Senator Thad Cochran visited Lafayette Middle School in Oxford on Thursday.  He spoke to an auditorium filled with approximately 550 middle school students.  The students ranged from 6th to 8th grade.  After he delivered his address, he took a short tour of the school while speaking with several teachers and faculty.  Pictures of the event below.  Check back in our Events section for more pictures and possible video footage.

Senator Cochran speaks to Lafayette Middle School in Oxford.

Lafayette Middle School students raise their hands with questions for Senator Cochran.  Some of the questions that were asked included:

- Have you ever met the president?

-Have you ever flown on Air Force One?

- Who are you going to vote for, Obama or McCain?

-What is your favorite part about being a Senator?

On Wednesday, August 13, at 11:30 a.m., Senator Thad Cochran visited the monthly luncheon of the Lafayette County Republican Women’s Club.  Cochran was the key note speaker for the event.  After thanking the Club for their continued involvement in the Republican Party, Senator Cochran emphasized the importance of their support for all of the Republican candidates for the presidential and statewide elections.  He also addressed several issues such as energy reform, climate change, and national security. View below photographs from the event. Click here to view more pictures from the event.

Former Oxford Mayor Pat Lamar, Susan White, Emmie Lou Greene, Maggie Wiaters, and Doris Landon of the Lafayette County Republican Women’s Club

Senator Cochran talks with a member of the Lafayette County Republican Women’s Club at the luncheon.

      U.S. Senator Thad Cochran is back home traveling throughout Mississippi for the Senate August Recess.  On Wednesday and Thursday, he will attend several events in Lafayette County.

      On Wednesday, August 13, Senator Cochran will address the Lafayette County Republican Women’s Club at 11:30 a.m. during the group’s monthly luncheon.  The event will be held at the Downtown Grille in Oxford, 110 Courthouse Square.

     On Thursday, August 14, Senator Cochran will speak to the Lafayette Middle School student body at 9:00 a.m.  Cochran will address approximately 550 Lafayette students.  Lafayette Middle School is located at 102 Commodore Drive in Oxford.

      At 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 14, Senator Cochran will visit the Lafayette Pediatric Clinic in support of the Reach Out and Read program.   Cochran will read to several young patients in the clinic’s waiting room at the event.  Lafayette Pediatric Clinic participates in Reach Out and Read (ROR), a national children’s literacy program that focuses on the importance of school readiness for young children at risk of entering school unprepared to learn. Lafayette Pediatric Clinic is located at 2166 South Lamar Boulevard in Oxford.

Check back for possible video footage and photographs of the events.

North Mississippi Field Representative Billy McBeath attended Trade Days in Coldwater, MS, this past weekend.  Trade Days is an outdoor local flee market held once a month in Coldwater.  Hundreds of booths were set up at the flea market which offered a variety of items and crafts.  After attending the event, Billy McBeath noted, “Trade days was a good chance to get out in the field and encourage support for Senator Cochran.  Events such as Trade Days present a great opportunity to reach out and listen to the hard working men and women of Tate County.”

Rowin Worley shows her support for Senator Cochran at Trade Days in Tate County.

Senator Cochran cosigned a letter sent to the Bush administration by Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski on August 1.  The letter urged the federal government to explore the potential oil reserves contained in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).  It requested that President Bush issue an executive order requiring the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct a seismic survey of ANWR’s coastal plain. 

CLICK HERE to read the letter sent to the Bush administration.

Listen to what Senator Cochran had to say at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) Public Hearing in Flora, MS, on Tuesday. Flora is one of the six contenders for the facility which will study animal-borne diseases for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

AUDIO CLIP OF SENATOR COCHRAN’S COMMENTS

Senator Cochran will be interviewed by Karen Brown of Mississippi Public Broadcasting Think Radio this morning regarding the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF) public hearing.  Tune in at 8:15 a.m. to hear what Senator Cochran has to say about the proposed Homeland Security labratory in Flora, MS.  Flora is among the six finalists for the NBAF facility which will study animal diseases.

