Daily Corinthian
Hyde-Smith visits area
By Jebb Johnston
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith touched on several issues of the "hot button" variety during a Corinth talk on Thursday.
The congresswoman's itinerary included an appearance at the Corinth Lions Club meeting as area first responders were treated to a free lunch at Pizza Grocery.
Acknowledging the latest mass shootings that occurred in Texas and Ohio, Hyde-Smith, a Brookhaven resident, said she hopes "knee-jerk" reactions will be avoided.
"I stand with every American in condemning those actions that took place in Texas and in Ohio," she said, "and I certainly send my deepest sympathy to all of the families there. We know when we get back, the gun control issue is going to be absolutely crazy. Timothy McVeigh, in 1995, killed 168 people and wounded almost 700, and he never pulled a trigger," she said, referencing the Oklahoma City bombing.
"We have just got to make sure we take a look at anything coming across that table to make sure we make good decisions there and it's not a knee-jerk reaction," said Hyde-Smith.
Following the massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in the state on Wednesday, the senator said she agrees with President Donald Trump's views on the matter.
"We know we have to secure our border," said Hyde-Smith. "It is a humanitarian crisis, no doubt. We cannot have a country that has no rules on who can enter and who can come in just unnoticed. [If] I take my child right now to any other country, we have to have a passport. We have to abide by the rules."
Hyde-Smith talked about her support of the Paving the Way for Rural Communities Act, which removes the Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act and National Environmental Policy Act requirements from federally funded projects or activities in any area that's not part of a metropolitan statistical area as designated by the Office of Management and Budget. These regulations, she argues, are a burden for rural communities.
Another legislative priority is the Bridge Investment Act, which would create a competitive grant program to repair and replace outdated bridges.
She also touted the current administration's reshaping of the judiciary.
"We're confirming judges left and right " Everywhere we're getting these placements," said Hyde-Smith. "And it's not about the next election. It's about the next generation."