By Bradley Walker With about 40 days left until the election, President Trump and Vice President Pence have been crisscrossing the state to meet with as many North Carolinians as possible. During that same period of time, however, Joe Biden has been notably absent. I know this all too well. Over the past few months, I have been alongside the president and vice president during their visits with churches, our heroic law enforcement officers, and vaccine-developing medical professionals as they relentlessly fight for our state. But, no word from Joe Biden. No visit to hear our state's concerns. Now, the former vice president will make his first visit to North Carolina since Feb. 29 -- more than six months ago. This immense absence from a presidential candidate in a large, competitive state brings up a great question. Why should North Carolinians vote for a candidate like Joe Biden who largely refuses to acknowledge the opinions or even the existence of the more than 10 million people of the Tar Heel State? However, after diving into his radical platform, his disappearing act makes more sense: Joe Biden's agenda is not aligned with our state's values. When it comes to the economy, Joe Biden consistently falls short. Under President Trump, with the help of strong leadership from congressional Republicans, America reached new economic heights yet the former vice president has attempted to claim credit. In reality, the Obama-Biden administration led the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression, and Biden now wants to raise taxes by $4 trillion, shrink the economy by 1.5 percent and eliminate 585,000 jobs. I am confident we can work with President Trump to do it all again in rebuilding our post-pandemic economy. The latest evidence? Look no further than the most recent jobs report, which showed an unemployment rate tumbling and 1.4 million jobs added in August. As I talk to small business owners in North Carolina who are still being told by Gov. Roy Cooper that they can't open -- even as a lifeline to survive -- the last thing they want is to take steps backward to more needless restrictions. It's clear Joe Biden has not talked to them. He unbelievably vowed to shut all of our businesses down again should he be elected. This would be devastating to our state, especially to the more than 290,000 North Carolinians who have gained their jobs back since April. To call this a slap in the face to the American people who have suffered for much of 2020 is a vast understatement. Plainly put: Just because Joe Biden prefers to be in a basement disconnected from the real world doesn't mean you should have to follow his lead into the darkness. Sadly, this simple economic example is indicative of the larger Joe Biden candidacy model -- blatant disregard for the needs of the American people. It has been seen in the violent riots in Raleigh and nationwide, where his likely supporters have been busy terrorizing small business owners, destroying their livelihoods in the process. It has been heard through Biden's tone-deaf words regarding human-rights abuser, China. It has been told by former Obama Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who said Biden "has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades." But, most emphatically, it has been expressed by his own vice presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. During the Democratic debates last year, Joe Biden was rightfully confronted by his now-ally regarding his horrific nearly five-decade career in politics. The leader of the 1994 crime bill was admonished by Harris for his close relationships with segregationist senators, as well as his opposition to the very school busing she grew up with in California. Biden's removed-from-reality story is being told on repeat at family dinner tables across our state. And now with a Supreme Court Justice nomination in the air, it's clear that Biden has not done the homework to represent North Carolina's voice on this extremely important and influential decision. So as this very unique 2020 presidential cycle heads toward the finish line, it's become clear which candidate is willing to meet North Carolina voters where they stand. President Trump rises to that moment. Joe Biden has failed to show up until it was too late.

By Bradley Walker U.S. Representative Mark Walker (R-N.C.) penned an op-ed in The News & Record highlighting how the A-PLUS Act would help Guilford County Schools spend their federal funding where they need it most. "When Washington sends money to Guilford County to improve schools and educational outcomes, it shouldn't be able to place lock-tight restrictions on how our administrators can use those funds. After all, leaders in our community know best the needs of the students and schools they serve, not bureaucrats behind desks in D.C. This is the idea behind the A-PLUS Act, legislation that I introduced this month. This bill would empower parents, teachers and local administrators to better address the needs of students and schools in their communities," Walker wrote. "The A-PLUS Act gives local school systems the option to decline participation in the prescriptive and onerous requirements of federal education programs and focus that funding on solutions that meet their community needs. All without cutting a dollar of their federal funding. Simply put, this legislation would allow Guilford County Schools to spend federal dollars on rebuilding, repairs, teacher pay, or supplies, rather than compliance burdens." Read the op-ed in its entirety here and below: Rep. Mark Walker: The A-PLUS Act would help Guilford County Schools spend where the need isThe News & RecordBy: Rep. Mark Walker July 14, 2019 School is out. While the classrooms might have emptied, teachers have not stopped working, many already beginning preparations for the next school year. Our Guilford County teachers and administrators have a tough job. That job is made harder by mandates from Washington that stymie opportunities for student growth and limit how they can serve the needs of their schools. When Washington sends money to Guilford County to improve schools and educational outcomes, it shouldn't be able to place lock-tight restrictions on how our administrators can use those funds. After all, leaders in our community know best the needs of the students and schools they serve, not bureaucrats behind desks in D.C. This is the idea behind the A-PLUS Act, legislation that I introduced this month. This bill would empower parents, teachers and local administrators to better address the needs of students and schools in their communities. The A-PLUS Act gives local school systems the option to decline participation in the prescriptive and onerous requirements of federal education programs and focus that funding on solutions that meet their community needs. All without cutting a dollar of their federal funding. Simply put, this legislation would allow Guilford County Schools to spend federal dollars on rebuilding, repairs, teacher pay, or supplies, rather than compliance burdens. Earlier this year, Dr. Sharon L. Contreras, superintendent of Guilford County Schools, spoke in a House Committee on Education and Labor hearing -- a committee on which I sit. She detailed the numerous trials facing the district, including outdated facilities, Band-Aid fixes to long-term problems and the desperate need for more funding. She shared a recent study that said more than $1.5 billion was needed in capital investment to renovate and upgrade current facilities and build new schools. According to the study, 45% of the schools were rated as in unsatisfactory or poor condition. Contreras told our committee that the schools' maintenance staff responds to more than 30,000 work orders annually, and that many schools suffer from flooding and routinely use buckets and trash cans to catch water during heavy rains. This is unacceptable. Every level of government has a responsibility to fix this problem. I know my friend, Dr. Contreras, and her team give and do the best that they can, but the truth is they need more resources to fulfill the needs specific to the community and to ensure that each student has everything he or she needs to succeed. Some have proposed property tax increases of more than 10% to give the school system a boost. However, I believe there is a better way, without raising taxes on Guilford County residents. Our legislation would allow Guilford County Schools to consolidate funding for any or all programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This year, North Carolina received more than $641 billion in ESEA funds. Every dollar spent on compliance or earmarked for a specific project is a dollar not going to where our community needs those resources the most. The Office of Management and Budget found that No Child Left Behind increased state and local governments' compliance burden to the tune of more than 6.6 million lost hours and $141 million. The federal government should allow Guilford County to use provided funds to upgrade their facilities to ensure students are learning in an environment that will best prepare them for the future. Parents and teachers shouldn't have to worry whether their facilities are safe. They, not federal employees in Washington, know what is best for the children of our community. By giving Dr. Contreras, Guilford County Schools and school systems across the country more flexibility in how they spend federal dollars, we can improve student outcomes and ensure decisions about the classroom are being made locally. That is what I aim to do with the A-PLUS Act.