After eight years of the Obama economy, Americans are struggling with stagnant wages, reduced hours, and decreased economic opportunity. The policies of this Administration, from the Affordable Care Act to the Dodd Frank financial reform legislation, have hurt economic growth and make it more costly and burdensome for businesses to expand and add workers.

During my time in the House, I have introduced and supported legislation that reduces burdensome regulations that cost us jobs, extends tax relief to small businesses, and boosts energy production to lower prices. At the end of 2015, the House passed, and I supported, a tax break extender package that contained numerous provisions critical to improving Nevada’s economy. Among them were a permanent extension of the state and local sales tax deduction, on which Nevadans rely to reduce their tax burden, and a permanent extension of the section 179 deduction used by small businesses to reinvest in their companies.

I also introduced legislation that will create jobs by boosting international travel and tourism to the United States and popular tourist destinations like Las Vegas while strengthening our national security. Finally, I had a bill signed into law that will create up to 3,000 jobs in Nevada by establishing a public-private partnership for the clean-up and redevelopment of an abandoned mine site in Henderson, all at no cost to taxpayers.

The most glaring failure of the Obama presidency is that the world is a more dangerous place today than it was eight years ago. By failing to lead during crucial moments of world events, the President has weakened America’s standing in the global community and created a situation where our allies don’t trust us and our adversaries don’t fear us. When America does not lead, it leaves a vacuum of power and influence to be filled by the likes of Iran, Russia, and China. Under this Administration’s failed foreign policy we’ve seen continued unrest in the Middle East, growing nuclear ambitions of Iran, the formation and expansion of ISIS, escalating tensions with an aggressive Russia, an assertive China, and an increasingly belligerent North Korea.

As an Iraq veteran and a brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserve, I understand all too well what it takes to keep our nation safe. I’ve spent my entire career focused on the safety of others and I continued that focus while in Congress. Serving on the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has offered me the opportunity to directly influence the policies driving our national security and defense strategy.