July 20, 2021

Thank you to everyone who attended last week's West Texas Rural Summit. It was my honor to spend the day with friends and colleagues discussing what makes West Texas the backbone of America and the food, fuel, and fiber capital of the world. 

We began the morning with a prayer led by Lamb County Judge Mike DeLoach and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Howard County Judge Kathryn Wiseman before jumping into our day of legislative discussion. We had policy panels and Q&As on topics that directly affect West Texas, such as tax and trade, transportation and infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare, and energy. 

I especially want to thank our honored guests, Rep. Kevin Brady (TX-08) and Rep. Glenn Thompson (PA-15) for joining us. I was proud to present Rep. Brady with a Texas Tech baseball jersey and Rep. Thompson with a cowboy hat, as tokens of West Texas' appreciation for their service to not only their districts, but to all of rural America.

I also want to thank the many other community and national leaders, including U.S. Reps. Cloud, Jackson, Pfluger, who joined us in Lubbock to participate in the Rural Summit. I feel blessed to have had the incredible opportunity to join you all in speaking to the people of West Texas. 

Chancellor Emeritus of the TTU System Kent Hance, Texas Senator Charles Perry, and Texas State Rep. Dustin Burrows kicked off the Rural Summit's panels with a discussion on local and state issues, such as rural healthcare and the crisis at the border.

I was proud to host a tax and trade Q&A with Republican Leader of the House Ways and Means Committee, Chairman Kevin Brady. We discussed the Biden Administration's proposed tax policy changes and the implications they may have for rural America - specifically for our farmers, ranchers, and energy producers. 

Our transportation and critical infrastructure panel discussed some of the primary issues facing West Texas, such as rural broadband accessibility and the Ports to Plains initiative, which is a critical step in highway expansion that would improve economic development, safety, and efficiency for America’s Heartland. I was joined by the Texas Department of Transportation Commissioner, Alvin New, as well as Connected Nation Texas Program Director Jennifer Harris, Rep. Brady, and Rep. Cloud. 

My district is home to more than 15 million acres of farmland and produces more cotton than any other congressional district in the nation. The Rural Summit had a heavy focus on agriculture, with a keynote and policy panel discussion highlighting the priorities for West Texas agriculture communities, as well as the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill. Reps. Cloud, Pfluger, Jackson, and Thompson contributed to the discussion, as well as Mr. Tom Sell of Combest, Sell and Associates.

In the past year, the importance of adequate rural healthcare access has been highlighted more than ever before, especially in West Texas. In a panel discussion on this topic, I was joined by Steve Beck, CAO of Covenant Health, as well as Don McBeath, director of government relations for Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals, David Balat, director of Right on Healthcare, and Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas' 13th Congressional district. 

The Rural Summit concluded with a great discussion on energy with some of my fellow state and national representatives, as well as Jason Modglin, the president of Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. The West Texas region accounts for 81% of onshore oil production in the state, and the industry provides thousands of jobs in the region. Some of our priorities to ensure that the energy industry remains successful in our region includes reducing regulatory and tax policies and implementing pro-energy legislation. 

What we do in rural America is critical to our nation's economy and security, and the goal of this summit was to address some of the challenges we face and how we can work collectively to make sure our communities thrive.

I was proud to be able to speak with so many of you in West Texas, and I am thankful to be able to represent you all in Congress. 

Your friend and fellow West Texan,

Jodey C. Arrington
Member of Congress