Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) reminds our brave service members and their families that although they might not be home this holiday season, we are thinking of them.

Washington, D.C. (December, 12, 2023) | Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) issued the following statement to announce the winners of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge for Georgia’s 11th Congressional District. The competition is designed for students who aspire to learn computer coding, and may have an interest in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Aiden Gilmore, David Wu, and Ethan Konnick, who attend Mt. Paran Christian School, won FIRST Place for their Emotion Detection Analysis and Reflection app.

“Before coming to Congress, I served in communications and intelligence in the United States Air Force, and owned an IT services business for twenty years, so my interest and appreciation for technology dates back decades. The Congressional App Challenge is an excellent way to spark curiosity in computer science and encourage the younger generation to advance their education and pursue careers in this important field. I’m always blown away by the talent of the students in Georgia’s 11th Congressional District, and this year was no different. The excitement this competition brings to our students, parents, teachers, and community is inspiring, and I’m proud of this year’s contestants, and our winners.”

The Congressional App Challenge is a nonpartisan Congressional initiative that allows students to spark their interest in computer science and coding. Established in 2013 as a result of the Academic Competition Resolution passed by Congress, it has managed to increase Congressional dialogue surrounding computer science and coding by about two thousand percent. Students can compete individually or in groups of up to four, and are tasked with designing an application (app) of their choosing.  Each winning app will be featured in the U.S. Capitol, and on the House of Representatives official website (House.gov), which has ten million visitors per year.

11th Congressional District 2023 Congressional App Challenge Winners

1st Place
Aiden Gilmore, David Wu and Ethan Konnick
App: Emotion Detection Analysis and Reflection
School: Mt. Paran Christian School

2nd Place
Estelle Roseboro, Kennedy Johnson, Haley Grier, and Bailey Faulks
App: Silver Ribbons Reads
School: Barber Middle School, teacher: Saundra Watts

3rd Place
Aniyah Allen, Lilliana Esparza
App: Safety Tips
School: Barber Middle School, teacher: Saundra Watts

Honorable Mention #1
Taryn Roth, Ella Soto, Sadie Roth
App: Lifetime Choices
School: Barber Middle School, teacher: Saundra Watts

Honorable Mention #2
Eyirah Hudson
App: Art Designs and Showcase
School: Barber Middle School, teacher: Saundra Watts

Honorable Mention #3
Raileigh Riel, De’Syre Hereford, Labria Holley and Kahlan King
App: Choose Your Own Adventures
School: Barber Middle School, teacher: Saundra Watts

Honorable Mention #4
Beatriz Santos, Leila Burley, and Alexis Hardy
App: Antique Boutique
School: Barber Middle School, teacher: Saundra Watts

Honorable Mention #5
Eunice Awobajo, John Wagner Kline, Brooklyn Guy
App: World Cooking
School: Barber Middle School, teacher: Saundra Watts

Washington, D.C. (December 14, 2023) | Today, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) issued the following statement after voting for the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 2670, the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA sets Department of Defense (DoD) policies and authorizes funding levels for U.S. defense programs. The final defense authorization bill passed the House by a vote of 310-118.

“As a United States Air Force veteran who served in communications and intelligence, I understand the critical need to restore strength in our military and ensure it is well-equipped with all the tools necessary to protect our nation. Although not perfect, the NDAA we passed today takes a critical step forward in accomplishing that mission. At a time when our nation faces numerous threats from across the globe, this critical legislation boosts our war-fighting capabilities, defends our ally, Israel, combats Russian and Chinese aggression, and diminishes some of the woke agenda that has been infused in our military ranks in recent years.

“The FY24 NDAA contains critical initiatives, like providing our troops with the largest pay-increase in twenty years, prohibiting the teaching of CRT in the military, and securing critical funding for both Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany.

“A short-term extension of FISA was included in the NDAA. As a champion of the Fourth Amendment and FISA reform, I believe this reauthorization gives us the opportunity to immediately continue toward stronger reforms that ensure that robust safeguards are put in place to protect Americans’ privacy, as guaranteed by the Constitution.”

Overall FY24 NDAA Highlights

Georgia and the 11th Congressional District:

• Authorizes funding at $22 million for the Security Forces Facility at Dobbins Air Reserve Base (ARB).
• Authorizes funding at $40 million for the Army Reserve Center at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany.

