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U.S. Rep. Josh Brecheen called into our Bartlesville Radio studios this week for our monthly podcast.

Brecheen said health care affordability is one of the top concerns he hears from constituents, saying that Congress must “go big” on reforms that restore free-market competition. Brecheen added saying proposals such as high-risk pools, expanded health savings accounts, and direct primary care as ways to lower costs and reduce insurance company influence, which he said has surged under the Affordable Care Act.

Brecheen also linked health care costs to other economic pressures, saying that American families spend roughly twice as much on care as those in other developed nations.

The Congressman credited recent Republican-led energy and tax policies for easing inflation, highlighting Oklahoma’s nation-leading gas prices and new standard deduction increases and child tax credits included in the “one big, beautiful bill.”

Brecheen said he has some serious concerns with the current National Defense Authorization Act, specifically provisions that would repeal certain sanctions on Syria. He warned that lifting restrictions without firm conditions could harm religious minorities in the region. He added that he is working with the House leadership on safeguards before the bill comes to a vote.