By Rep. Rick W. Allen Our lives have all been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and while our nation has been incredibly resilient -- especially here in Georgia -- the fight to combat the coronavirus and restore the greatest economy in the world is far from over. One might expect that the unprecedented challenges we've faced this year would bring Congress together to work with unprecedented bipartisanship, but unfortunately, there are two very different visions for our nation's future. Over the past few months, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have made their radical agenda clear: They want to defund our police, dismantle our democratic institutions, and destroy our economy by raising taxes. That's why House Republicans have made a Commitment to America. We know this year has been tough on American businesses, workers and families, and we are laser-focused on restoring our way of life, rebuilding the greatest economy in the world, and renewing the American dream. Restoring our way of life starts with defeating COVID-19 and developing a safe and effective vaccine. I'm proud to share that we are making great progress on this front thanks to Operation Warp Speed, a partnership between the federal government and private vaccine manufacturers that aims to develop 300 million doses of a safe and effective vaccine by January. Operation Warp Speed allows steps to occur simultaneously, so what would normally take years will now only take months. This effort is funded through the CARES Act and other supplemental legislation that I was proud to support in Congress, and there's a highly effective vaccine nearing completion. Another key to restoring our way of life is building safe communities. This means supporting the brave men and women who serve in law enforcement -- not defunding the police. Any calls to do so are dangerous and misguided. However, I believe there is room for reform, and am proud to co-sponsor the JUSTICE Act which increases funding by $1.75 billion for better police training, community policing and equipment, including 500,000 more body cameras. As we continue to recover from the impact of the virus, I also commit to focusing on policy solutions that will rebuild our economy, which was the greatest in the world before the pandemic hit. We must get Americans back to work, continue to invest in career and technical education and apprenticeships, and add more new good-paying jobs. The Paycheck Protection Program was created through the CARES Act and provides small businesses with immediate assistance to help keep employees on payroll. By supporting businesses and workers with $200 billion in forgivable loans through PPP, we can help our small businesses through this tough time and ensure that America is open for business. We must also extend $2,000 child tax credits for families and Opportunity Zone credits that generate $10 billion each year in distressed communities, and continue to pass pro-growth tax policies that increase take-home pay and encourage innovation. But in order to truly rebuild our economy, we must end our reliance on China for essentials like PPE, medicine and technology. This means moving the supply chain out of China while increasing U.S. manufacturing and reaching more fair trade deals. Finally, we must renew the American Dream. Despite the far-left's attempt to make you believe otherwise, this country is still the greatest in the world and our best days are still ahead of us. We must invest in our next generation by expanding school choice to ensure every child in every neighborhood can attend a good school, and support our workforce by investing in more career and technical education. I've long advocated for these priorities as a member of the House Education and Labor Committee. By encouraging workforce development and lifelong learning, more Americans can earn a promotion or pursue a meaningful new career. The two visions for our country could not be more different from each other -- defund, dismantle and destroy, or restore, rebuild and renew. My commitment to the 12th District is this: We will get through this tough time, and I will work tirelessly to ensure we are still the greatest, strongest and most resilient nation in the world where every American has the opportunity to succeed.

By Rep. Rick Allen The U.S. Postal Service is a unique government service that has long played an integral role in American life. I'm grateful for the men and women who provide this service, and I will continue to support them and the millions of Americans who rely on the Post Office to conduct business, communicate with loved ones, and receive vital medication. A recent Augusta Chronicle letter to the editor ("Congressman hypocritical," Sept. 6) falsely claimed that I do not support the Postal Service, so I want to set the record straight and address some misinformation that has recently been shared regarding the Postal Service. Last month, under the leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democrats pushed a baseless conspiracy theory designed to sow fear and attack President Donald Trump. One of the claims being made was that the Postal Service won't be able to handle the volume of election mail. If every single registered American voter decided to vote by mail, the total possible volume of requested and mailed ballots would not exceed a typical day of total Postal Service mail volume, making this claim false. Another false claim being spread about the Postal Service is that much-needed reforms designed to save taxpayer dollars could jeopardize the November election. Even though this is wrong, the proposed reforms have been paused until after the election. While there is a need to ensure the integrity of our upcoming election, the issue is not a result of the Postal Service's ability to process mail. I am committed to addressing voter fraud, like those who recently double-voted in the primary elections. That's one of the reasons why I recently participated in a virtual roundtable with the Committee on House Administration and some of my colleagues in the Georgia delegation to discuss election security with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Election Assistance Commissioner Christy McCormick, Richmond County Board of Elections Director Lynn Bailey and several other local election officials in Georgia. We