Last week we left Washington D.C. to return to our favorite states, celebrate Independence Day and spend time traveling the district. I must admit I prefer to spend time at home speaking with Minnesotans, but there is important work that needs to get done, so we are back in our nation’s capital this week.

While healthcare is certainly the topic of conversation across the country these days, Congress does know how to multi-task. One of the big things is we are working our way through the appropriations process – this is how Congress decides to spend taxpayer dollars. (If you are interested in fully diving into this subject, here is an Appropriations 101 primer for you.)

However, it has been nearly twenty years since Congress has actually succeeded in passing all twelve bills on time – without which, Congress is forced to pass one, giant omnibus bill. Now, I think we can all understand that moving twelve appropriations bills out of committee and getting them passed off the House Floor is quite an undertaking, but it is one I am hopeful we will complete this year.

Republicans, like myself, often talk about normal process and regular order – doing things as they were intended to be done – and the appropriations process is no different. Over the next two months, the House will be working tirelessly to properly fund and rebuild our military, eliminate funding for numerous programs that were never authorized by Congress, and do everything in our power to adequately allocate dollars to uphold our national security.

It is going to be a heavy lift, but I look forward to working with my colleagues to reduce waste and ensure responsible spending of taxpayer dollars.