BY REP. PHIL ROE
Since his inauguration, President Trump has led our country into economic prosperity and worked tirelessly to keep the promises he made on the campaign trail. Monday marked the 500th day of President Trump’s administration, and it’s clear our president is already making historic progress toward getting our country back on track. Our economy is booming, and last month unemployment dropped to 3.8 percent —the lowest in nearly two decades. The president has rolled back billions of dollars’ worth of unnecessary regulations, cutting red tape so the economy can continue growing. These actions, combined with the historic tax cuts implemented under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — a law I strongly supported — has created opportunities and optimism for job creators and seekers alike at a record high. Even the New York Times said in a headline, “We Ran Out of Words to Describe How Good the Jobs Numbers Are.”
There’s no question the United States is thriving under President Trump’s leadership. Nearly 3 million jobs have been created in the past 500 days and, for the first time since record-keeping, the U.S. has more job openings than unemployed workers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of workers collecting unemployment benefits fell to 1.73 million, which hasn’t happened since December 1973. These statistics are further evidence that our economy is gaining strength and the pro-growth agenda President Trump promised is working.
On the world stage, President Trump has taken action to put America first. The president has provided the resources to rebuild our military, just as he said he would do. Last month, the president fulfilled yet another promise by moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, its rightful place. I strongly support our president in this move and I’m proud President Trump is standing strong with our friend and ally, Israel.
The president’s efforts aren’t just focused abroad. In addition to the economic successes I mentioned above, President Trump is taking steps every day to combat the deadly opioid epidemic and keep America safe and thriving. With three people dying each day in Tennessee from an opioid-related overdose, we must continue fighting against drug abuse at every level. I look forward to the House considering major opioid legislation soon that will give additional resources to fight this epidemic.
Perhaps most importantly, the last 500 days have been full of wins for our nation’s heroes. It’s been a great honor to work with President Trump to deliver on the promises we’ve made to veterans. Just this week the president signed my bill, the VA MISSION Act, which will remove the current 30-day, 40-mile barriers in the Choice Program to ensure veterans have more options to receive the quality health care they deserve. Also included in the VA MISSION Act was an expansion of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) caregiver program. Currently, only caregivers to Post 9/11 veterans can receive assistance from VA, but this new law will expand benefits of the program to caregivers for veterans of all eras. I was proud to work with former Senator Elizabeth Dole and leading veterans service organizations on this important legislation, and I will continue working with the Trump administration to make sure it is properly implemented.
Together, we’ve also modernized the process for appeals claims so veterans aren’t waiting multiple years for a decision on their appeals claim; we’ve gotten a bill signed into law to bring accountability to VA so bad actors can be punished and the men and women who honorably serve our nation’s heroes will no longer have their good names tainted by the bad actions of a few; and we’ve given student veterans the largest expansion of GI Bill benefits since the GI Bill was created.
We certainly have much to celebrate, but there is also much work ahead of us. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as your Congressman, and I want you to know that my door is always open.
Feel free to contact my office if I can be of assistance to you or your family.