must ensure it's safe to go to the polls. I was encouraged to hear Georgia officials' plans to administer safe and secure elections in November, and I will continue to monitor this situation. This roundtable also provided an opportunity to discuss House Resolution 7905, the Emergency Assistance for Safe Elections (EASE) Act, a Republican solution to ensuring safe and secure voting come this November. This bill is led by U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois and would authorize $200 million to help states and localities administer clean and safe elections; use tools to recruit younger poll workers; help states clean their voter rolls to maintain accurate voter registration lists; and secure updated polling technology. Additionally, this bill would prevent ballot harvesting and end this practice. One of the most troubling claims I've heard is that the Postal Service will be insolvent before the election. According to the Postal Service's own reports, it is solvent through at least August 2021. Additionally, the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, that I supported and that was signed into law by President Trump, included a $10 billion loan for the Postal Service that they have not used yet. It has recently come to my attention that several constituents throughout the 12th District have experienced major issues with their mail service, such as extreme delays or days of receiving no mail. That's why last month I wrote a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General asking for answers. However, the partisan proposal pushed by Speaker Pelosi that I opposed did not address these delays. For these reasons, I voted against the legislation, as I publicly shared on my official social media channels and in my weekly e-newsletter. I encourage anyone wanting to stay up to date to sign up to receive my emails by visiting allen.house.gov/forms/emailsignup.

By Rep. Rick Allen Our nation has faced many new challenges this year, and though we will undoubtedly encounter more in the months to come, I've seen people meet these challenges with a resilience and strength that gives me hope for our nation's future. I'm eternally grateful for our dedicated healthcare heroes and those working on the frontlines, and as the senior Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, I've seen through our students, teachers, and school administrators that the commitment to provide everyone the opportunity to achieve the American dream is still alive and well. A few weeks ago, I was invited to visit schools in Columbia County, Georgia, and last week, I had the opportunity to tour two of the schools in the county. I visited Grovetown Elementary School before taking a walk down memory lane at my alma mater, Evans High School. During my visits, I saw firsthand how the school district has adapted to learning in the age of the coronavirus. While they understand that in-person instruction is best for student learning, they also acknowledge that COVID-19 has placed great difficulties on their ability to provide face-to-face instruction as their sole method for teaching. Some parents can't return to work full time if they don't have a safe place to send their children. Some parents may have medically fragile family members, and they are not comfortable sending their children back until a vaccine is developed. That's why the school district left the decision to the family on what will work best for each student by offering two options: in-person learning, with new guidelines based on the Georgia Department of Public Health's guidance that help protect the health and well-being of students and staff, or learning from home with explicit expectations set forth by the school district. The majority of parents, 75%, chose to send their children back to the classroom for in-person learning, with 25% opting to learn from home. I had the opportunity to see how they have smoothly transitioned to teaching some students virtually, but my biggest takeaway was seeing the joy on each student's and teacher's face as I walked the halls, joined a few classes, and stopped by the lunchrooms. It did some good for the soul to see how excited everyone was to be back at school. This is only possible because of the hard work and discipline demonstrated by the whole school community -- parents, students, and the district. After my tours, I received a briefing from the Board of Education outlining its detailed sanitation initiatives such as installing and utilizing Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization Modules throughout the entire school building to clean the air, requiring face coverings during transitions, when gathered in large groups, on the bus, and, of course, social distancing whenever possible. Now that we're a few weeks into the school year, we can see that these measures are working. Columbia County is being transparent, publishing all positive cases every week. As of their most recent report, numbers are less than 0.06% positive for students and 0.14% for staff. These rates are extremely low, showing that Columbia County has safely reopened for the school year. However, the school district has reiterated its commitment to the health and safety of everyone and will constantly be reassessing its plan and adapting as needed. This is the example that school districts around the nation should follow. While this is not the school year we expected or that our students deserve, their futures are too important, and we cannot let their education or their future hang in limbo. As we always do, we must continue to adapt and overcome, and I'm so proud of Columbia County for doing just that. I look forward to the success of more counties in Georgia's 12th Congressional District reopening soon. While the rioting and looting we see on the news and on social media is disheartening and must be condemned, I don't want stories like that of Columbia County Schools to be lost in the noise. We are still a nation of laws, filled with overcomers, and a land of opportunity for all. I hope we can all take some time to thank our teachers, parents, and students who are working diligently to ensure our next generation doesn't fall behind academically. I will continue working to ensure their safety so that each student has the opportunity to receive a good education and live out the American dream.