My dad was a truck driver, and I still remember riding in the cab as he ran a dairy route stretching from Hays to Hillsboro to Hutchinson and back. Today I recognize that the regional competition for federal transportation dollars is fierce, and as your congressman I will fight hard for our districts' share of federal support.

Our transportation policies should be aimed at improving our long-term productivity, creating good-paying jobs, and advancing our ability to move freely and easily for business and leisure. Maintaining and improving our rural transportation infrastructure can help drive our rural economies to prosperity, whose agricultural producers and small businesses rely heavily on getting their products to markets across Kansas and beyond our borders.

Likewise, the use and growth of general aviation in western Kansas is dependent upon dozens of rural airports across the district. I have worked with officials to improve the runway at the Salina Municipal Airport. In Congress, I will support the general aviation industry and work on projects across the district that will stabilize and grow our rural airports, not burden constituents with new taxes and regulations.

Whether it is driving to the local Friday night football game in Smith Center or hauling our livestock and wheat across the state, we need to improve and maintain our critical infrastructure. As your congressman I will be an effective advocate in bringing local and federal resources together for the benefit of western Kansas.