Clarion-Ledger: Letter to the Editor

Visit signals that Miss. now poised to welcome NBAF

Today, Mississippi finds itself inching closer to the opportunity of a generation. Department of Homeland Security officials will visit Flora this afternoon to solicit input from Mississippians regarding the proposed National Bio and Agro Defense Facility. Scientists at this state-of-the-art facility will study how to protect our nation’s livestock against an accidental or terror-related release of animal diseases.

Two years ago, 29 sites from around the country submitted proposals to the department in hopes of landing this critical facility in their communities. Six finalists remain in contention, and I am proud that Mississippi is one of them. Our citizens, governor, universities, local officials, and congressional delegation should be commended for their cooperation in this effort.

The construction and operation of the $500 million NBAF would create hundreds of skilled jobs and would likely spur a biotechnology boom in Mississippi. Developers have said its impact would approach or exceed that of the Stennis Space Center, Canton’s Nissan plant, or Blue Springs’s Toyota plant.

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Senator Cochran, Ranking Republican of the Senate Appropriations Committee, took the Senate floor on Thursday, July 31, to highlight the failure of the Democrat-led Senate to fulfill its annual appropriations responsibilities or act on meaningful energy reform.

Last week the Senate halted action on the Fiscal Year 2009 Appropriations process because of hesitation from Democrats to vote on appropriations provisions regarding domestic oil production. 

For weeks, Republican Senators have been advocating for consideration of legislation, both in the Appropriations Committee and on the Senate Floor, that would allow for further domestic oil exploration as well as energy conservation.  However, the Senate adjourned last week without a vote on drilling.  The Democratic leadership in the Senate refused to allow the vote to take place on the pressing issue.  This vote was prevented for several reasons:

• The Democratic leadership opposes increasing domestic oil production, and they do not want to be against the 70 percent of Americans who are in favor of it. 80 percent of Mississippians are in favor of domestic drilling as well.  Who would want to be against those numbers?
• The Democratic leadership recognizes that several Democratic senators would vote alongside every GOP senator in support of the bill.  This would result in allowing the bill to pass.
• Also, they know that Senator Obama would vote against that bill, therefore, they don’t want to risk allowing Obama to cast the unpopular vote.

The full text of Cochran’s remarks on the U.S. Senate floor is provided below. 

“Mr. President, two weeks ago today, the Committee on Appropriations marked up three Fiscal Year 2009 appropriations bills.  Those bills would provide funding for programs ranging from agricultural research to veterans health care, and from foreign aid to the infrastructure that supports our men and women in the Armed Forces.  While some members of the Committee had concerns about the overall spending levels in those bills or individual provisions within them, the Committee reported the measures by broad, bipartisan votes.  Those votes reflect the Committee’s collective belief that it has a fundamental responsibility each year to draft, debate, and report to the Senate its spending recommendations for the day-to-day operations of our government.

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Last week, our campaign staff headed out to Philadelphia, MS, for the annual Neshoba County Fair.  Wednesday and Thursday were filled with political candidates’ speeches, great food, and great fun.  We passed out several hundred Thad t-shirts, Thad fans, and even Thad bottled waters to help with the scorching heat.  Senator Cochran was scheduled to speak on Wednesday afternoon, but was unable to attend due to official Senate business.  However, Cochran prepared a statement that was read by a Fair Board member on his behalf.  Read his greetings below:

Statement of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran

“I deeply regreat that the U.S. Senate is meeting today and voting on federal legislation that is important to our State’s interests.

I have always enjoyed the opportunities I have had over the years of being in Neshoba County for the Fair.  The food is always good, and the hospitality is always abundant and warm, even hot sometimes.

The traditions of this fair and the reputation it has earned have attracted national leaders such as President Ronald Reagan.  I congratulate you on the great success the fair has enjoyed over the years, and I wish for you a very enjoyable time this year.

And, by the way, I am a candidate for re-election this year.  I ask for your vote and support.  I assure you I will do my best to make you proud that you have had a part in my re-election to the U.S. Senate.  Thank you.”

To view more photos of the fair, click here or visit our Events section.

Barbara Rooks-Jackson, Billy McBeath, and James Liddell hand out Thad Cochran campaign material at the Neshoba County Fair.