre-existing conditions and allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance until they are 26 years old have helped many in need, I also believe there are many harmful provisions to the law that have increased the overall cost of health insurance while giving the federal government unprecedented control over the American health care system.
People, not the government, are the source of prosperity in our country and they make the American health care system the envy of the world. What we need are commonsense solutions that will strengthen our health care system instead of stimulating debt and eliminating patient choice. One of the cornerstone pieces of President Trump’s platform during the campaign was to repeal and replace the ineffective and costly health care policies of the Obama Administration.
While Congress has so far failed to agree on how to move forward with repeal and replace, I can assure you that I am continuing to work with my colleagues on a patient-centered health care plan that will give all Americans the choice to obtain affordable health care coverage that fits their individual needs.
Our immigration system is broken. The core issues are a lack of border protection and immigration law enforcement. To strengthen and uphold immigration laws, we must solve the illegal immigration problem by first securing our borders. When our borders are left open, it allows criminals, drug traffickers and potentially even terrorists to enter the country. This is a grave threat to our nation’s security and cannot be overlooked. I support doing what is needed to secure the borders until we have firm control over who enters our nation. Specifically, I support requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to certify to Congress that the United States has operational control over our southern border. This has to be the first step in the process of fixing our immigration system. We must authorize and deploy more border security personnel and technology and have border-states work closely together to ensure we are maximizing all of our efforts.
I believe in legal, regulated and appropriate levels of immigration. America is a nation of immigrants. Our forefathers immigrated to this land in search of freedom from tyranny and oppression and immigration has remained a prominent feature of American society throughout the history of our nation. America is an attractive nation for immigrants to come build families, conduct scientific research, create businesses and prosper as members of our vibrant communities.
The Trump Administration has taken actions to help with these issues but there is still more to be done. We must enforce our laws and encourage people to become citizens in a legal manner.
One of the most important responsibilities of our government is to keep our nation safe. Since 9/11, America has made great strides in improving our safety. Despite this, we must remain vigilant. In my opinion our strong military, supported by robust defense spending, has already prevented many conflicts and has already paid its cost many times over. Disarming America to save money from a small part of the budget is a plan that we truly cannot afford. Defense is the core responsibility of our federal government and I will continue to advocate for a strong military that is able to confront whatever challenges might threaten our nation.
We must continue to support our troops. Our service men and women make our military the strongest in the world. They defend our nation and our way of life against those who would destroy our safety, freedom and values. Congress must give them our unwavering support to complete their mission as quickly and safely as possible.
Small businesses are the heart-beat of this economy, representing 99.7 percent of all companies in America, employing half of all private sector employees and accounting for over half of the private sector economy. Americans do not owe our prosperity to the government; we owe it to the men and women who work to achieve their dreams.
Small businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and it is the duty of Congress to support America's small businesses during state and local government mandated shut downs. At the onset of this pandemic, Congress passed a provision in the CARES act that created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). PPP has been a lifeline for small businesses that have been hanging on by a thread. In the most recent relief package signed into law by President Trump at the end of 2020, PPP was reauthorized and small businesses that have already used their funds from their first PPP loan were eligible for a second draw loan.
With more and more vaccines being distributed, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Congress needs to continue to work in a bipartisan manner to support small businesses to make sure they can survive through the end of this pandemic. While I am in Congress, I will continue to fight to get small businesses the resources they need to survive through the end of this pandemic and prosper well beyond it.
Today there are many challenges facing our country and none is greater than keeping our people safe. I am doing everything in my power to make sure we are protected and that those who serve on the front lines have the tools they need to get the job done.
In 2002, the House Homeland Security Committee was established to provide oversight for the United States Department of Homeland Security.
Our nation’s deficits are not because we are taxed too little, but because Washington spends too much. I disagree that the Bush tax cuts, or any tax cuts, are responsible for deficits because this assumes it is the government’s money and they allow us to keep some of it. Wealth belongs to those who work for it and the American people have agreed to give some of it to the government for critical priorities, not pork barrel projects.
I am a proud cosponsor of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would limit the ability of the government to spend more than it takes in or to tax the American public beyond a fixed percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This amendment would force responsible spending practices by Congress and help us pay down the national debt. If we don’t act now, we will suffer permanent economic harm from our excessive tax and spending burdens.
Missouri has the seventh most miles of highway in the U.S. and two of the three largest rail yards in the country. I will work hard to make sure we continue to meet the needs of our economy and our communities when it comes to vital infrastructure. I believe that we must make the necessary investments to keep our infrastructure well maintained and to build new infrastructure as needed to foster economic activity.
While we can never satisfy the debt we owe America’s fallen heroes and their families, Congress must continue to put our troops, our veterans, and their families first. At a time when our service members are returning home from multiple wars and conflicts across the globe, we must provide veterans with the support they have rightfully earned. Our veterans have honorably served their country and it is time for their country to serve them.
Significant advancements have been made to improve veteran health care, family support, and educational and job opportunities but more needs to be done. That is why I will continue to support veterans’ issues in Congress.
I have cosponsored the Military Retiree Health Care Relief Act so our military retirees won’t have to worry about rising health care costs. This would allow a refundable tax credit for premiums paid to military retirees and their spouses or provide them with supplementary medical insurance under Medicare Part B of the Social Security Act. I have also cosponsored the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that would amend retired veterans’ pay so that they could receive both retiree pay and disability compensation, while eliminating some restrictions in the current law.