Judging by the relentlessly negative headlines, you’d think nothing is being achieved in Washington.

With so many distractions and distortions, the country’s attention is constantly diverted away from Congress and President Trump’s accomplishments. Some would suggest the national media are trying to undermine President Trump and Congress’s agenda.

So, let’s take a look at the facts: Since Trump’s election more than 800,000 jobs have been created and consumer confidence is hovering at its highest level in over a decade. The stock market, which is a good indicator of optimism about the economy, has created more than $4 trillion in wealth for investors and pensions. Not a bad start for just six months, but is the national media reporting it?

And what about the fact that the House of Representatives has passed more than 270 bills this year, more than the first six months of President Obama and the five presidents who preceded him? Among them are substantive bills on major issues from health care to regulatory reform to immigration. Next, the House will continue its work to fix the broken federal tax code and increase investment in infrastructure. While many of these House-passed bills are being held hostage by obstructionism in the Senate, Congress is still having success.

For example, the coal industry spent the last eight years being battered by excessive regulations, causing massive job losses and decimating communities. President Trump promised to end the War on Coal and, working with allies here in Congress, we’ve done just that.

One of the first bills President Trump signed cancelled a regulation that would have blocked access to nearly 85 percent of America’s coal reserves. This would have been a death knell to an already struggling industry. As a lead sponsor of the bill, I was proud to stand in the White House with dozens of miners as the president overturned the regulation. This was just one of 14 devastating regulations — from energy to education — issued by President Obama in the closing days of his term that have now been reversed by congressional action.

In early May, Congress also passed a bipartisan bill protecting the health benefits of retired coal miners and their families from the effects of company bankruptcies in the industry. After working on this for six years, it was especially rewarding to finally give those 22,000 retirees some peace of mind. Our Pension Caucus is now looking at solutions for other troubled pension plans.

But our focus has not been limited to coal miners and energy issues. Last month, with bipartisan support, Congress passed major reforms to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that will help ensure our veterans get the care they deserve and need. Yet you probably didn’t hear much about this in the media.

In June, the House passed a bill to rein in Dodd-Frank financial regulations, end taxpayer bailouts of Wall Street banks, and give relief to local banks and credit unions so families and small businesses will have access to capital again. Since Dodd-Frank was imposed, one community bank or credit union closed every day on average. Hopefully, our bill will reverse this trend.

On immigration, the House recently passed two bills to crack down on dangerous sanctuary city policies and increase penalties for unlawful immigrants who are deported and then return to America.

Combatting the drug epidemic that is ravaging our communities has been another priority for Congress. Last year, Congress was able to pass bipartisan programs for the prevention and treatment of drug addiction. In the House alternative to Obamacare, we allocated over $15 billion to fight the scourge of drug abuse.

The House and the president have also taken steps to lower drug prices, clean up contaminated industrial sites, invest in drinking water infrastructure, and reform the GI Bill to help the men and women who have bravely served our country.

Look, we know there is still much more work to be done for hard-working families across our country. Big issues like fixing the collapsing health care system, reforming the broken tax code, and modernizing our infrastructure won’t get done overnight, and, as we’ve seen so far, the process will be hotly debated.

Those who want to preserve the status quo hope we don’t succeed. But this Republican government is about tackling the tough problems head on and rocking the boat.

So, despite what the protestors and media would have you believe, know that Congress is working with President Trump, keeping our promises and giving hope to the American people. You shouldn’t ignore the results we’re delivering on a more robust economy, energy, regulatory reform, drug pricing, veterans, immigration, opioids and much more. That’s just the beginning. We’re not finished yet.

Guest columnist McKinley serves in the U.S. House of Representatives from the First District of West Virginia. He resides in Wheeling.