Last week was a busy and important one in Washington. While health care dominated the news and much of the national debate, there were many other things going on in Congress in the shadow of that one important issue.

For me, last week began with a trip to Afghanistan to get a first-hand operational assessment from our military leaders, and to visit our troops. It was important for me to be able to directly see what they are facing and to hear what the commanders on the ground think of our efforts there.

During the trip, we visited Kandahar Air Field, Bagram Air Base, Camp Bastion, Camp Leatherneck and Patrol Base Jaker-Nawa. I was able to spend some time with our troops from Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne, and talk with Major General Michael Scaparrotti.

Our military leaders say they need more troops to be successful in their mission. I believe it is important for us to provide the military leaders with more troops to protect U.S. interests and to fight terrorism. We must be firm that this be done with the goal of bringing this war to an end sooner, not later, while not losing sight of the many priorities here at home where our resources are needed.

We received good news that the Federal Trade Commission has agreed to my request to investigate the CVS-Caremark merger. CVS-Caremark announced in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it is the subject of an FTC nonpublic investigation. This is a major step to resolving the concerns of many constituents and local pharmacies who feel they have been wronged by unfair and anti-competitive business practices after the merger of the retail pharmacy giant and the largest pharmacy benefits manager.

I joined Congressman Etheridge to sponsor a bill to help the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville. It would allow the Airborne and Special Operations Museum Foundation to financially support the activities of the museum through fundraising, a statutory benefit that is enjoyed by other facilities nationwide that are associated with the U.S. Army Historical Foundation.

We were all saddened by the violence at Fort Hood. I participated in a House Armed Services briefing not only on what happened at Fort Hood, but also about how best to learn from what went wrong so we can do all we can to prevent a similar tragedy from happening in the future.

I sponsored an amendment to the Chemical Safety bill which passed the House on Thursday. The amendment aids the agriculture industry by perfecting the language on a study already authorized in the bill. This study examines the impact of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act, which sets forth provisions governing the regulations of security at chemical facilities, on farmers, ranchers and farm supply providers.

I advised Energy Secretary Chu regarding my concern that American Recovery and Reinvestment funds are going to China’s energy sector instead of ours. We must concentrate on strengthening our own economy and energy sector. I also sent a letter to Vice President Biden on rural access to the ARRA funding and what is still available for our rural communities.

My office has received numerous complaints regarding the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville. Earlier this year, I asked the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to open a Congressional Inquiry into the facility. Last week, there was a meeting about what was being done to address concerns about the facility. I am encouraged that we are moving in the right direction to correct this problem for our veterans who are served by the hospital in Fayetteville.

I don't talk often enough about what our caseworkers do. This week they helped dozens and dozens of folks, as they do every week. Some successes for this week included helping a veteran receive hearing aids; getting Medicare to cover previously denied medical equipment; and working with the VA to approve someone for individual unemployability certification. They were also able to help a veteran get approval for medical care; assist with several Social Security Administration cases that got thousands of dollars in benefits for folks; and helped to facilitate a foreign adoption by an American family of a disabled child.

We also received a positive shot in the arm for the economy in the Eighth District with the announcement that Richmond Specialty Yarns, LLC will expand its operation in Ellerbe, creating 135 new jobs and retaining 140 existing jobs. Hopefully, this is just the start of some positive news in the textile industry as we continue to work to enforce Buy American provisions and do all we can to promote the manufacturing of more goods made right here at home.

So while last week's news out of Washington, as it so often does, focused on one major issue, many other important things took place that I felt you should know about. And while there is no doubt that the Health Care issue will continue to be at the forefront of our national debate and media coverage, I thought it was important to let you know that our office continues to do necessary work on a wide range of other issues that affect your lives, and the future of our nation.