Friend,

I want to provide an update to you on items I have been working on throughout October.

The month's highlights included: joining Kennedy on the Fox Business Network to discuss the importance of reining in federal spending, meeting with the Building Industry Association of Northern Kentucky in Erlanger, reviewing the recently repaired levee in Maysville with the Army Corps of Engineers, touring the Tyson Foods plant in Claryville, and appearing on "Making Money with Charles Payne" to discuss the ongoing debate over new stimulus legislation. For more details, please read below. 

You can also keep track of my Congressional work on my regularly updated social media accounts. If you aren't following me on Facebook and Twitter already, I invite you to do so. 

Massie Meets with Building Industry Association of Northern Kentucky in Erlanger

Thank you to the members of the Building Industry Association of Northern Kentucky who met with me at the Enzweiler Building Institute in Erlanger to discuss the difficulties their industry faces in the wake of lumber shortages and COVID-19 driven supply disruptions. I was joined by Bob Schroder of Arlinghaus Builders, John Curtin of Hemmer Construction, Ross Kreutzjans of Kreutzjans Construction Company, Shad Sletto of Al. Neyer, and Brian Miller, Executive Vice President of the Building Industry Association.

In our discussions, these industry leaders impressed upon me the difficulties that ongoing lumber shortages are causing. Even with people working seven days a week, the timber supply is insufficient to meet the current demand for the product. The supply shortfall is fueling price increases that are ultimately borne by the consumer. Lumber is now twice the cost that it was in January.

The supply shortage is an issue that I am actively working to address. In September, I signed a letter to President Trump in which I asked the President "to bring all stakeholders to the table and work to find a solution to address lumber scarcity and subsequent price spikes that ensures everyone's needs are met." The letter further stated that the Administration "can play a constructive role in alleviating this growing threat to housing and the economy, so home builders can continue to operate, support communities, and avoid passing rising costs on to home buyers." Sending this letter was a priority of the National Association of Home Builders, and I was pleased to offer my support.

Another topic discussed involved the benefits that builders are receiving from regulatory relief. One of the factors keeping costs from rising further is that United States Army Corps of Engineers' land regulations have eased. The lower regulatory burden has resulted in lower land development costs and has helped the industry during this difficult time.

I also reviewed a training project on-site at the Enzweiler Building Institute. The Institute's apprenticeship training program continues to ensure our local workforce is well trained in the skills sought by homebuilders. The expansion of classes into Campbell County is a further sign of the Institute's programs' great local demand. It is an impressive facility, and I was pleased to tour it.

Massie Reviews Maysville Levee with Army Corps of Engineers

Thank you to Colonel Jason Evers, Commander, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, for meeting with me in Maysville to discuss significant repairs recently made to the Maysville levee. I also appreciate being joined by representatives of the City of Maysville, including Matt Wallingford, Maysville City Manager, and the city engineer, David Hord.

I've been a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure since I came to Congress in 2012. This Congress, I serve on the Subcommittee on Water Resources, which has jurisdiction over water resource programs (such as locks, dams, and levees) carried out by the Army Corps of Engineers. I sought to serve on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure because the federal government has a legitimate role in maintaining interstate infrastructure.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington District, has areas of responsibility in five states, encompassing thirty-five flood risk management projects and nine locks and dams. That's the most of any civil works district in the country. In February of 2018, the Maysville levee sustained damage when the Ohio River flooded. With federal funding provided by Congress, the Corps, through a private contractor, managed to complete the needed repairs to erosion damage found along 3,800 linear feet of the embankment under budget and ahead of schedule.

We discussed other projects within the Huntington District that the Corps is prioritizing. These include necessary repairs to shoreline erosion at the Greenup Locks and Dam and vegetation management in Catlettsburg. The average age of Kentucky infrastructure under the Corps' control is 50 years. As our infrastructure ages, I appreciate their ongoing work to protect our residents and keep coal and other commodities moving along the Ohio River.

In our conversations, we discussed the need for legislative language that would allow the Corps to access existing funding sources to maintain boat ramps. These ramps provide emergency access to the river for first responders and face regular sediment deposits. After learning about this issue, I left the meeting determined to work with other Congressmen on clarifying legislation. If the project contains a public protection nexus, the Corps should have the authorization to access existing funds to maintain it.

In addition to Colonel Evers, attendees included Major Patrick Kelley, Project Manager, Mr. Michael Spoor of the Engineering & Construction Division, Mr. Michael Keithley, Deputy District Engineer, and Jeff Gilkinson, Inspector.
Mr. Spoor has given over 50 years of service to the development of our nation's infrastructure. He could have retired many years ago, but instead, he has chosen to keep working while passing on his vast knowledge to the next generation of engineers. Talking to him and picking his brain was the highlight of my visit!

Massie Briefed on Tyson Foods' Workforce Needs in Claryville

It was a pleasure to be in Campbell County to meet with Tyson Foods representatives at their Claryville plant. Some of the well-known brands made at this plant include BallPark Hotdogs and Hillshire Farms Lit'l Smokies. Tyson Foods' Claryville facility is a large employer in Northern Kentucky. A significant percentage of their workforce lives in Campbell, Lewis, Mason, Bracken, Pendleton, and Harrison counties.

 
Among the topics we discussed is the difficulty Tyson Foods has finding workers despite offering a competitive wage. Stimulus checks appear to be a significant obstacle to their ability to employ people. 

We also discussed the steps Tyson Foods takes at the plant to protect its workforce during the pandemic. Their precautions include random testing of people that have one of twenty identified symptoms. 

To give you an idea of the volume of products processed by this plant, approximately 1 billion individual cocktail wieners are produced here each year. Also, about 60,000 pounds of hotdogs are produced here annually. These totals don't even include the figures related to Tyson Food's production of sliced meats (ham, turkey, and chicken). Thank you to Ross Myers (Vice President of Manufacturing), Russell Hatcher (Plant Manager), and Lauren Miller (Human Resources Manager) for meeting with me.

Massie Appears on "Making Money with Charles Payne"

In case you missed it, I was a guest on "Making Money with Charles Payne." We discussed the ongoing debate over stimulus legislation.

As I told Charles, the stimulus package I could get behind is the one Ron DeSantis implemented in Florida. He opened his economy back up. The government here is playing the part of the arsonist and the firefighter. By the way, the arsonists are the Governors, and Fauci is the one giving them the matches. And then we come in and try to put it out.

To watch the interview, either click the image above or go to this link. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.

In Liberty,