While I spent some time in South Jersey, I had the opportunity to attend the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Small Business Vendor Day and spoke to dozens of small business owners. 

Small businesses in the engineering and technology fields drive critical innovation that seeks to increase the safety and efficiency of our nation's air-travel infrastructure. It was a pleasure to speak with so many bright individuals and hear about how as a member of Congress I can continue to support our small businesses' growth. 

This week, I introduced a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that illegal migrants should not be receiving taxpayer-funded healthcare under Medicare or Medicaid. 

This comes after reports that California is handing out free healthcare to more than 700,000 illegal migrants living in California. This will cost $2.6 billion annually for taxpayers. This resolution expresses that not a single federal taxpayer dollar can go to fund any of these state programs. Taxpayers should not have to pay for this administration's refusal to put an end to illegal immigration. 

Click here to read the full text of the resolution. 

This week, the House Homeland Security Committee marked up H. Res. 863, articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which can be read here. The Committee voted to advance the articles of impeachment out of committee and will make its way to the House floor for a vote. 

According to CBP, over the last three years there has been—

1. Approximately 10,000,000 illegal border crossings, including 1,800,000 known "gotaways" who have evaded United States authorities; 
2. At least 280 people on terrorist watchlists caught while attempting to cross the border between ports of entry; 
3. Approximately 400,000 unaccompanied illegal children encountered at the southern border, with at least 85,000 of these children having gone missing; 
4. At least 1,424 deaths of illegals at the southern border; 
5. Approximately 73,000 "special interest aliens" arrested at our border, which are aliens from a nation that promotes terrorist activity, harbors terrorists, or poses a security threat to the United States, this is the number arrested at the border, not counting however many of the 1,800,000 known "gotaways" are special interest aliens; 
6. Approximately 659 special interest aliens from Iran; 
7. Approximately 6,386 special interest aliens from Afghanistan; 
8. Approximately 538 special interest aliens from Syria; 
9. Approximately 3,153 special interest aliens from Egypt; 
10. Approximately 12,624 special interest aliens from Uzbekistan; 
11. Approximately 30,830 special interest aliens from Turkey;
12. Approximately 1,613 special interest aliens from Pakistan; 
13. Approximately 164 special interest aliens from Lebanon; 
14. Approximately 185 special interest aliens from Jordan; 
15. Approximately 123 special interest aliens from Iraq; and 
16. Approximately 15,594 special interest aliens from Mauritania. 

I am in full support of Secretary Mayorkas' impeachment. In April 2022, I called on Secretary Mayorkas to resign during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing for his failed policies. Then, in July of last year, I called for the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas during a Judiciary Committee hearing. Since then, I have been vocal about the repercussions caused by his failed policies in securing our border. Washington bureaucrats must put Americans first and stop wasting funding and resources for those who broke the law and entered our country illegally. 

This week, I participated in a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing titled, "Menace on the Red Sea: Securing Shipping Against Threats in the Red Sea." 

Since the October 7th attacks, the Houthis, an Iranian-backed terrorist group, have been disrupting global trade by launching over 30 attacks against military and civilian vessels transporting goods through the Red Sea. These attacks are greatly diminishing our supply chain—over 12% of global trade moves through the Red Sea and the attacks have forced ships to reroute, making cargo more expensive and very time intensive. 

I questioned our witnesses on what can be done to counter these attacks, what is being done to rescue the hostages held captive by the Houthis, and the rippling effects of declassifying the Houthis as a terrorist organization two years ago. 

This week, the House passed four immigration bills that strengthen American policy to deport or deny admission to illegal immigrants who pose a danger to our country. These bills first came to the House Judiciary Committee, where I played an active role in speaking in support of these bills and voted in favor of their passage. 

House Republicans continue to pass bills that will strengthen our immigration laws while liberals allow the invasion at our southern border to continue. 

Bills Passed:

• H.R.5585 - Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act
  • To impose criminal and immigration penalties for intentionally fleeing a pursuing Federal officer while operating a motor vehicle. 
• H.R.6678 - Consequences for Social Security Fraud Act
  • To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed Social Security fraud are inadmissible and deportable. 
• H.R.6679 - No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act 
  • To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that aliens who carried out, participated in, planned, financed, supported, or otherwise facilitated the attacks against Israel are inadmissible.
• H.R.6976 - Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act
  • To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed an offense for driving while intoxicated or impaired are inadmissible and deportable. 

Last week, I joined Fox News' Martha MacCallum following the announcement that Governor Murphy's New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) approved two offshore wind projects in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. 

I have never seen projects as destructive for the state of New Jersey as these massive offshore wind farms. From hurting our supply chain, fishing industry, and tourism industry, to impeding on our national defense operations and causing energy rates to skyrocket, the disadvantages certainly outweigh any potential benefits of these wind turbines. I will continue fighting for New Jersey families who do not want to get stuck with the bill in order to line the pockets of offshore wind companies. 

Click here or the photo below to watch the full interview. 

Last week, Congressman Van Drew called on the Senate to take up H.R.2, Secure the Border Act of 2023, or an H.R.2 equivalent, and demanded that President Biden take action and secure our border.

House Republicans have consistently put forward legislation to secure our border and stop the invasion of illegal immigrants. I will continue to call out the lack of action by our liberal leaders and fight to protect our citizens by returning to a nation of law and order. 