Military Service Members and Families:

• Supports a 5.2 percent increase in service member basic pay, the largest increase in 20 years.
• Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to pay junior enlisted members a monthly bonus, to counter Biden’s record-high inflation.
• Authorizes $240 million to reduce out of pocket housing expenses, to counter inflation.
• Extends military recruitment and retention bonuses and special pay authorities.
• Expands reimbursements available to military spouses for relicensing or business costs when service members relocate.
• Authorizes an additional $10 million in assistance to local schools teaching children with severe disabilities.

Healthcare:

• Strengthens oversight of the TRICARE pharmacy program.
• Expands cardiac-care pilot program to provide electrocardiograms to all individuals entering military service.
• Requires DoD to study and report on health conditions developed by active-duty members of the Armed Forces after administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Ending Wokeness in the Military:

• Prohibits funding for the teaching, training, or promotion of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the military, including at service academies and DoD schools.
• Guts the Pentagon’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy by putting in place a DEI hiring freeze and cutting and capping the pay of DEI bureaucrats.
• Reiterates that no funding may be spent on drag shows, drag queen story hours, or similar events.
• Includes a Parents Bill of Rights to ensure parents of children in DoD schools have a say in their child’s education.

Foreign Policy and National Security:

• Extends the authority for DoD to transfer precision-guided munitions to Israel and requires an assessment of Israel’s precision-guided munition needs.
• Requires U.S. Central Command to engage in regular, joint, and interoperable exercises with Israel to practice and simulate coalition strike, refueling, and other missions.
• Extends the Pacific Defense Initiative to enhance U.S. deterrence and funds it at $14.7 billion, an increase of $5.6 billion over the President’s budget request.
• Requires DoD to assess the joint U.S.-Taiwan production of weapons systems and munitions.

Oversight and Accountability:

• Creates an Inspector General for Ukraine Security Assistance to provide accountability and complete an audit of ALL aid provided to Ukraine.
• Cracks down on unauthorized military personnel record releases and strengthens Congressional oversight of DoD activities.

BACKGROUND: In July, Rep. Loudermilk supported passage of H.R. 2670, the House-drafted version of the Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA. The Conference Report to accompany H.R. 2670, passed today, is the product of bicameral and bipartisan negotiations, and will be sent to the President’s desk for signature.

For more information on the FY24 NDAA, you can click here.

This week, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) sat down with John Solomon and Amanda Head on Just the News' No Noise to discuss the critical importance of Speaker Johnson's help and leadership in providing resources to the investigation into the events surrounding January 6. Rep. Loudermilk also revealed how Speaker Johnson granted him a commission to increase the intensity of the investigation.

Roll Call:

A bipartisan group of House Administration Committee members have called on the Government Accountability Office to study the ability of states to quickly fill House vacancies following a mass casualty event.

The eight lawmakers sent the GAO a letter on Dec. 8 that said the information would further inform Congress’ work to “prepare for the continuity of government and operations during an emergency.”

House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., and ranking member Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., sent the letter along with Reps. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., Laurel Lee, R-Fla., Terri A. Sewell, D-Ala., Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., and Norma J. Torres, D-Calif.

READ MORE 

Just the News: 

A year after the Democrat-led House Select Committee on Jan. 6 ended its work, major new revelations have emerged from House Republicans led by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., about how the Capitol riot unfolded that fateful day and the security failures that occurred in the days and hours ahead of the violence.

Loudermilk, the chairman of the House Administration Committee's Oversight Subcommittee, picked up the Jan. 6 probe in January when Republicans took over. And with the blessings of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his successor Mike Johnson, Loudermilk has released explosive new evidence ranging from videotapes to internal security memos.

The new information – chronicled by Just the News in more than two dozen stories – markedly changes the public's understanding of what happened on Jan. 6 and in the days that led up to it. And new information is flowing out almost weekly.

READ MORE

Just the News: 

The House Republican overseeing the Jan. 6 investigation tells Just the News that Speaker Mike Johnson has approved expanding the scope and "intensity" of the probe and increasing the investigative resources committed to it.

