Last week, the House Appropriations Committee conducted our final budget hearings ahead of preparing our proposed spending bills for Fiscal Year 2024. My subcommittee assignments tackled four hearings, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

On Thursday, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee held a hearing to consider budget requests for the DEA. During the hearing, I blasted Administrator Milgram for the agency’s failure to curb the flow of deadly illicit drugs, such as fentanyl, from flooding communities across the country. As we all know, the Biden Administration’s open-border policies have emboldened dangerous drug cartels, significantly exacerbating the ongoing fentanyl crisis.

Unfortunately, DEA Administrator Milgram is distracted from preventing these lethal drugs from harming Americans, as she is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice Inspector General for allegedly awarding sole source, no-bid contracts that far exceed the cost of pay for government officials, as well as bypassing the traditional government hiring process. Due to these alarming allegations, I pressed Milgram on her relationship with several individuals who received lucrative no-bid contract deals from the DEA under her leadership.

Please click the video below to watch the full exchange.

FBI Director Wray also appeared before the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee last week. During my line of questioning, I questioned Director Wray on the FBI’s two-tiered system of justice in relation to the agency’s handling of classified documents for President Trump in comparison to President Biden. For example, I pressed Wray on the FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago, the Presidential Records Act, and the president’s authority to declassify documents. Additionally, I asked the Director about the firearms used in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, as this tragedy led to the now-blocked bump stock ban.

Watch my full line of questioning below.

As you may know, Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) is currently holding all Department of Defense (DOD) nominations until the Department rescinds its policy to facilitate taxpayer-funded abortions. Last week, I led 20 of my House Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Senate Republicans expressing our support for Sen. Tuberville's actions.

The Biden Administration’s obsession with weaponizing federal agencies — in this shameful case, the Department of Defense — to advance the evils of abortion is both immoral and unconstitutional. Secretary Austin should be purely focused on the DOD’s core mission of ensuring we maintain the most lethal military force in the world, not facilitating taxpayer-funded abortions. I’m proud to support Senator Tuberville’s fight to defend the precious unborn, uphold the Constitution, and protect taxpayer dollars, and I urge his Senate Republican colleagues to hold the line on this critical matter.

During a recent Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee hearing, two of our nation’s top public health officials gave severely misleading statements with regard to COVID-19. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director, Rochelle Walensky, delivered dishonest testimony when I pressed her on a previous statement she made about COVID transmission among vaccinated Americans. Director Walensky also attempted to discredit a study related to mask effectiveness, which found wearing face masks makes “little to no difference.” Additionally, Acting National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Director Lawrence Tabak testified that no taxpayer-funded gain-of-function research occurred at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) — contradicting his own previous admission that such research was conducted at the WIV.

Due to my concerns about these misleading statements, I recently wrote a letter requesting the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Pandemic to investigate the accuracy of these claims and to hold both Walensky and Tabak liable for any dishonest testimony. From mask and vaccine efficacy to the origins of COVID, government officials have knowingly spread falsehoods that have caused permanent damage to our nation and trust in its institutions. After years of deception, it’s time to deliver truth and accountability to the American people.

The tragic number of school shootings occurring across the country is simply heartbreaking. Yet if Congress is serious about preventing additional deadly attacks in classrooms, it needs to implement commonsense measures that ensure children are safe from armed intruders.

As a staunch defender of our constitutional right to keep and bear arms and an advocate for hardening our schools against violent criminals, I proudly became an original cosponsor of new legislation that addresses both of these goals. The Teachers Empowered Against Classroom Harm (TEACH) Act, introduced by Congressman Andy Ogles (R-TN), expands access to firearms for educators in order to properly protect their students. This bill redirects more than $27 million in funds appropriated to the Department of Education to a new voluntary grant program to provide defensive firearms training programs for teachers and school staff. Please know that I will continue supporting solutions that protect students and preserve Americans’ Second Amendment freedoms.

Rep. Clyde: Promising Debt Ceiling Proposal Now In Hands Of Biden, Moderates Finally Awaken

After two weeks in Washington, I’m excited to be back in Northeast Georgia to meet with constituents and visit local businesses to learn more about their operations. Additionally, on Monday, I honored the Ninth District’s Class of 2027 service academy nominees and celebrated their tremendous appointments with their families, friends, and mentors. I look forward to sharing more about this exciting reception with you next week.

For regular updates on the week ahead, please follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Gettr, and Twitter. Have a blessed week!