John,

Good afternoon, and welcome to our Weekend Update.

First, what a great win by President Donald J. Trump in Iowa. He won every county but one. In that one county, he lost by a vote. This dominating performance proves yet again that it is time for the Republican Party and our nation to rally around President Trump. He is the leader we need to advance a pro-growth agenda that will fix our border crisis, restart the economy, reign in government spending, expand domestic energy production, and bring stability to the world stage. President Trump is a proven leader with a proven track record. That is why I am enthusiastically supporting his campaign. I expect him to secure another big victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday. We have already seen Trump receive endorsements from former competitors, U.S. Senator Tim Scott and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. It's time for the rest of the Republican Party to unite around President Trump and rally around our mission - Defeat Biden and get our nation moving again.

Another important election is the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania. The GOP must recapture the majority in the U.S. Senate. We have a tremendous candidate in Dave McCormick. A decorated veteran and businessman, Dave is the voice we need in Washington. Dave is also a native of Bloomsburg in the 9th District. Click here or below to read a great column about Dave from Salena Zito in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

The period to circulate nominating petitions in Pennsylvania begins on Tuesday, January 23 and continues through Tuesday, February 13. I am asking for volunteers to help circulate my petitions for Congress in the 9th District. Additionally, we have petitions to collect signatures for President Donald J. Trump. Please email Nate at [email protected] to contact our campaign to get copies of petitions. We appreciate your support. 

The Biden Administration's misguided policies, from border management to bank regulation, consistently prove liberal policies hurt the people they intend to help. Chaos at the border and the ill-conceived proposal for price-fixing bank fees exemplify the Biden Administration's heavy-handed approach to government. More government is never the answer, especially when communities, businesses, and the economy suffer as a result. I joined “Newsline” on Newsmax to discuss these issues and more. Click here or below to watch my interview.

On Friday, I joined Neil Cavuto on “Cavuto Coast to Coast” on Fox Business alongside Kevin O'Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful. We spoke with Neil Cavuto about pro-growth policies that benefit small businesses, government funding, and the state of the economy. We must extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, stop burdensome regulations, and restore American energy dominance. Click here or below to watch our interview.

This week, I was happy to welcome Kevin O’Leary to the House Committee on Small Business to share his thoughts on access to capital for entrepreneurs. Mr. O’Leary founded O’Leary Ventures in 2000 to support startups and early-stage businesses across virtually every sector of the economy. He profoundly understands the challenges small businesses face, and I thank him for sharing his perspective on how Congress can work for Main Street and not against it.

As someone who spent over 20 years helping grow a small business into a large business, I recognize that taxes, burdensome regulations, inflation, workforce shortages, access to capital, and more pose significant challenges to entrepreneurs. We need pro-growth, pro-business policies that help current and new small businesses provide opportunities for all Americans. Click here or below to watch my opening remarks.

Click here or below to watch my questioning of Kevin.

We discussed the nation’s current energy production and the regulatory environment in the House Finance Committee. We must advocate and advance an all of the above and below energy approach for the greater good of our nation. That includes nuclear, solar, natural gas, hydro, coal, thermal, and wind. Implementing a reasonable and sound regulatory environment for the nuclear energy industry positions the United States as a global leader in the international advancement of nuclear energy financing and helps us compete with China and Russia. Click here or below to watch my remarks and questions.

Another issue that is impacting our communities, public safety, and business growth is rising crime. Woke, ideological prosecutors willfully failing to pursue charges against violent criminals has contributed significantly to soaring crime rates in our nation’s cities. That’s why I introduced the Holding Prosecutors Accountable Act, which would force prosecutors to do their job. Under my bill, any prosecutor’s office that fails to prosecute at least 67% of violent crimes would be ineligible for federal funding. Prosecutors should not be inserting their own political agenda into the justice system. Learn more about my bill by clicking here.

In February 2021, just three weeks into the fiasco that is the Biden Administration, Biden delisted Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a “foreign terrorist organization.” This gave them time to recruit and grow, while forming a dangerous relationship with Iran. Now, because of Biden’s appeasement, the Houthis are stronger than ever and attacking American commercial and military ships at Iran’s direction.

As former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said of Joe Biden, “he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”

Despite a bicameral Republican letter I signed to call for a delay, the Biden Administration is moving forward with the Beneficial Ownership Reporting under the Corporate Transparency Act, effective Jan 1, 2024. This violates what Congress intended when we passed the CTA, imposing a heavy regulatory burden on small businesses across America, who are largely unaware of these changes. The law, meant to target shell companies and prevent money laundering, now affects entities with ≤20 employees and <$5M in revenue, necessitating over 32 million reports in 2024 alone. Inadequate FinCEN guidance and zero communication with the entities they plan to regulate made things worse. To find out if you are captured, check here: http://fincen.gov/boi.

On August 10, 2022, U.S. citizen Ryan Corbett was taken hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. He has never been charged with a crime, and the State Department has determined he is wrongfully detained. His family was on Capitol Hill today to raise awareness and plead for his safe return. I joined the family at a recent press conference to echo their call for his immediate release. Ryan and his family live in upstate NY, but he grew up in Susquehanna County. On Ryan’s behalf, I have written to the State Department, the Qatari government, which is serving as the go-between for the U.S. and the Taliban, and I cosponsored a resolution demanding his safe return. I will continue fighting until Ryan is reunited with his family. The United States is the single largest humanitarian donor in Afghanistan, and not a penny more should be sent until every American hostage is freed. To learn more about Ryan’s story, click here. Click here or below to watch my remarks.

IN NEWS YOU WON’T HEAR IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: It only took a few minutes for Biden campaign spokesman Quentin Fulks to be exposed as a fraud and a liar — just like his boss.

Fulks went into a tailspin after host Bret Baier broached the topic of the border crisis.

Fulks began by immediately blaming the Trump administration —  despite the fact that illegal immigrant encounters were significantly lower and removals were significantly higher during Trump’s tenure.

Then, he pivoted to “immigrants in cages” and “separated families” — despite the widespread use of these same policies under Biden.

Finally, he claimed Biden is “working on this issue” while “Republicans in the House are playing political games” — not mentioning how Biden and Democrats have rejected every border proposal, including House Republicans’ border security legislation passed more than 250 days ago.

Fulks’s appearance was reminiscent of disgraced Biden spokesman T.J. Ducklo’s meltdown with Baier four years prior.

Just 18% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the border, and his top spokesman can’t even admit it’s a “vulnerability”?

As the Biden Administration continues to deny, the crisis is growing worse!

This week, I took to the House Floor to recognize a great American, author, and Marine Corps veteran, Joseph Barna, of Freeland. Joe recently won a national gold medal for his essay in the 2023 VA Creative Arts Contest, a highly competitive veterans writing competition. More important than my recognition of him is Joe’s essay itself, which details actions that exemplify why the United States is the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. I implore you to read his essay by clicking here. Click here or below to watch my remarks.

We thank Joe for his service and relentless advocacy of our nation’s veterans through his writing and work in the community.

On Friday, thousands of Americans participated in the 51st annual March for Life in our nation's capital. I applaud their unwavering commitment to protecting the unborn. In Congress, I will continue to advocate for policies that support mothers and preserve the sanctity of life. Together, we serve as a voice for the voiceless as we fight to protect the unborn and defend the sanctity of life.

We look forward to catching up with you next week. God Bless, and see you soon,

Dan Meuser
https://www.meuserforcongress.com/