June 2, 2023

Friends,   

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

Fiscal Responsibility Act Vote

For months, Joe Biden refused to negotiate with House Republicans and repeatedly said he would only sign a debt limit increase that didn’t reduce spending or contain any conservative reforms. After months of work and with the support of the American people, House Republicans held the line and convinced him to do otherwise – at least a little. The Fiscal Responsibility Act caps spending, claws back unspent COVID funds, adds work requirements for welfare recipients, decreases funding for Biden’s IRS army, and reforms energy permitting for oil and gas projects in this country. While I would have preferred much steeper spending cuts, even stronger work requirements, and broader energy independence provisions, the legislation still represents the first year-over-year cut in discretionary spending since 1948 and contained some conservative policy wins.

Details on the Agreement

This deal claws back around $29 billion in “rescissions” from unspent taxpayer funds, mostly in leftover COVID spending accounts and some also from the IRS. That represents the largest rescission of previously approved spending in the nation’s history, larger than all previous rescission packages in our history combined. It expands work requirements for welfare programs like SNAP and TANF for able-bodied adults under 55, which should result in an increase in the labor participation rate, and, in turn, will increase our GDP, lessen government spending, and increase government revenues without raising taxes. There were also very important technical changes to tighten up how the work requirements are imposed on the states that will have positive budget impacts for federal taxpayers down the road.

The Act caps Fiscal Year 2024 spending with a slight cut from 2023, along with a shift from non-defense spending to defense spending around $28B. The bill then caps all spending for Fiscal Year 2025 with only 1% growth.

The legislation also contains an important provision from Congressman Thomas Massie that institutes an additional across-the-board 1% cut in discretionary spending in the event Congress does not follow the normal appropriations process. That should encourage Congress to do our work on time, rather than govern from one short-term spending bill to the next as we have seen so often in recent years.

Perhaps one of the most important parts of the legislation is what it does for energy policy. The legislation greenlights the Mountain Valley Pipeline (essentially the Keystone XL pipeline for the East Coast) by stopping the endless cycle of left-wing environmental lawsuits that have been slowing that project down. By connecting the West Virginia end (where the supply is) to the Southeast, we will be taking major steps toward solidifying our energy independence for years to come.  This is a very welcome change for our energy outlook as a state and country. South Carolina has been a powerhouse for manufacturing, and we have seen our economy flourish because of it. 

However, we are approaching our maximum natural gas pipeline capacity in the state, which has the potential to cost jobs and create blackouts. We caught a glimpse of how vulnerable our grid was this past Christmas when service was interrupted for nearly half a million residents. Without the energy infrastructure needed to deliver 24/7/365 baseload power to the state, our future and prosperity are at risk. Completing the Mountain Valley Pipeline will free up more gas in the current pipelines that will be able to power our homes and our businesses, with the promise of additional capacity in the future. As a leader on energy policy in the House, making this a reality has been a priority.

It’s also worth noting that the America-first energy provisions in the bill have made rush-to-green climate activists very angry. As Politico puts it, “Greenlighting the pipeline — a nonstarter for climate activists and their progressive allies — blindsided environmental groups and Democrats in Congress and undercut the administration’s talking points.”

Final Thoughts

I voted against the past six consecutive debt limit increases, so I understand exactly what is at stake for our nation if we don’t address spending. That’s why I struggled with this vote.

Ultimately, I had to ask myself one basic question: If I opposed this legislation, and it failed, what happens next, and would the outcome be better? If this legislation had failed, the only viable option I saw remaining before the government ran out of cash would give Biden an excuse to withhold Social Security and Medicare benefits to seniors and pressure Congress into passing a “clean” debt limit increase with no reforms or cuts. I didn’t want to see a “clean” debt ceiling bill go through and miss out on an opportunity to get some policy wins, even if they were modest ones. If I had seen an option that would have resulted in a different outcome, I would have followed it.

At the end of the day, I believe this legislation represents a step in the right direction, which is why after spending days wading through the information and disinformation surrounding the bill, I ultimately supported it along with other conservatives like Jim Jordan and Thomas Massie.

All told, this bill in total represents an improvement over the status quo: around $17B in upfront cuts to FY 2024 non-defense discretionary spending (even after the budget gimmicks) with a growth cap on FY2025 spending, $29 billion in rescissions, modest improvements to welfare work requirements, and progress towards energy independence. I’m not going to lie to you and say this bill will solve all of our nation’s problems. Again, if it were up to me, we would have made hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts.

Overall, the Fiscal Responsibility Act will help us regain our energy footing while taking a necessary step to rein in our national debt, ensure we have the means to achieve economic prosperity, and is an improvement over our current fiscal picture. While more work needs to be done to rein in government spending and overregulation, this is the right direction. I will continue fighting every day for more fiscal responsibility in Washington to get our country back on track. I hope this analysis was helpful in giving you insight into my decision-making on this difficult vote.

Standing for the Second Amendment

The Biden ATF’s pistol brace ban is now in effect for most Americans, making owning unregistered braced firearms a federal crime punishable with up to 10 years’ imprisonment, $10,000 in fines, or both. If you think this move is outrageous and blatantly unconstitutional, you’re absolutely right. The ATF’s new policy is an affront to the Second Amendment and our right to keep and bear arms. This would subject hundreds of thousands of Americans who own a braced firearm to felony charges if they fail to register or relinquish their pistol stabilizing brace.

I am fighting back against the Biden Administration’s latest “gun grab”. I am an original cosponsor of a resolution that would nullify the ATF’s rule on pistol braces. I have also introduced the NFA SBS Act as well as cosponsored the Home Defense and Competitive Shooting Act which would remove short-barreled shotguns and rifles from the NFA respectively, making the ATF rule moot. Click HERE for more information on this. 

Energy Security and Grid Reliability

Energy security is national security. On Fox News Special Reports with Bret Baier, we discussed the importance of grid reliability and pipeline permitting reform to address our country’s energy needs. Click HERE for this Fox segment and click HERE for the full article.

Honoring a Fallen American Hero

This Memorial Day, I was honored to participate in a Folds of Honor presentation in Greenwood to remember World War II hero Major Thomas Dry Howie, who gave his life in service to our country and was killed in action during the Battle of Normandy. Thank you to those who sacrificed for our nation—you are not forgotten.  

Legislative Action

I cosponsored H.R. 3741, Rep. Tracey Mann's bill to prohibit the Biden Administration from using taxpayer dollars to fund an abortion referral hotline.

In the District

Lieutenant Timothy Byrd of the Laurens County Sheriff's Office received the 2023 Laurens County Officer of the Year Award on May 24. Major Kevin Cox said Byrd is "a dedicated employee to this office, working hard to keep the community safe." 

Clemson's Valerie Cagle, a redshirt junior, was named the 2023 National Player of the Year on Tuesday. Cagle is also the reigning ACC Player of the Year and an All-ACC First Team member. 

Clemson University engineering students are developing new components and materials that could one day make fusion energy commercially possible. A number of Clemson's professors are leading student research programs and are making great strides in the field of fusion energy.  

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.