Creating Opportunities and Supporting Fort Bragg

The Uwharrie National Forest is a pillar of our community that brings folks from across the nation and world to North Carolina every year. Yet folks who live in the Green Gap community within Uwharrie have had to deal with dangerous roads for years while the Forest Service bureaucracy has neglected their maintenance.

My predecessor, Congressman Larry Kissell, told me how important Uwharrie was to him and I vowed that I would work across the aisle to address it. Since my first term in Congress, I have been advocating on behalf of the Uwharrie National Forest and constituents in Green Gap. I have engaged with local, state and federal stakeholders on this issue — offering amendments to increase funding in the appropriations bills to the Capital Improvement and Maintenance account that would fund the paving and maintenance of these roads. We've made progress, but there is still more to do.

That's why last Wednesday, I invited officials from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the Uwharrie National Forest to see firsthand how dangerous these roads are, and to hear directly from those who have dealt with this issue for far too long. I was encouraged to hear from the USDA officials that environmental impact studies are now under way and we are finally getting closer to construction of new roads in the coming months ahead.

The health and safety of families and visitors in the Uwharrie National Forest and throughout our region are dependent on these roads and I will not stop working until it is completed.

Whether you live in the Uwharrie National Forest or anywhere in our state, all North Carolinians deserve access to 21st Century opportunities and technology. That's why investing in rural development is vital to the economic, social and environmental viability of local communities throughout our region.

Last week I was proud to announce a $605,000 USDA Rural Development program grant for the Wade Community Fire Department which will help purchase a new pumper truck to help keep more citizens safe throughout Cumberland County. This grant is especially important for rural areas of our district that do not have the easiest access to life-saving equipment.

In addition to visiting Wade, I also visited Campbell University to announce a $61.4 million investment from USDA to support Campbell's nursing and medical school buildings, administrative building, and a new student center. These investments will allow Campbell to continue to serve more students from our community, as well as students from around the country and the world.

Since 2019, the USDA Rural Development program in North Carolina has invested more than $2.1 billion, helping more than 8,000 families statewide. As your Congressman, I will continue to support these critical opportunities to fund rural development in our region.

Finally last Thursday, as Fort Bragg's Congressman, it was an honor to be first to welcome President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to Fort Bragg. I appreciate all the President and First Lady have done for our men and women in uniform at Fort Bragg, their families and our veterans.

Representing so many active-duty soldiers, military families and veterans is an incredible honor and my greatest priority. We owe a debt to everyone who has served in our nation's military, as well as their families, for the sacrifices they have made to protect our country. We also owe it to them to make sure they have all of the available tools and resources they deserve. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure their needs are met.

The accomplishments this week are all examples of how government should work - For The People. I will always stay focused on putting forward commonsense solutions and working across the aisle to improve our community, state and country.