April 7, 2023

Friends,   

I hope you and your family are well! I wanted to provide you with a few updates regarding what’s going on –

Shrink Washington to Grow America

Our nation has maxed out on our credit card and is essentially going to the bank to increase the credit limit. With over $31 Trillion in debt, we can’t continue the out-of-control spending spree sending us further into a debt spiral. At the Energy and Commerce Committee Oversight hearing last week, I asked hard questions about the reckless government spending imposed by the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act.” It’s time we rein in reckless federal government spending, and the best way to grow the economy is to shrink Washington. Click HERE for my remarks on this. 

Rules for the Road for NIL in College Sports 

I love college sports (especially college football), and I'm proud to represent Clemson University in South Carolina’s Third District, home to the 1981, 2016, and 2018 College Football National Champions. In recent years, the Name, Image, and Likeness issue has changed the landscape of college athletics, and I’ve worked in close collaboration with Clemson, Carolina, and other NCAA member schools from across the state on this issue. It’s important for us to create a national standard to protect all college athletes and the integrity of college sports. Click HERE for my remarks on this. 

Commending New Generator Safety Rules

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) unanimously voted to pass new generator safety rules this week. The carbon monoxide emissions from these generators have been silent killers, and I am glad to see that the Commission has worked so hard to create a standard to address this grave risk. I led legislation last Congress with then-Congressman Bobby Rush  that would have mandated these rules go into effect, and a mandatory standard is necessary to ensure that this life-saving technology is available to all Americans who buy generators. I look forward to working with the CPSC to bring this new standard to a final rule, which will result in saved lives. Click HERE for more information on this. 

Chinese Spy Balloon and China's Malign Activities

This week, senior officials confirmed to NBC what we all expected about China’s spy balloon. Despite the Biden Administration's insistence that they “were able to protect sensitive areas against collection,” recent reports confirmed that the balloon captured and transmitted intelligence data on our nuclear sites and military installations back to Beijing in real time.
The American people deserve to know the extent of China’s malign activities within our own country and the obfuscation and lies of this Administration only serve to further embolden Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party. My Republican colleagues will hold this Administration accountable to combat the CCP and prevent future national security breaches from happening. Click HERE for more information on this. 

"Appropriations Season" Explained

I wanted to take an opportunity to let you know some of the systems we have in place in the House of Representatives, and how we’re working on trying to fix the out-of-control spending in Washington. Reminder: our national debt now stands at $31.6 trillion – it is past time to deal with spending before considering any kind of increase to the nation’s debt limit.
The last two weeks of March have become “Appropriations Submissions” season on Capitol Hill.

Every year, special interest lobbyists descend on Congress asking for money for their favored line items. Some of these items are good and necessary things; many are less so. Many Members of Congress focus their “appropriations submissions” – which really amount to letters to the Appropriations Committee begging for more money – on these special items.

This year, knowing that the debt limit is looming and that Congress voted last year to increase spending by yet another $131 billion (which I voted against), a number of us got together and decided to ask for something different this time around.

So, for Fiscal Year 2024, we decided to put our efforts together to ask the Appropriations Committee to do just that: cut spending. We found a series of cuts we could agree on and sent letters to the Appropriations Committee demanding programs be partially cut or eliminated entirely. Many of these programs fall into the “Woke and Weaponized” category: elimination of so-called “DEI” departments (Diversity/Equity/Inclusion programs that are just regurgitated Marxism by another name); cuts to the NIH, CDC, and FBI until they change their ways; cuts to foreign aid; and elimination of “Green New Deal” items.

There are also “policy riders” that we ask for in Submissions season – things like the Hyde Amendment, to ensure that the longstanding prohibition on tax-funded abortions remains intact. In addition to the Hyde Amendment letter, I also asked for language to stop the State Department from funding drag shows, end government funding for Critical Race Theory-based programs, stop funds from going to sanctuary cities, and stop funds from going to “unauthorized” programs – programs whose legal authorities have expired, yet live on as line items in never-ending spending bills.

In total this year, I submitted 195 requests to the Appropriations Committee before their deadlines. If they follow those cuts, we would get most of the way to the $131 billion we need to cut to roll back spending to the FY2022 levels without touching national defense, Social Security, or Medicare. Now we need to get our house in order: pass these cuts, end government involvement in many of these areas, and get at least that much closer to balancing our budget.

Washington Meeting Wrap-up

Melody and I had the opportunity to meet with Wes and Jill of Haven of Rest Ministries in Anderson, a Bible-based discipleship program that helps men and women who are dealing with life-dominating problems related to addiction and homelessness last week. I also met with the Pickens Regional Joint Water System to discuss the drinking water needs of Pickens County, including the cities of Pickens, Easley, Central, Six Mile, and Liberty, as well as meeting with University of South Carolina President Dr. Michael Amiridis to discuss what's in store for the university in the coming year and the role that South Carolina can play in the next generation of nuclear power generation.

The Importance of Developing a Reliable Energy Highway

We're in dire need of increasing our pipeline infrastructure, and it's essential that we create a safe and reliable energy highway for domestic natural gas to travel. Click HERE to check out my recent blog post for the Congressional Western Caucus on the importance of developing a reliable energy highway.

2023 Congressional Art Competition

If you're a high school student in South Carolina's Third District and would like your artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol, I encourage you to enter the 2023 Congressional Art Competition! The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 and allows Members of Congress to showcase the artistic talent of students across the country. Click HERE for more information.

Finally, let me wish you a Happy Easter. Today is Good Friday, the day we Christians remember the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as we prepare for Sunday when we celebrate His glorious Resurrection that brings us salvation. He is Risen, indeed! Have a blessed Easter weekend. 

1 Peter 2:24- "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." 

It is an honor to serve the Third District of South Carolina. Should you or your family need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact my office directly.