The Week in Review 

Happy Friday!

I hope you had a wonderful week. I am grateful to serve you all in the 118th Congress. Read below to see what I’ve been working on this week. 

Calling For Accountability Within the Department of Homeland Security 

This week, I sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to demand answers about the rampant dismissal of illegal immigration cases under his leadership. In FY22, ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) moved to dismiss or administratively close nearly 92,000 immigration removal cases. 

Secretary Mayorkas continues to show the American people that he is unfit to carry out the responsibilities of his office. Every day that Mayorkas remains in office, America becomes less safe. I am grateful to my colleagues for their support on this letter, and I look forward to the accountability that it will bring.

Cosigners of the letter are: Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Ronny L. Jackson (R-TX), Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Rep. John Rose (R-TN), Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), and Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA).

The letter may be read here.

House Judiciary Committee Activity

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified before the House Committee on the Judiciary in its hearing titled “Oversight of the United States Department of Homeland Security.”

Secretary Mayorkas is responsible for the Biden Administration’s failed immigration policies. He refuses to secure our nation’s border and instead implements far-left policies aimed at abolishing immigration enforcement. Open-border policies have led to record-high numbers of illegal alien encounters along our southern border. Since Joe Biden took office, there have been more than 5.6 million illegal alien encounters and more than 1.5 million known “gotaways.”

The border crisis is a direct result of ending effective policies implemented by President Trump. The dismantling of immigration enforcement and removal of effective deterrents has encouraged wide scale illegal immigration. Under the Biden Administration, there have now been 29 straight months with more than 100,000 encounters at the southern border. 

I questioned Secretary Mayorkas on whether he or Joe Biden is responsible for the implementation of disastrous immigration policies. He refused to answer because he knows that he is to blame for the border crisis. I was the first Representative to call for the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas, and my sentiment has not changed. DHS must be held accountable and Mayorkas must be impeached for his complete disregard for the crisis at our southern border. 

Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing:

I chaired the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance hearing titled “Oversight of the Drug Enforcement Administration.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is responsible for investigating both domestic and international criminal organizations that seek to move illicit drugs into the United States. Last year alone, however, nearly 110,000 Americans tragically died of a drug overdose. Overdose has become the leading cause of death in Americans ages 18 to 45, and the problem is only getting worse.

I spoke with Anne Milgram, the Administrator of the DEA, about the devastating impact of the drug crisis on American citizens. She explained the DEA’s role in interdicting drugs at ports of entry and the need to target the international criminal cartels if we are serious about stopping the flow of these poisons into the United States. What she and countless other Biden Administration officials refuse to acknowledge is the fact that our nation’s border is wide open. We have no way of knowing how many thousands of pounds of fentanyl are being smuggled into our country between ports of entry. The federal government must acknowledge its shortcomings and work overtime to ensure that American citizens are protected.

I also questioned Administrator Milgram about her record of reportedly awarding millions of dollars no-bid DEA contracts to her friends instead of allowing them to go through the public bidding process. I will continue to monitor her record of impropriety and corruption to ensure that those who enforce our laws are following them. 

Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing:

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Activity

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing titled “Oversight and Reauthorization of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.”

Fentanyl is flowing into our communities at an alarming rate and is leading to historically high levels of drug overdose deaths. Last year, nearly 110,000 Americans tragically lost their lives to a drug overdose. The Biden Administration’s border crisis has strengthened drug cartel operations and has jeopardized our ability to intercept and disrupt the flow of narcotics coming across the southern border. Congress has a responsibility to conduct oversight over the U.S. government’s efforts to prevent these tragic deaths and ensure that taxpayer-funded programs are meeting their objectives. 

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) was formed with the mission to coordinate a government-wide effort to combat the loss of life and human misery caused by illicit narcotics. Congress must ensure that ONDCP is using all possible authorities and resources to fight the ongoing opioid crisis.  

