Spending time with the farmers, families, and patriots in Michigan, reminded me why I have such faith in America’s future. These are hardworking people who love this country, care for their neighbors, and want their children and grandchildren to have a better life.

Our farmers carry an enormous responsibility. They feed our nation, steward the land, and keep traditions alive that generations before them worked to build. They deserve our gratitude and our support.

Thank you, Michigan, for welcoming me. Keep showing up for your communities. Teach your children what freedom means. Never underestimate what you can accomplish when you take responsibility for the place you call home.

LOCAL ACTION = NATIONAL IMPACT

America’s political leadership must be clear about the purpose of every conflict that puts our people, our security, and our resources at risk.

What outcomes are we trying to achieve?

What conditions would tell us the mission has succeeded?

Who will verify those conditions?

These are practical questions. In the Middle East, military action must serve a defined political objective along with a path to ending the fighting. In Europe, every American commitment should be measured against a realistic prospect for peace. We should know what we are asking our allies to do, what negotiations are meant to accomplish, and what would allow the United States to reduce its involvement responsibly.

A strike can destroy a target. Another shipment can sustain a fight. Neither, by itself, tells us how a war ends. If circumstances change or the objective proves unreachable, we must have the discipline to reassess, and if necessary, change our course.

Continuing along the same path because we have already ...