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. 

Save the Date: Salute to Veterans Ceremony

On Friday, November 3 at 6:30 pm, I will be hosting an event called Salute to Veterans in San Tan Valley. Salute to Veterans will express appreciation for America’s servicemembers and their sacrifices to our great nation. All are welcome to join in the celebration.

Please RSVP with the QR code or with this link. Spread the word and we hope to see you there!

Recap: This Week’s Impeachment Inquiry Hearing

Yesterday, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held its first hearing to lay out to the American people the justification for the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Despite several political stunts by the Democrats designed to stall the hearing and distract the public, Committee Republicans established that initial evidence supports the impeachment inquiry, allegations of bribery are well-founded, and Joe Biden abused his power to cover up his and Hunter Biden’s misdeeds.  

There is a clear distinction between the Democrats’ treatment of impeachment as a political punishment and Republicans’ use of impeachment to address criminal offenses. While Vice President, Joe Biden allowed his access to be peddled to corrupt foreign entities and used his political influence to benefit his son’s business dealings.  

To date, the House Oversight Committee’s investigation has uncovered the following:  

• Hunter Biden’s influence peddling schemes were centered on selling the “Biden Brand.” 
  
• Under oath, Hunter’s former business partner Devon Archer confirmed that Joe Biden is the “Biden Brand.” 
  
• Bank records have confirmed that Biden family members and their associates received at least $24 million from foreign sources from 2014 to 2019.  
  
• This includes two bank records released this week which show payments from Chinese Communist Party-linked companies sent to Hunter Biden at Joe Biden’s Wilmington, DE home in 2019.  
  
• Despite his lies to the American people, Joe Biden knew about, and participated in, Hunter Biden’s business dealings. Joe Biden participated in at least 20 dinners and phone calls with Hunter’s associates, including while he was serving as Vice President and was involved in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy.  
  
• President Biden’s administration has obstructed the criminal investigations of his son Hunter. Biden Justice Department officials blocked investigators from pursuing leads that could implicate President Biden in his son’s criminality, and have impeded efforts to prosecute Hunter, including by tipping off Hunter’s attorneys about the impending execution of a search warrant.  
  

Yesterday’s witnesses confirmed that the House has gathered enough evidence to support moving forward with an impeachment inquiry. This process provides the House additional tools to continue investigating these serious crimes.     

The bottom line is that we have evidence of corruption, bribery, influence peddling, and abuse of power. All of these are impeachable offenses. All other evidence moving forward will strengthen our case. 

The Oversight Committee will continue its investigative work to ensure that justice is delivered as swiftly as possible. 

Appropriations Fight in Washington Update

As I am writing this newsletter, Congress has still not come together to pass the 12 appropriations bills to fund the federal government for Fiscal Year 2024 before tomorrow’s September 30th deadline. House Republican Leadership had 10 months to pass these appropriations bills but failed to do so. I cannot in good faith support any continuing resolution as it only continues the DC Cartel’s wild spending spree amid our $33 trillion of national debt. Congress has passed roughly 130 continuing resolutions in the past 25 years, undermining the Budget Control Act of 1974. That’s unacceptable. 

On a positive note, the House passed three individual appropriations bills for the first time in a long time late last night. These bills fund the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and State and Foreign Operations. I voted for these bills as they address items like defunding the World Health Organization, protecting veterans’ healthcare, and securing our southern border.

This brings our total individual appropriations bills passed to 4 for FY24 and these bills account for nearly three-quarters of the total discretionary spending in our budget. 

While this is a good start, the Senate must pass and the President must sign these bills before tomorrow for them to take effect, which is unlikely. 

What is likely is that appropriation for roughly 30 percent of the federal government will be paused tomorrow at midnight. Despite mainstream media fearmongering, the vast majority of the federal government will continue to operate Here is what will continue to be open during any appropriations lapse:

• Social Security
  
• Medicare and Medicaid
  
• Veterans’ programs
  
• Air traffic control and TSA
  
• Military operations and diplomacy
  
• U.S. Postal Service
  
• Law enforcement
  

These negotiations remain very fluid and could move quickly. I will keep you all posted.

