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!

Standing with Israel

This week, Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel and committed heinous attacks on innocent Israelis and Americans. In just under a week, more than 1,700 individuals died--including 27 American citizens. Hamas is additionally holding an unknown number of individuals hostage and many more remain unaccounted for. 

The atrocities committed by Hamas are vile beyond comprehension. They are savages with no regard for human life. I strongly condemn the latest Hamas terrorist attacks and support Israel’s right to self defense. My thoughts and prayers are with the innocent Israeli and American victims and their families.

The Biden Administration’s feckless foreign policy likely helped facilitate these recent attacks. On September 11, the Administration unfroze $6 billion in Iranian assets, which was a colossal mistake. The Biden Administration acknowledges that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, yet they released its funding anyway, knowing that much is fungible.

My other concern from these attacks is the threat of Hamas infiltration into the United States via the southern border. From Fiscal Years 2021 to 2023, immigration officials under the Biden Administration have encountered thousands of “special interest aliens” from countries that back Hamas. These include:

30,820 from Turkey.
6,386 from Afghanistan. 
659 from Iran.
538 from Syria. 

If these individuals were caught, we can expect just as many got away. I am deeply concerned about this terror threat and urge my colleagues in Congress and the Biden Administration to enhance our border security by building the wall, ending catch and release policies and mandating immigration detention, and enforcing the laws of the land. 

America stands with Israel and we must work together to eliminate these barbaric terror cells.

Electing the New Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

After Kevin McCarthy’s ousting as Speaker of the House, the Republican Conference held two closed-door votes this week to nominate his replacement. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) first edged out House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) in a 113-99 vote, but the Speaker must obtain 217 votes. Majority Leader Scalise formally dropped out of the race late last night after determining he was unlikely to reach the necessary level of support on the floor. 

This afternoon, the Republican Conference held a second closed-door vote for Speaker. This time, Rep. Jordan faced off Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) and won in a 124-81 vote. But as seen in the first closed-door vote, the Speaker still must obtain 217 votes.  

Next week, the House of Representatives will likely meet on the Floor to officially vote in our next Speaker.

You may be wondering how I voted or who I support. I have not publicly endorsed a candidate to ensure my support isn’t held against them. I will support the most conservative candidate who can acquire the necessary number of votes.

I will keep you all posted. 

House Judiciary Committee Activity

This week, I chaired a hearing in the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance titled Victims of Violent Crime in the District of Columbia. D.C. local officials are promoting policies that are pro-crime, anti-police, and anti-victim. These officials refuse to enforce the laws of our land and are openly facilitating attacks on law enforcement. 

Lawlessness is occurring throughout the nation’s capital and the city has become unsafe for Members of Congress and their staff, tourists, and D.C. locals. There have been 216 homicides in D.C. so far this year, which is a 38% surge from 2022. That is unacceptable. 

At this week’s hearing, we heard from victims of violent crime in D.C. who told the stories of their attacks as well as the effects it has had on them. Sadly, but not surprisingly, each one of the assailants who attacked our witnesses was given a reduced sentence and released soon after. After being released, some then went on to commit the same type of violent crime against others. These victims along with expert witnesses expressed their frustration with D.C. government officials and Biden-appointed attorneys and judges who are allowing criminals to commit violent crimes on the streets of D.C. and fail to fully prosecute them when caught. These failed liberal policies have no doubt directly contributed to the drastic rise in violent crime in D.C. over the past few years.

I look forward to restoring peace and safety in Washington and will not allow widespread violence to persist here. 

Click the image below to watch my opening remarks from the hearing:

Legislation and Letters

Bills Cosponsored

• H.R. 5501 - Combating Human-Trafficking of Innocent Lives Daily Act of 2023 (Rep. Moylan) 
  
• H.R. 5948 - To terminate the Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the Executive Office of the President and prohibit the establishment of any similar successor office (Rep. Rosendale) 
  
• H.Con.Res.71 - Expressing the sense of Congress to encourage full participation of Taiwan in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (Rep. Gooden) 
  
• H.R. 5947 - To re-freeze the $6 billion the Biden Administration allowed to flow to Iran (Rep. Pfluger) 
  
• H.Res.771 - Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists (Rep. McCaul) 

Letters Cosigned

• Letter to Qatari Ambassador urging them to condemn Hamas attacks on Israel (Rep. Ogles) 
• Letter to President Biden urging him to take specific actions that would prevent Iran from accessing billions to further subsidize their terrorism (Rep. Gallagher) 

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 KFYI-AM (Phoenix, AZ) with James T. Harris to provide an update on the House Speaker’s race as well as to discuss the threat of Hamas at our southern border. Click below to hear some of the segment:

I joined the Great America Show podcast with Lou Dobbs to discuss the heinous Hamas attacks on Israel and how the Biden Administration’s poor foreign policy likely contributed to the attacks. Click below to hear some of the segment:

I joined Newsmax with Bianca de la Garza to examine the threat of Hamas in the United States. Click below to watch some of the segment.

Tweet of the Week 

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.