The past few weeks, I have been working hard to once again prevent the introduction of grizzly bears to Central Washington, and come Monday evening, I'll be speaking out against them in person at the Okanogan County Fairgrounds.

Since the Obama Administration, unelected bureaucrats have been attempting to introduce grizzlies to our region, and I have been a consistent voice of opposition against this ill-conceived plan.

Grizzly bears are well known for breaking into homes and livestock enclosures, raising concerns for both families and producers in Central Washington. Recently, a grizzly bear, after breaking into a chicken coop north of Colville, was captured, underscoring the real and immediate risk they pose to the safety of people in the area.

A male grizzly bear's range can go up to 500 miles from where it is introduced—which far surpasses the experimental boundary the NPS and USFWS have predicted. To make matters worse, this Administration is relocating grizzly bears into the North Cascades, disregarding the fact that these apex predators will move throughout the state of Washington.

Ultimately, it is Central Washingtonians who are being asked to deal with the consequences of this decision, and you have a unique opportunity to make sure your voice is heard.

There are two public comment sessions rapidly approaching, and I urge you to join me in pushing back against this proposal, before it's too late.

• October 30, 2023, from 5:30-8:30 PM PST at the Okanogan County Fairgrounds.
• November 3, 2023, from 5:30-830 PM PST at the Winthrop Barn Auditorium, 51 State Route 21, Winthrop.

This week, I was proud to vote for Congressman Mike Johnson from Louisiana for Speaker of the House.

America deserves a Speaker who can mend the rift in our Conference and allow Congress to get back to addressing the critical issues in front of us and do the job we were all sent here to do. 

Israel is under attack, and it is our responsibility to work out a strategy for support and aid in defense of these fatal attacks. The United States consistently answers the call when an ally is threatened, and the back-and-forth over the Speaker decision prevented us from executing that task. 

Thankfully, as of a few days ago, the House was able to get back business.

Rep. Johnson is a committed, common-sense conservative and has long been a strong voice in the Republican Conference. He has laid out a plan to get Congress back on track, and I am proud to support him.

This week, I testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources in support of my legislation, H.R. 5504.

This bill would repeal overreaching regulations regarding section 4(d), critical habitats, and agency consultation in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) imposed by the Biden Administration and prevent radical environmental activists from continuing to weaponize the ESA against farmers, ranchers, landowners, and rural communities in Central Washington.

This past June, the Biden Administration proposed rules which would reverse previous reforms to the ESA, and this legislation would prevent this Administration from finalizing their proposals.

We all have the same goal—to recover endangered species. But we should not allow for this administration and the agencies to continue to make it impossible to recover species and remove them from the list—especially at the detriment of farmers, ranchers, and landowners.

As Chairman of the Western Caucus, I remain committed to cutting bureaucratic red tape, pushing back against federal overreach, and modernizing the Endangered Species Act to work for both species and landowners.

This is your final opportunity, Central Washington! The Congressional App Challenge is still accepting submissions.

This competition is open to all middle and high school students who reside in or attend a school in Washington's 4th Congressional District. It is a wonderful opportunity for all students from Central Washington to represent our region and demonstrate their ingenuity and creativity. Students may participate individually or in teams of up to four.

The Congressional App Challenge is still open and will run through November 1, 2023. The winning apps will be featured in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., on house.gov, and on the Congressional App Challenge Website. Winning students will be invited to the #HouseofCode reception on Capitol Hill and will be awarded additional prizes, to be announced later.

I strongly encourage any student with a STEM background or who is interested in STEM to create an app and show your skills to the country!