June 30, 2023

Friends,   

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

This week, we have celebrated countless wins in opinions handed down by the Supreme Court regarding First Amendment freedoms, ordering the Biden Administration to cease their unconstitutional student loan bailouts and ending the bigoted, race-based admissions preferences for colleges. It’s great to see a Supreme Court that rules based on the Constitution and not feelings or extra-Constitutional personal beliefs.

Supreme Court Upholds Religious Freedom

In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, the Supreme Court prohibited Colorado from forcing a website designer to create expressive designs with messages with which the designer disagrees. I joined an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in 2021 on this important case asking the Court to protect religious freedom. Today, I celebrate with Lorie Smith of 303 Creative in having her rights upheld and the impact this ruling will have on all believers moving forward.

The First Amendment is designed to protect people of faith’s ability to live out their beliefs in their day-to-day lives. This ruling reaffirms that the government has no right to coerce anyone to violate a deeply held religious belief. Colorado’s blatant attempt to impose laws that demean and discriminate against people of faith is a clear violation of our First Amendment freedoms and cannot stand.

Supreme Court Ends Unconstitutional Student Loan Bailout Scheme

In Biden v. Nebraska, the Supreme Court held that the Secretary of Education does not have authority under the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003 to establish a student loan forgiveness program. The unconstitutional Biden student loan bailout could have cost up to $980 Billion in unauthorized taxpayer spending, and there was never a legitimate justification for the government to transfer wealth from people who pay their own debts to those who do not.

In February, I led an amicus brief to the Supreme Court with Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx asking the Court to strike down Joe Biden’s unconstitutional student loan bailout scheme, and I’m pleased the Supreme Court saw this for the lawless overreach it is and struck down the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional student loan bailout program. The Biden Administration should face punitive sanctions from Congress for attempting to enact such a clearly unconstitutional initiative.

SCOTUS Strikes Down Affirmative Action

Thanks to the Supreme Court’s excellent Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College ruling this week, students will now be empowered to pursue academic excellence regardless of their ethnicity. The decision prohibits schools from violating the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment by using race as a factor in admissions. 

I applaud the Supreme Court for doing away with racial preferences in academic admissions. Racism is wrong in every form. Instituting preferences to disadvantage people of any ethnicity by denying them access to educational opportunities is antithetical to our Constitutional freedoms. I’m glad the Court saw through the façade of the racist Left and eliminated these bigoted policies.

Restoring America's Nuclear Energy Leadership          

It's crucial that we restore America's nuclear energy leadership for our global competitiveness, national defense, and energy future. Check out my latest op-ed on why advancing nuclear energy is so important for our energy security and national security. Click HERE for my recent op-ed in Newsweek on restoring America's nuclear energy leadership.

Protecting Children's Innocence 

Radical leftists marched the streets of New York this weekend chanting, "we're here, we're queer, and we're coming for your children." The aggressive nature of the Left's radical LGBT agenda is coming after our kids, and I am fighting against this radicalization in Congress through legislation like the Protect Children's Innocence Act, which prohibits destructive "gender-affirming" surgeries, procedures, and medication from being performed or administered to minors. Click HERE to check out my op-ed from last year on the Left’s destructive trend of grooming kids and our commitment to protecting children. 

Honoring the Congressional Art Competition Winner 

Last week, I met with Natalie of Wren High School and her family in Washington to congratulate her for winning our 2023 Congressional Art Competition for her "King of the Jungle" artwork. I'm proud to have Natalie's piece representing South Carolina's 3rd District in the Capitol! Great work!

Operation 85 and USS Arizona 

My office recently met with representatives from Operation 85, an important initiative aimed at identifying the remains of the 85 or more unrecovered crew members of the battleship USS Arizona who were removed from the ship and are currently buried in “unknown” commingled graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Among those still unidentified are nine South Carolinians who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. If you are among the family members of these heroes or know someone who may be, please reach out to my office directly for assistance in contacting the Service Casualty Office (SCO) through the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website. If one of the names seems familiar, would you help me to locate the family of these heroes? For a full list of those awaiting identification or for more information, click HERE to visit the Operation 85 website. Here is a list of the South Carolinians who have yet to be identified: 

S1C Henry Lloyd Lee, Conway, SC

CM3C Wayne Alman Lewis, Arcadia, SC

S2C John Morgan Meares, Greenville, SC

S1C Douglas Carlton Moore, Anderson, SC

SF3C James Carlton Moore, Anderson, SC

FC2C James Garland Nations, Pickens, SC

S1C Broadus Franklin West, Simpsonville, SC

S1C Vernon Russell White, Spartanburg, SC

RM3C Jack Herman Williams, Columbia, SC

Celebrating Our Nation's Independence 

247 years ago, our nation was founded on the belief that all are created equal with unalienable rights given to by our Creator. On Independence Day, we celebrate the greatest country in the world and the people that make her great. God Bless America, and Have a Blessed Independence Day!

Legislative Action

I cosponsored H.R. 4321, Rep. Brian Babin’s bill to ban the use of federal funds to bail out or assist any local or state government with laws that provide reparations for slavery.

I cosponsored H.R. 4316, Rep. Gary Palmer’s bill to allow states to require proof of citizenship for mail-in votes by amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.

I cosponsored H.R. 4300, Rep. August Pfluger’s bill to clarify that the President is unable to use climate change as reasoning to declare a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act, major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, or public health emergency under the Public Health Service Act. 

I cosponsored H.R. 4299, Rep. Andrew Ogles’ There are Two Sexes Act of 2023, which would ban the use of federal funds to support forms that offer an option other than male or female to reference the sex of an individual.

I cosponsored H.R. 4298, Rep. Andrew Ogles’ Keep Our Kids Safe Act of 2023 to ban the use of federal funds to support public elementary and secondary schools that facilitate or host sexualized performances.

In the District

Last week, Hunter Tyson became the first Clemson Tiger selected in the NBA Draft since 2017 and was picked 37th overall by Oklahoma City Thunder. Last season, Tyson saw his first career All-ACC honor. This season, Tyson held several team best averages, and he was named the 2023 ACC Skip Prosser Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He is in the top 40 for the rankings of all former Clemson basketball players by career points scored.

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.