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!

Kevin McCarthy Ousted as House Speaker

The House of Representatives voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker this week. I joined seven of my patriot Republican colleagues to remove former Speaker McCarthy through the House’s motion to vacate rule.

The motion to vacate allows any member of the House to call for a vote to remove a speaker, and requires a simple majority of the House to pass. The motion to vacate has been a part of the House’s rules since 1837, and could be offered by any member until Speaker Pelosi raised the threshold in 2019 to protect her own power. The rule was restored in January to ensure the House could hold the Speaker accountable.

While I did not support McCarthy’s bid for Speaker in January, one of the core agreements in his election was to rein in spending, pass the required 12 appropriations bills through regular order, and fight against the use of yet another irresponsible continuing resolution to fund the government. Instead, he negotiated away the House’s leverage in the debt ceiling debate, ultimately removing the nation’s debt limit altogether and accelerating America over the edge of the fiscal cliff. When finally starting the FY24 appropriations process, Speaker McCarthy reneged on the agreed upon topline spending amount of $1.471 trillion - which I stated repeatedly was still too high - to fight for even higher spending. His stubbornness delayed the House’s consideration of any of the 12 bills and ultimately resulted in a continuing resolution that furthered the Biden-Schumer-Pelosi spending levels. 

Speaker McCarthy failed to demonstrate himself as an effective leader and as someone who has the ability to change the status quo.

We had given Kevin McCarthy too many chances. We could no longer wait for him to correct course.

Contrary to what the DC Cartel cries, the House is not in chaos. The motion to vacate process was done by the rules and was done to better prioritize the American people. The House is still in regular order and committee work will continue. I look forward to the House continuing its work to fund the government in a responsible way as we move forward.

Next week, the House will reconvene to elect its new Speaker. I will support the most conservative speaker who can obtain 218 votes. I will keep you all posted.

Watch my speech on the House Floor on why it was time to initiate the motion to vacate rule by clicking the image below:

Watch my explainer video on the ousting by clicking on the image below:

Celebrating Columbus Day

On Monday, we will honor the legacy of renowned world explorer Christopher Columbus. Columbus’ courage, curiosity, and spirit helped build the foundations of our great nation today. 

Happy Columbus Day!

Bills Cosponsored

• H.R. 5806 - To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit chemical abortions, and for other purposes.  
  
• H.Con.Res. 71 - Expressing the sense of Congress to encourage full participation of Taiwan in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.  
  
• H.R. 2673 - American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act of 2023  

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 Fox News’s Harris Faulkner to explain why I voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker. Click the image below to watch some of the segment:

I joined Fox Business with Dagen McDowell and Charlie Hurt to discuss why the House should have passed its 12 annual spending bills and why voting for a continuing resolution only exacerbates Washington’s spending problems. Click the image below to watch some of the segment:

I joined Benny Johnson on the Benny Show to discuss the hypocrisy of mainstream Republicans throwing stones at the conservatives who supported vacating the chair  when they also joined with Democrats to take down a strong Agriculture appropriations bill. Click the image below to watch some of the segment:

Tweet of the Week 

What's the Biggs Idea Podcast w/ Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels

This week, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels joined me on another edition of my What’s the Biggs Idea podcast. We discussed the devastating effects that the Biden Administration's open-border policies have on local law enforcement working to protect their communities. Two of his deputies were recently severely injured while combating human smugglers. I’m thankful that Arizona has such brave men and women who selflessly defend their communities. 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.