I joined my friends on the Mississippi Sound Coalition (MSSC), which includes city and county governments from across the coast as well as fishermen and other business owners, at a public meeting and press conference this week.

When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Bonnet Carré Spillway twice in 2019 during the height of our coast's tourist season, it led to an almost total loss of wild oysters in the Mississippi Sound estuary, death and disease among other marine life, and the closure of many small and family-owned businesses.

The MSSC has been challenging the Army Corps policies that allowed that to happen in order to prevent future devastation to the Mississippi Sound and to the way of life that depends on it. I'm proud to be working for the same goal in Washington.

If you'd like to see my comments at the press conference, click here.

One of my first meetings in Congress was with the Army Corps. I made it clear that I would be their biggest cheerleader when they were working to better South Mississippi and their worst enemy when they were pursuing policies that would hurt my home.

In June, I questioned Mr. Michael Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, during a hearing in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Water Resources and Environment subcommittee.

During that hearing, Assistant Secretary Connor committed to including Mississippi Gulf Coast community leaders and business owners in the Corps' five-year Lower Mississippi River Comprehensive Management Study. You can watch that conversation here.

Our hope is that Mississippi's involvement in that study will help find long-term solutions to the problems, but we can't rest on that. I'm working with the MSSC and other stakeholders to ensure that Mississippi's voice is heard in every conversation about the future of the Bonnet Carré.

It's going to take all of us—local, state, and federal elected officials, small business owners, and other concerned citizens—to save our sound. 

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of speaking to some incredible young men at Saint Stanislaus's annual government day breakfast.

I talked about my journey as a public servant and the importance of my faith in guiding the decisions I make, and I answered questions from the students about my experiences in Congress and in law enforcement, as well as some of the biggest issues facing our nation.

Several mayors and other community leaders joined us for breakfast, and we got to hear about their work to bring new businesses and tourism to Hancock and Harrison counties. As I emphasized to the students, partnership between leaders at the local, state, and federal levels is the key to successful growth and strong communities.

I also had the opportunity to tour the campus and meet with faculty and staff. They have some incredible resources at their disposal, including a state-of-the-art flight simulator used for their aviation class.

One of the biggest privileges of serving in Congress is getting to meet with passionate, intelligent future leaders across South Mississippi. It's easy to get discouraged by the challenges facing our nation and our communities, but I'm proud of what these young people are already accomplishing and I have faith in their ability to lead our future.

Earlier this year, my colleagues and I introduced the bipartisan Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act (H.R.4013). This legislation cuts red tape to spur investment in the domestic seafood industry.

Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03), Congressman Ed Case (HI-02), Congressman Jerry Carl (AL-01) and I authored an Op-Ed in The Hill outlining why our bill is so important.

While Americans are consuming more seafood than ever, over 94% of all seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported.

High gas prices and illegal practices in other countries are crippling the domestic seafood industry. I've been working to tackle those problems since day one, but there's still a long way to go.

At the same time, a lack of clear and efficient processes for offshore aquaculture has caused the United States to fall behind in other areas.

Aquaculture is a thriving industry in the Mississippi Delta, where catfish farms have created jobs and helped feed families across the country. Offshore aquaculture could provide the same boost to coastal communities from Maine to Mississippi and Florida to Hawaii.

Next week, I'll be returning to Washington to continue fighting for our South Mississippi values.

If you have questions about pending legislation or need help with a federal agency, please contact my team via my website or at one of the offices below.

It's an honor to serve you and all of South Mississippi in Congress.

Sincerely,