Holding DHS and Secretary Mayorkas Accountable

I introduced an amendment via the Holman Rule that defunds Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s salary to $0. Secretary of Mayorkas remains in dereliction of his duties for his refusal to secure the southern border and enforce our immigration laws. Since he won’t resign and my GOP colleagues won’t impeach him, this is the next logical step. The House passed my amendment by voice. 

The House also passed my amendment to defund Biden’s ludicrous Public Charge rule, which allows immigrants to benefit from taxpayer-funded programs. And my amendment to prohibit TSA from imposing vaccine and mask mandates for travelers.

Fighting Against Funding for Ukraine

I introduced an amendment that would have cut $300 million in funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative in the Fiscal Year 2024 Defense Appropriations Bill. 

Currently, the United States has committed over $113 billion in military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to protect Ukraine’s border, but not funding for a border wall to protect our own citizens from the fentanyl pouring across our Southern Border that is killing over 290 Americans daily and the trafficking that the Mexican cartels are engaging in.

With no end in sight, we cannot continue to fund a war where there has been no strategy provided or even an update on the status of the war in Ukraine. We have no assurance on whether we will be repaid or how these funds are being used.

Unfortunately, most of my colleagues in the Republican conference rejected my amendment. However,  the funding was subsequently removed from the Defense bill so the House could consider it as a standalone bill. It disappointingly passed, but it’s now clear who supports funding another never-ending war versus taking care of American needs at home.  

Click below to watch some of my remarks about how my other amendments rein in federal spending amid our record $33 trillion in national debt:

Meeting with Ecuadorian President on Cartel Violence

I spoke with Ecuadorian President Lasso at Congress’s new task force to combat Mexican cartels. 

These cartels create instability and violence in Ecuador, which drives illegal immigration into the United States and further strengthens the illicit drug trade.

It was a pleasure hosting President Lasso and I look forward to working with him on border security issues. 

House Judiciary Committee Activity

The House Judiciary Committee held a field hearing in Chicago titled ‘Victims of Violent Crime in Chicago.’ My colleagues and I heard testimony from witnesses who have been negatively impacted by Chicago’s pro-crime, anti-victim policies. Chicago’s rampant crime and lawlessness stems from its local, Democrat leaders who do not enforce the law and release dangerous criminals on their streets. 

Click the image below to listen to some of my opening remarks from the forum:

Bills Cosponsored

• H.R. 5508 - Respect for the Second Amendment Act (Rep. Pfluger)
• H.R. 5767 - No Gun Rights Infringement Sham Act (No GRISHAM) Act (Rep. Mooney)
• H.R. 5791 - Define the Mission Act (Rep. Davidson)  
• H.R. 5802 - the Employee Business Expense Deduction Reinstatement Act (Rep. Grothman)

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 Arthel Neville with Fox News to preview the first Impeachment Inquiry hearing into Joe Biden. Click below to watch some of the segment: 

I joined Dan Ball with One America News to discuss the lawless Biden Regime and the importance of using the budget to defund their priorities. Click below to watch some of the segment: 

Top Op-Eds of the Week

This week, I wrote a number of op-eds arguing why Congress should have passed its 12 appropriations bills before its September 30 deadline and why we must have a federal spending pause to save our nation. Check them out below!

Newsweek: Years of Leadership Failures Are Real Reason for Washington Spending Crisis

Townhall: Why A Continuing Resolution Puts America on a Suboptimal Path

Washington Times: Congress Attempts to Provide Aid and Comfort to the Biden Regime

Daily Caller: Congress Can’t Continue The Budget Insanity. We’re Standing Against A Continuing Resolution

Tweet of the Week 

What's the Biggs Idea Podcast w/ Reps. Gaetz, Rosendale, and Crane

This afternoon, Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Matt Rosendale (R-MT), and Eli Crane (R-AZ) joined me on another edition of the What’s the Biggs Idea podcast. We discussed why passage of a continuing resolution to fund the federal government is unacceptable and contrary to the Budget Control Act of 1974. Every year, Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the federal government but it continues to fail. Even though the DC Uniparty is scaring Americans about a so-called government shutdown, the brief lapse in appropriations is really a pause in non-essential government spending. We’ll be posting more episodes soon. 

Click the image below to watch a recap of the podcast: 

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.