H.R.2, Secure the Border Act of 2023

• Requires the Biden administration to restart construction of the border wall.
• Deploys technology to the southern and northern border. 
• Increases the number of Border Patrol agents and provides bonus pay. 
• Requires transparency regarding illegal crossings from the Department of Homeland Security.
• Strengthens current law to protect unaccompanied children from human trafficking.
• Ends catch and release.
• Ends the abuse of executive immigration authority. 
• Tightens asylum standards by restricting asylum to only aliens who present at ports of entry and by requiring aliens to prove they are "more likely than not" to qualify for their asylum claim. 
• Requires employers to use E-Verify. 

Bills Sponsored/Co-Sponsored this Congress

• H.R.5857 - No IDs for Illegals Act
  • Prohibits federal funds from being available for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Secure Docket Card Program or any other similar program. 
• H.R.489 - Expedited Removal Codification Act of 2023
  • Provides authority for a 2019 DHS notice that expanded coverage for expedited removal for certain inadmissible non-US nationals who were apprehended anywhere in the US and had been in the country for less than two years. 
• H.R.7014 - To Amend Title XIX of the Social Security Act 
  • Prohibits Federal Medicaid funding for the administrative costs of providing health benefits to individuals who are unauthorized immigrants. 
• H.R.6939 - REMAIN in Mexico Act of 2024
  • Continues to implement Migrant Protection Protocols, which sends asylum seekers who cross the US southern border back to Mexico to await claim decisions.
• H.R.6941 - Criminalize Fleeing from Immigration Enforcement Act of 2024
  • Amends Title 18 of the US Code to prohibit fleeing law enforcement officers enforcing immigration laws. Carries a punishment of a fine, or imprisonment, or both.  
• H.R.6942 - Count Only Citizens Act
  • Requires a checkbox or similar option for responders to indicate citizenship status or lawful presence in the US for the 2030 decennial census and every decennial census after. If they are not lawful citizens, then they will not be counted toward the population for the purposes of apportionment of US representative districts. 
• H.R.4460 - NO VOTE for Non-Citizens Act of 2023
  • Requires states that allow noncitizens to vote in local elections to keep separate lists of citizens and noncitizens, who would then receive a ballot without the federal elections section.
• H.Res.89 - Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors
  • Calls for the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas for violating several laws in allowing open borders and a surge of illegal immigration into the interior of the US. 
• H.R.467 - HALT Fentanyl Act
  • Restricts access to fentanyl by classifying it as a Schedule I drug, or a drug with no accepted medical use and high potential for abuse. 
• H.R.6523 - Southern Border Transparency Act of 2023
  • Requires DHS to publish various publications and reports regarding the number of illegal immigrants seeking entry along the southern border. 
• H.R.5415 - Safeguarding Endangered Children, Unaccompanied and at Risk of Exploitation Act of 2023
  • Requires that HHS, DHS, and the FBI report on the location and the wellbeing of children who came across the border illegally in an effort to prevent human trafficking. 
• H.R.4727 - No Obamacare for Illegal Aliens Act of 2023
  • Requires that those eligible for the Patent Protection and Affordable Care Act be legal immigrants. DACA recipients and illegal immigrants are not eligible. 
• H.R.4708 - H—2 Improvements to Relieve Employers Act
  • Streamlines the process of hiring non-immigrant temporary workers who shall be eligible for three years. 
• H.R.3919 - Asylum Claims Improvement Act of 2023
  • Limits the ability to assess the mental health of an asylum applicant. 
• H.R.3407 - Empowering Law Enforcement Act of 2023
  • Declares that state and local law enforcement have inherent authority to investigate and arrest individuals to assist federal immigration enforcement. 
• H.R.989 - Build the Wall Now Act
  • Resumes the construction of, and modifies the requirements for, a physical barrier along the US-Mexico border. 
• H.R.597 - Stop the Cartels Act
  • Addresses various issues including matters related to immigration, law enforcement cooperation with Mexico, and drug cartels. This includes barring financial assistance for states that violate federal immigration law, requiring credible fear or threat to apply for asylum, requiring detention of alien minors be governed by federal law and not judicial decree, and establishing the foreign Special Transnational Criminal Organization designated with related penalties for assisting these organizations. 
• H.R.29 - Border Safety and Security Act of 2023
  • Suspends the entry of illegal immigrants at the border for any period in which they cannot be properly detained or placed in covered programs. Also allows State Attorney Generals to bring action against the Secretary of Homeland Security if this is violated in their respective state. 

We come together with heavy hearts to honor the life and legacy of former Mayor Aldo Palombo, a passionate and caring man who dedicated his life to service. Mayor Palombo served as the 15th Mayor of North Wildwood from 1994-2005 and in his capacity as mayor, completely turned the city around. 

Mayor Palombo was a beacon of optimism and boundless energy during these trying times. His leadership breathed new life into the city of North Wildwood at the time it needed it most. I extend my deepest condolences to the entire Palombo family. His memory will live on for generations to come in the city that he cared for so deeply and helped shape. We are forever grateful for his dedication, optimism, and enduring impact on North Wildwood. 

Watch my full remarks here or by clicking the photo below.