While I appreciate that ONDCP Director Rahul Gupta has spent time along the border, he, and the rest of the Biden Administration, fail to recognize the methods employed by the cartels to traffick illegal narcotics into the interior of the United States. In one week in the Tucson sector alone, there were over 9,000 apprehensions. This number does not account for the illegal alien gotaways and illicit drugs flowing into our nation in between ports of entry. I urged my colleagues and Director Gupta to recognize the reality that our wide open border is allowing the ongoing drug crisis to persist. 

Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing:

The House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs held a hearing titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency.”

The lack of transparency surrounding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) has eroded public trust in the institutions that are meant to serve and protect the American people.

Our witnesses, all former military leaders with direct encounters with UAPs or service on the Pentagon’s UAP Task Force, discussed the consequences of the lack of transparency regarding UAPs. Federal agencies have poor or non-functioning internal reporting processes for military and commercial air pilots who encounter UAPs. The pilots who have reported UAP encounters have faced severe retaliation that damaged both their professional careers and their personal lives. The subcommittee members and I called for a more streamlined reporting process to reestablish trust in the agencies meant to protect Americans.

Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing:

Legislation and Letters

Bills Cosponsored:

• H.R. 4707 - To prohibit expending Federal funds for the Special Counsel's Office of John L. Smith.
• H.R. 4427 - To withhold Federal highway funds from States that provide driver's licenses or identification cards to aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States.
• H.Res. 628 - Eliminating the Office of Diversity and Inclusion of the House of Representatives.
• H.R. 4869 - Migrant Child Safety Act.
• H.R. 4864 - End Birthright Citizenship Fraud Act of 2023.
• H.R. 4848 - Censorship Accountability Act.
• H.Res. 627 - Condemning the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the massacre of political prisoners in 1988 and uprisings of recent years, including the 2018, 2018, and 2022 uprisings, calling for justice for its victims.  

Letters Led:

• Letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Immigration Removal Case Dismissals

Letters Cosigned:

• Rep. Scott Fitzgerald - Letter to FTC Chair Khan on Unsuccessful Merger Challenges

Alien Invasion Border Documentary

Check out my border documentary titled Alien Invasion. The 30-minute documentary features footage from private ranches along the border, the Darien Gap in Panama, and interviews with members of Congress, Border Patrol, local and state law enforcement, and much more. It addresses how President Biden’s border crisis began, its consequences, and solutions to address the crisis.  

The border documentary may be watched here.

Top Media Appearances of the Week

I joined Benny Johnson on The Benny Show to talk about the latest on the investigation into the Biden Family Crime Syndicate. Click below to watch some of the segment:

I joined The Absolute Truth with Emerald Robinson to discuss the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). Click below to watch some of the segment:

I joined KVOI-AM Radio’s Chris D. to talk about Secretary Mayorkas’s border crisis and his refusal to take accountability. Click below to watch some of the segment:

Tweet of the Week 

Honoring Army Veteran Roy Coulson

This week, Team Biggs had the honor of presenting Ret. Colonel Roy Coulson with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition for his service to our country. Colonel Coulson earned numerous awards and decorations, most notably the Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal. We thank Colonel Coulson for his many years of service.

Constituent Services 

Flags
Would you like to purchase a flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol? Flags flown over the Capitol include a certificate, which may be personalized for a particular person, event, or organization. Click here to learn more about purchasing a flag.

Internships
If you or someone you know is interested in completing an internship in either my Mesa or Washington, D.C. office, they can apply directly on my website. 

Help With a Federal Agency 
If you can’t get an answer from a federal agency in a timely fashion, or if you feel you have been treated unfairly, my office may be able to help resolve a problem or get you the information you need. For example, my office routinely helps constituents with issues involving the Veterans Administration, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the State Department, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  You can learn more by visiting my website.

Click here to find out more information about my office’s services. 

Tours and Tickets

Interested in touring the White House or U.S. Capitol? As constituents of the Fifth Congressional District, you may request tickets and tours for various Washington D.C. destinations from my office. 

All tickets are provided to constituents on a first-come, first-served basis, so request tickets early.

Click here for more information.