House Republicans Working for Americans

Dear Friend,

Last week, House Republicans returned to Washington, D.C. to continue working on behalf of the American people.

On Tuesday, the House passed two bipartisan resolutions reiterating our strong support for the State of Israel. The first resolution, H. Res. 793, called on Hamas to immediately release hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The resolution also condemns the brutal terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on Israel and demands the immediate release of the hostages.

The second resolution, H. Res. 888, reaffirmed the State of Israel’s right to exist, recognizes that denying Israel's right to exist is a form of antisemitism, rejects calls for Israel's destruction and the elimination of the only Jewish state, and condemns the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel. These resolutions received overwhelming bipartisan support and reiterated the support of the House of Representatives for our strongest ally in the Middle East.

Later in the week, the House passed H.R. 5961, the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act. This bill requires that President Biden impose property-blocking sanctions on foreign financial institutions and international financial institutions that process, participate in, or facilitate a transaction involving certain Iranian funds – mainly the $6 billion the Biden Administration released back to Iran. Simply put, we prevent any state-sponsored terrorism. Blocking Iran from accessing these funds will assist in preventing money from falling into the hands of regional proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah.

The House also addressed an issue our National Parks are facing as a direct result of Biden’s border crisis. On Thursday, we passed H.R. 5283, the Protecting Our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act. This important bill prohibits the federal government from using our National Parks to provide housing to illegal immigrants. I will keep you updated as House Republicans continue to pass legislation that reinforces our Commitment to America and advances our conservative agenda.

Last week, the House Budget Committee held a hearing to discuss legislative proposals to create a debt reduction commission. We welcomed Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) as witnesses. Senators Romney and Manchin have introduced S. 3262, the Fiscal Stability Act of 2023 – which is a companion bill to the House version, H.R. 5779. During the hearing, we gained valuable insights into the perspectives of the Senate sponsors by reviewing key considerations in their proposed legislation.

With our national debt currently over $33 trillion dollars, we must act now and make the difficult decisions that put our country on a fiscally responsible path. In my questions, I asked the Senators about the necessity of reforming the budget process to ensure that Congress does the right thing.

Click here to watch my remarks.

Last week, the Ways and Means Committee held a mark-up on a number of bills to help veterans, protect our borders, and work to defund organizations supporting terrorist groups. I was proud to be a co-sponsor of one of the bills, H.R. 6408. This legislation amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist-supporting organizations. Through the Israel-Hamas war, we have found that charitable organizations in America are funding Hamas. This legislation strips these organizations of their tax-exempt status and I was happy to see it pass out of committee. I look forward to supporting it on the House floor.

Click here for more detailed information on the mark-up.

Biden's Border Crisis

While Biden’s border crisis rages on, Republicans are hard at work combating illegal immigration. It is past time that Democrats come to the table and take action on border security. Since Biden took office, there have been over 6.5 million illegal border crossings, and we know that multiple cases of people on the terrorist watch list coming into our country through the southern border have been confirmed.

I’ve continued to repeat the fact that border security is national security. That is why House Republicans championed legislation like H.R. 2 and H.R. 5283 – which seek to keep Americans safe. It is time for Biden and radical Democrats to prioritize Americans’ safety and act on border security.

This week, the House will consider the following pieces of legislation on the floor:

H.R. 1547 – One Seat Ride Act

S. 992 – 1-27 Numbering Act

H.R. 4688 – To direct the Administrator of General Services to sell the property known as the Webster School

H.R. 1734 – TRANQ Research Act

H.R. 1713 – DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act

H.R. 2980 – DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act

H.R. 2988 – DOE and NASA Interagency Research

H.R. 3848 – HOME Act

H.R. 542 – Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act

H.R. 3581 – COPE Act

H. Res. 894 – Strongly condemning and denouncing the drastic rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world

H.R. 4468 – Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2023

H.R. 5933 – DETERRENT Act

H.J. Res. 88 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to Improving Income Driven Repayment for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program

As always, I’m here to serve you. Please contact my office with any questions, comments, or concerns. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Instagram to keep track of upcoming legislation and events!

If you are having issues with a federal agency or have a casework question, don’t forget to reach out to my Newnan District office at 770-683-2033.

Sincerely,

Drew Ferguson
Member of Congress