Count inflation as another problem that Washington is ignoring.  Washington bureaucrats will tell you that inflation is low and our economy is in good shape.  But all you have to do is go the grocery story or fill up your car with gas to see that Washington bureaucrats are out of touch.

While there may not be inflation in the 17 square miles of Washington D.C., if you talk to anyone living out in the real world they will tell you that the cost for everything is going up.  We need to get inflation under control and that starts with getting our energy prices under control.

Everything in this country is dependent on energy to move.  Workers depends on energy to get to their jobs, farmers depend on energy to get their goods to the market, and small businesses depend on energy to keep the lights on in their stores.  Like it or not, we need to face the fact that out-of-control fuel prices are causing the price of everything to rise.  We need to get serious and Americanize our energy supply to preserve the purchasing power of Missouri's families.

 

We also need to get tough on countries who manipulate their currency at the expense of the American dollar.  China is manipulating their currency to make their exports artificially cheap, which is undermining our exports and devaluing the dollar.  It is putting Americans out of work, threatening American industry and inflating the cost of food and fuel.

 

I have introduced legislation to get tough on China and impose retaliatory tariffs if they continue to manipulate their currency.  This is a common sense approach to strengthen the dollar and fight inflation.