Dear Friend,

This past week, the House of Representatives voted on H. Res. 757, declaring the office of Speaker of the House to be vacant.  The resolution, more commonly referred to as a “Motion to Vacate” passed the House by a vote of 216 to 210.  Eight Republicans joined every Democrat present to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy. 

Until Republicans can unite and deliver 218 votes, the House is effectively shut down even though a Speaker Pro Tempore, which is Latin meaning “for the time being”, is in place.  No business can be conducted on the floor without an elected Speaker.  The Speaker Pro Tempore, our own Patrick McHenry, can only govern the election process. 

Candidates for Speaker will be nominated and voted on this week.  Given the heinous attacks on Israel that started Saturday morning at 6:30 am, it is even more important that we get our act together.

For this week's good news story, I'm highlighting the Richard H. Stewart Jr. American Legion Post 543 who recently teamed up with Fort Liberty's Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) to host four recovering soldiers for a day of fishing in Southeastern North Carolina.  According to the Brunswick Beacon, "American Legion Post 543 supports the SRU in various ways, including fun, off-military base expeditions. Commander Phillip McGhee and active-duty committee member Aaron Largent traveled to Fort Liberty to transport the soldiers to Hampstead, where they boarded a charter fishing boat. The soldiers spent a few hours fishing the Intracoastal Waterway, broke for lunch at the Sears Landing Grill & Boat dock, and then returned for a couple more hours of fishing. At the end of the day, each soldier was presented a certificate of appreciation for their military service and an American Legion challenge coin."  As a country, it is our obligation and duty to honor and help those who serve or were injured while defending our country.  This is a great example of that duty, and I applaud the American Legion Post 543 for facilitating this partnership!