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. 

Advancing Major Legislation to End Warrantless Surveillance of Americans

The House Judiciary Committee advanced my major legislation to end the warrantless surveillance of Americans. The Committee passed H.R. 6570, the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act (The Protect Liberty Act), in a 35-2 vote.

The Protect Liberty Act overhauls Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is set to expire at the end of the year, and requires a warrant for all U.S. person searches, with reasonable exceptions for national security concerns. Section 702 of FISA authorizes the federal government to intercept electronic communications of non-U.S. persons who are located outside of the United States. But, the communications of Americans are often swept up when monitoring foreign persons, are kept by the intelligence agencies, and can be later accessed without a warrant. This type of backdoor surveillance has been going on for decades and allows for rampant abuse of the FISA authorities.

The legislation also includes reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and closes loopholes that allow the federal government to purchase Americans’ data from Big Tech data brokers without a warrant. 

America’s intelligence community continues to conduct a warrantless, mass surveillance campaign on innocent citizens. In 2021 alone, the FBI misused FISA 278,000 times to spy on American citizens – including a U.S. congressman and political donors. Our civil liberties are at stake. 

Without serious reforms to FISA our Fourth Amendment rights will be all but gone. My legislation addresses numerous loopholes in federal law to end this unconstitutional practice and to ensure rogue agents are held accountable. 

I urge Speaker Johnson to immediately bring this legislation to the House Floor for a vote and call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this package. Any effort to stall consideration or pass a clean extension of the current FISA authorities is a punishment of the American people.

Cosponsors of the legislation are: Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ),  Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Tom McClintock (R-TX), Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), and Rep. Bob Good (R-VA). 

Statements of support for the legislation may be read here.

The legislation may be read here.

Click the image below to watch an explainer video on the legislation with Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) and me. 

Protecting Servicemembers From Financial Penalties

I sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in response to social media reports indicating that a separating member of the 82nd Airborne Division was personally charged $3,561 for military equipment he was ordered to leave behind during President Joe Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021. 

My letter requests information to determine whether this is a widespread issue for servicemembers who were deployed to Afghanistan during the 2021 withdrawal.

Our courageous servicemembers ought to be treated with dignity for their service and not slapped with an expensive bill. We need to get to the bottom of what happened with this servicemember and ensure that he and others are not financially penalized for following orders. 

Secretary Austin must provide us with answers and ensure that our servicemembers are treated fairly.  

Cosigners of the letter are: Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Rep. Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (R-AZ), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), Rep. Matthew M. Rosendale Sr. (R-MT), Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), and Rep. Randy K. Weber (R-TX).

The Daily Caller covered the letter here.

The letter may be read here. 

Conducting Oversight of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

The House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government held a hearing titled “Oversight of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.” In this hearing, we examined how the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division (CRD) has deviated from its original mission to enforce the civil rights statutes enacted by Congress and those constitutional guarantees that Congress authorized it to enforce. 

The CRD has become too politicized and selectively protects Americans’ rights. I specifically highlighted how pro-life activists are prosecuted at a much higher rate (16x) than pro-abortion activists. The CRD turns a blind eye when radical pro-abortion activists destroy churches and pregnancy centers. It’s unacceptable. 

The Committee members and I will continue to conduct oversight of the CRD and ensure that it does not abuse its powers for political gain. 

Click the image below to see some of my remarks from the hearing: 

Uncovering More Evidence on the Biden Crime Family

The House Oversight & Accountability Committee and I unveiled new evidence surrounding the Biden Crime Family corruption. This week, we released subpoenaed bank records revealing how Hunter Biden’s business entity, Owasco PC, made direct monthly payments to President Joe Biden. 

Beginning in September 2018, President Biden received at least $1,380 in monthly payments from Owasco PC. Owasco PC is largely funded by CCP-linked companies as well as other companies from foreign nations. 

Payments to Joe Biden from Hunter’s Owasco PC corporate account are part of a pattern revealing Joe Biden knew about, participated in, and benefited from his family’s influence-peddling schemes. 

On Wednesday, Hunter Biden is required to appear for a deposition before the Committee. If he does not appear for this lawfully subpoenaed deposition, we will initiate Contempt of Congress proceedings. 

The House of Representatives will also likely vote on an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden next week. The resolution would help enforce subpoenas and allow for more open hearings into the Biden family. 

I will keep you posted. 

Honoring Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

This week, we honored the 2,403 American servicemembers and civilians who died during the Pearl Harbor attacks in Hawaii 82 years ago.

May we remember their bravery and commitment to America.  

They may be gone, but they won’t be forgotten.

Tele-Townhall Next Tuesday (December 12)

Join me for the last tele-townhall of the year on Tuesday, December 12 at 7:30 pm EST/5:30 pm MST. We’ll be recapping the year and previewing 2024. I look forward to answering your questions!

Legislation & Letters

Bills Sponsored:

• H.R. 6570 - The Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act

Bills Cosponsored:

• H.R. 6421 - Affordable HOMES Act (Rep. Bucshon)
• H.R. 6612 - Birthright Citizenship Act of 2023 (Rep. Babin)
• H.R. 6625 - Chinese Spy Balloon Assessment Act (Rep. Fry)

Letters Led:

• Letter to Sec. Austin re soldiers charged for equipment left behind during Afghanistan Withdrawal

Letters Cosigned:

• Comment letter opposing the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s proposed rule to facilitate abortions for minors in ORR custody, including transporting them across state lines (Rep. Chris Smith)
  
• Letter to NYT, CNN, Reuters, and AP regarding concerning ties between media outlets and Hamas (Rep. Clyde)

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 and Friends First with Carley Shimkus and Todd Piro to discuss the recent surge of illegal aliens in Lukeville, Arizona, and the latest news from the nation’s capital. Click the image below to listen to some of the segment:

I joined Real America’s Voice with Charlie Kirk to provide updates on the FISA 702 spying authority and the invasion at our southern border. Click the image below to watch some of the segment:

I joined Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins to explain the contents of my legislation, the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act (Protect Liberty Act). Click the image 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.