"Speaker Johnson has been phenomenal in helping us with this," Rep. Barry Loudermilk, chairman of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, said Wednesday night in an interview with the "Just the News, No Noise" television show. "In fact, he's given me a commission to not only press forward in the method we've been doing, but increase our intensity into this."

READ MORE

This week, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) joined a group of Georgia's U.S. House delegation in sending a letter to the United States Postal Service (USPS) regarding operations breakdowns within the state ahead of the holiday season. The letter, sent to US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, relayed constituent concerns about various issues with mail service facing communities across the state.

"Our constituents are taxpayers and customers of USPS. They depend upon the agency to fulfill its mission, and when it does not, to provide top-tier customer service. That’s why we’re concerned by reports from our constituents, including local elected officials, about the failure of USPS to respond to complaints with action–and not just words."

"These concerns are particularly pertinent during the holiday season as Americans send letters and gifts to family and friends. Failing to deliver those items to our constituents will produce a not-so-merry Christmas. Additionally, there are very real health concerns involved. Many Americans rely on mail delivery to receive medications and other life-saving products."

The letter was signed by thirteen members of the Georgia delegation — eight Republicans and all five Democrats — and requests a response no later than January 8, 2024.

To read the full letter, click here. 

This week, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), signed onto two bills that target the financing of terrorism. These critical pieces of legislation were introduced by Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX). 

H.R. 6588, the International Financial Institution Counter Terrorism Accountability Act requires the Secretary of the Treasury to submit a report to Congress within 180 days with countries supported by the World Bank and IMF; a list of the programs and activities provided by the World Bank and IMF to combat terrorist financing; how much is spent on these programs and how much US funding goes towards them; and an evaluation of the effectiveness of these programs and activities.

H.R. 6589, the Prevent the Financing of Terrorism Through the Drug Trade Act requires the Secretary of the Treasury to submit a report to Congress within 180 days outlining the sources and scope of terrorist financing done by Hamas and Hezbollah in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Further, it would also add Hamas as a primary threat on the Treasury’s National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment report, which will provide critical additional data on this terrorist group.

Read the bill text of H.R. 6588 here and H.R. 6589 here.

This week, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) co-sponsored H.R. 6049, the bipartisan Air America Act, introduced by Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI), which will correct an inequity suffered by the brave Americans who are former employees of Air America by ensuring they receive the federal retirement benefits and recognition they have earned.

Mr. Grothman’s bill has 91 bipartisan cosponsors. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a companion version of this bill in the U.S. Senate, the Air America Act.

Between 1950 and 1976, a group of approximately 1,000 U.S. citizens worked for Air America, which was portrayed as a private company carrying out flight operations during the Cold War. However, now-declassified documents have revealed that Air America was wholly owned and controlled by the U.S. government – meaning these brave Americans were federal employees under the law at the time they worked. 

The Air America Act will ensure that those Air Americans who qualify for retirement benefits under the law will receive what they earned and deserve. Those who don't have the years of experience required for retirement benefits will nonetheless be honored finally with the recognition that their efforts were carried out on behalf of the U.S. government.

Read the bill text here.

This week, Rep. Barry Loudermilk co-sponsored H.R. 6573, the Protecting Military Servicemembers' Data Act of 2023. This bill would prohibit data brokers from selling, reselling, trading, licensing, or providing for consideration lists of U.S. military service members to adversarial nations. Rep. Fallon (R-TX) introduced this bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation with fellow Texan, Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX).

Specifically, the bill would: 

• Prohibit data brokers from trading military service members' data with adversarial nations
• Give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforcement power under the Unfair and Deceptive Acts of Practice
  • Allow for civil charges as an enforcement mechanism

Read the bill text here.

This week, Rep. Loudermilk co-sponsored H.R. 1521, the Servicemember Credit Monitoring Enhancement Act, bipartisan legislation to ensure every servicemember has access to credit monitoring services. This bill was introduced by Reps. Elise Stefanie (R-NY) and Andy Kim (D-NJ). 

Currently, only active duty military and National Guard and Reserve in active duty status are eligible for free credit monitoring services. This legislation would make all servicemembers, including traditional National Guardsmen and Reservists eligible for this credit monitoring service.

Read full text of this legislation here. 

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