WHEATLAND – Wyoming junior U.S. Sen. John Barrasso spoke recently about vision, values and progress at the Phifer Airfield’s grand reopening Aug. 29 in Wheatland.

Barrasso who was sworn into the United States Senate in 2007 had previously been a representative for Natrona County as a Wyoming State Senator from 2003-2007. In 2018 he was reelected to the U.S. Senate with over 67% of voters voting in his favor.

Barrasso was on hand as a special speaker at the grand reopening of Phifer Airfield and was responsible for helping to gain the federal funding needed to complete the airfield project.

In his speech to the people attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony, he said, “This year is Wyoming’s 130th birthday,” Barrasso said. “On the 100th birthday, George W. Bush came to Wyoming. Bush said that Wyoming is a special, sacred place whose values and visions continue to inspire America. And to me those words continue to be true today and I just wanted to be here to thank you because right here we are a very special and sacred place. And the visions and values of this community continue, Mr. Mayor to inspire America.”

Barrasso, a popular political figure in Wyoming was seen shaking many hands and listening to many views from constituents at the fly-in.

“Most people in Wyoming know me more as a doctor,” Barrasso said. “It’s been a privilege to serve both as a physician, and now as a U.S. Senator for the people of Wyoming.”. 

In a country where Barrasso sees it from both sides of the fence, from the Washington political side and then back here on the human side of Wyoming, he knows what it will take to make things better.

“People have been through everything in Wyoming,” he said. “Through fire, drought, storms, but often the biggest threat isn’t nature, but the federal government with regulations that go after us, and which is why on behalf of the people in Wyoming we continue tell them in Washington it’s three little words, ‘leave us alone.’ Our land, our water, our kids, our guns, our families, leave us alone.

“A lot of us have the belt buckle which says, ‘Wyoming is what America was,’” Barrasso said. “And I add, it should be again. Because it is this independence and this spirit, determination, drive, earning, excellence that is so critical. That’s the history of Wyoming, but it’s also been the history of the country which is changing dramatically now and we see it playing out in the election.”

He also stated that he is doing everything that he can to make sure that President Trump gets the reelection and the Republicans get to be in the majority of the U.S. Senate. Barrasso chairs the Environment and Public Works committee in the Senate which oversees construction, infrastructure as well as environmental issues.

“I can just tell you that if the Republicans aren’t in the majority of the Senate, then people that are running committees like that are not going to have the same approach to making sure we can use the energy resources that God has blessed us with. President Trump unleased American energy so we could be dominant in our energy abilities and our economic activities related to energy.”