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. 

Opposing the House’s Expanded Welfare Tax Bill

I voted against the House’s Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act—legislation that balloons our already out-of-control welfare system.   

This tax plan admittedly expands welfare benefits with virtually no limits, weakens welfare work requirements, and provides tax benefits to illegal aliens, all under the guise of “tax relief.”

This plan is an affront to the American people and puts them in worse financial positions. The legislation would add at least $155 billion to our national debt by FY 2025.

It additionally does not address the Child Tax Credit (CTC) loophole that allows illegal aliens to claim this welfare credit. This means that our federal government will continue to shell out billions of taxpayer dollars to individuals with no ties to the United States. We are facing the worst border crisis in American history and cannot afford to bankroll illegal aliens and cannot add more incentives for them to come here. No American tax plan should benefit illegal aliens. Period.

My constituents sent me to Washington to reduce our national debt, eliminate waste, and secure our southern border. This plan fails to address any of these issues. While I support the extension of the pro-growth business tax credits in this bill, the benefits of those provisions are significantly outweighed by the misguided child tax credit expansion. I could not in good faith support this legislation.  

Click the image below to see my explainer video on the tax bill:

Ending Warrantless Government Surveillance

I continued to work with my colleagues to end the warrantless government surveillance of Americans. The intelligence community continues to abuse Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. 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. However, the communications of Americans are often swept up when monitoring foreign persons, are kept by intelligence agencies, and can be later accessed without a warrant.

Congress faces an April 19 deadline to reauthorize Section 702 of FISA before it expires. In December, the House Judiciary Committee advanced my major legislation—the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act (The Protect Liberty Act)—to reform FISA 702 but it still needs to be voted on the House Floor. The Protect Liberty Act reauthorizes the 702 program, but makes significant reforms by requiring the government to get a warrant before searching for information on Americans, reduces the number of FBI personnel who can conduct these searches, reforms the FISA court, and closes a loophole that allows the federal government to purchase American’s data.

The House must act before the April 19 deadline, and it is vitally important for the House to take an up or down vote on the reforms outlined in the Protect Liberty Act. 

Meeting with the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council (APAAC)

I had the opportunity to meet with the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council (APAAC) on NDAA Prosecutor Advocacy Day.

I am grateful for the training and education they provide to Arizona’s prosecutors. 

January Tele-Town Hall Recap

I held a telephone town hall this week. Several thousand constituents joined the town hall. We discussed the threat of Iran to our national security, the invasion at our southern border, district news, and more. 

I appreciate everyone who joined the call. For those who couldn’t make it, please click on the image below to view a recap! 

Tax Pre-Filing Season Awareness Event Recap

The Taxpayer Advocate Service and I led a tax pre-filing season awareness event in Queen Creek this morning. The event featured information booths and representatives from the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), Low-Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITC), Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), and the Stakeholder Partnerships Education Communication (SPEC). Representatives from my office were also on hand for casework assistance.

I thank these groups for their important guidance and those in the community who stopped by today. 

House Judiciary Committee Activity

The subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government held a hearing titled “The Southern Border Crisis: The Constitution and the States.” Though I am not a member of this subcommittee, two of my colleagues, Reps. Russell Fry (R-SC) and Jim Jordan (R-OH), graciously yielded some of their time to me. I was able to speak with former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich regarding states’ authority to secure their borders when the federal government fails to do so. Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing:

My full line of questioning may be watched here.

Legislation & Letters 

Bills Cosponsored:

• H.R. 537 - Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act (Rep. Salazar)
  
• H.R. 7083 - Restricting Administration Zealots from Obliging Raiders (RAZOR) Act (Rep. Collins)  
  
• H.J.Res. 107 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to "The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Prevention and Elimination of Digital Discrimination" (Rep. Clyde) 
  
• H.R. 7183 - Protecting Resources Of Taxpayers to Eliminate Childhood Transgender Surgeries (PROTECTS) Act (Rep. McCormick)
  
• H.R. 7187 - To modify eligibility requirements for amateur sports governing organizations (Rep. Steube)
  
• H.R. 7195 - Protecting the Mailing of Firearms Act (Rep. Duncan) 
  
• H.R. 7207 - Preventing Racism in Medicare Act (Rep. Palmer) 
  
• H.R. 7216 - Protecting Healthcare Employee Privacy Act (Rep. Van Duyne) 

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 War Room with Steve Bannon to explain why Congress must use its power of the purse to hold the Biden Administration accountable for failing to secure our border. Click the image below to watch some of the segment:

I joined Newsmax with Shaun Kraisman and Emma Rechenberg to discuss how the Biden Administration has emboldened Iran. Click the image below to watch some of the segment:  

I joined Lindell TV with Emerald Robinson to elaborate on my legislation that ends FISA 702 spying abuse. Click the image below to see some of the segment: 

Tweet of the Week 

What's the Biggs Idea? Podcast w/ Brandon Judd

National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd joined me on this week’s episode of the What’s the Biggs Idea? podcast. Brandon served in the Border Patrol for 25 years and has served as the union president since 2013. We discussed the advancement of Mayorkas Impeachment Articles out of the Homeland Security Committee as well as terror threats coming across our border. Check out my website here to watch previous episodes. Click the image below to watch this week’s episode:

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.