{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://rokita.house.gov/editorial/11-23-2017-rokita-report", "11-23-2017 Rokita Report", "2017-11-23", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "IN", "Todd Rokita", "R000592", "rokita.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nThank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 115th Congress.\u00a0 I trust this finds you and your family well, as we work together to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington.\nFor daily updates, please take a moment to \"Like\" my Facebook page by clicking here \u00a0or follow me on Twitter if you prefer \u00a0@ToddRokita.\n   In this week's Rokita Report \n Happy Thanksgiving\nGrissom Keeps Hoosiers Secure\nPreserving the Adoption Tax Credit\nSupporting the President on North Korea\n   Happy Thanksgiving\nAs Hoosiers and as Americans, we have much to be thankful for.\u00a0 We have a great state and a great nation.\u00a0 Thanksgiving is a proud American tradition.\u00a0 George Washington proclaimed a thanksgiving celebration in 1789 to be \"a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God.\"\u00a0 The\u00a0holiday is a chance for us to spend time with family and\u00a0friends\u00a0to\u00a0express our gratitude for the blessings we have in life.\nI am thankful for much this Thanksgiving.\u00a0 I am extremely grateful for my family.\u00a0 My wife, Kathy, is a wonderful and devoted mother.\u00a0 Our boys, Teddy and Ryan, are our sunshine and the love of our lives.\u00a0 I am also\u00a0honored to serve as your Representative in Congress.\u00a0\nOur government is something for which we should all be truly grateful.\u00a0 It is a rare blessing to live in a nation like ours.\u00a0 We have guarantees for our freedom and our liberty, but also a responsibility to protect these rights and to better our nation for future generations.\u00a0 I wish you and your loved ones a happy Thanksgiving.\n  Grissom Keeps Hoosiers Secure\nOn Tuesday, I visited Grissom Air Reserve Base.\u00a0 Grissom is home to the 434th Air Refueling Wing (ARW).\u00a0 With a combined workforce of 1,800 civilians and military personnel, it is also the third largest employer in North Central Indiana.\u00a0 Colonel Larry Shaw serves as the commander of the Hoosier Wing and I appreciated the chance to hear his insights.\nThe 434th ARW provides mid-air refueling to long-range bombers, fighters, and cargo pilots.\u00a0 They provide support to all major commands of the Air Force as well as to the Navy, Marines, and our allied nations.\u00a0 Because of the strategic role and location of Grissom, the Hoosier Wing is one of the busiest refueling units in the Air Force.\u00a0 The Hoosier Wing has provided vital support for recent military operations, including in Afghanistan and Iraq.\nThe 434th ARW is working hard protecting Hoosiers at Grissom Air Reserve Base.\u00a0 A special thanks to Colonel Larry Shaw, who serves as the commander of the Hoosier Wing.\nMy visit was a chance to see the great work of the 434th ARW and to bring the gratitude of all Hoosiers to those who serve just ahead of Thanksgiving.\u00a0\u00a0\n  Preserving the Adoption Tax Credit\nThis week especially, I think about my family and what a blessing it is.\u00a0 I also reflect on how parents work hard to protect and fight for their children.\u00a0 Parents who choose adoption, also face a large financial burden at the onset of the adoption on top of the costs of\u00a0raising a child.\nThe adoption tax credit is a tool that allows parents to find relief from the expenses that accompany adoptions.\u00a0 As Indiana\u2019s Secretary of State, I served as the state\u2019s top official in certifying adoptions.\u00a0 In this role, I saw both the joys and the burdens adopting families face.\u00a0 We must ensure that middle and low-income families can feel financially comfortable choosing adoption.\nFor this reason, I wrote a letter to the Chairman Kevin Brady of the Ways and Means Committee stating the importance of the Adoption Tax Credit.\u00a0 I also worked with the Republican Study Committee and other partners to ensure that this credit was part of the House tax reform bill that passed last week.\u00a0 I look forward to working with my colleagues to protect this credit and the families that choose adoption.\n  Supporting the President on North Korea\nWe have a President who is leading on the international stage, something that I am truly thankful for.\u00a0 Global leadership requires tough decisions and strong actions.\u00a0 This week, we saw this as President Trump announced that he will designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.\nThere is no question that North Korea has engaged in acts of terrorism, including the mistreatment of Americans and\u00a0dangerous threats it makes\u00a0against other nations.\u00a0 These acts, and more, endanger the United States and the security of our allies.\u00a0 I fully support President Trump declaring North Korea a state sponsor of terror and taking steps to increase sanctions against Pyongyang.\u00a0 North Korea must be held accountable for their actions, including the way they treat their own people.\n  Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington. Take care.\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t\tSincerely,    \n\t\t\t\t\tTodd Rokita", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://rokita.house.gov/editorial/11-23-2017-rokita-report"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0766438208520412, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}