Congressman Smith visits Third District communities
Smith said visiting communities throughout the district is an important part of his job.
By Forrest HershbergerSIDNEY, Neb. — Rep. Adrian Smith toured Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District on Monday, making a stop in Sidney as part of his efforts to meet with constituents while Congress is out of session.
Smith, a Republican, represents one of the largest congressional districts in the country, spanning 80 counties across Nebraska. He said visiting communities throughout the district is an important part of his job.
“When we’re out of session, I like to be around the 3rd District,” Smith said. “Getting to visit with folks on the front lines and hearing from them, they’re living with the policies that come out of Washington.”
Smith serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, the chamber’s chief tax-writing committee. He said maintaining open dialogue with voters helps guide his work in Congress.
In July, Congress passed the Working Families Tax Cuts Bill, which Smith said is aimed at helping families and growing the economy.
“In many ways, whether it’s education or empowering families to make decisions on their children’s education more effectively, there’s a tax component to that,” Smith said. “What’s so important is having a tax policy that grows our economy.”
Smith said economic growth is key to addressing the nation’s debt because it increases federal revenue. However, he added that spending must also be addressed.
“We’re not going to balance things by just slashing away at the budget,” Smith said, adding that eliminating duplicate programs is critical.
Smith said he does not support what he described as a “tax our way into balance” approach, arguing that raising taxes too high can slow economic growth.
“There’s something called the law of diminishing returns,” he said. “The higher you grow taxes, the less economic growth there is likely to be.”
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