Dear Friend,
This week, President Biden addressed Congress and the American people during the third State of the Union Address of his Presidency. I was honored to be joined by Bladen County Sheriff Jim McVicker, who came to share his story about working on the front lines to keep citizens safe from the impacts of the President's open-border crisis. Keep reading below for my thoughts on the State of the Union and more.
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During the past three years, we have seen rampant inflation, an unprecedented border catastrophe, erosion of the rule of law leading to more and more crime, and numerous other issues plaguing our nation as a direct result of the President’s policy decisions. During President Biden's State of the Union address to Congress, I anticipated he would double down on these bad policies. My predictions were unfortunately correct. The President’s speech was divisive and in denial of reality. Because of President Biden’s open border policies our streets are unsafe, and drugs are pouring into communities across the country. Meanwhile, because of this Administration’s inept and weak foreign policy, liberty and freedom are in retreat and tyranny is on the march, including the hundreds of individuals crossing our border whose names appear on the terrorist watch list. The world is as unstable and dangerous as it has ever been. Families are also paying a lot more for everything because of excessive spending enacted when President Biden and Democrats had total control of Congress leading to rampant inflation. House Republicans have been working to address these shortcomings, but to change course we need the Democrat majority in the Senate and the White House to stop fighting our efforts. Regardless of the current obstacles, I remain committed to finding solutions we can work towards today to help the communities of Southeastern North Carolina.
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Welcoming Sheriff McVicker to DC As My State of the Union Guest
I was honored to welcome Bladen County Sheriff Jim McVicker as my guest for this State of the Union address. North Carolina might not be a border state, but we are experiencing the impacts of the open-border crisis. Sheriff McVicker has proudly served the citizens of Bladen County for nearly a decade, and he has a front row seat to President Biden's open-border policies that are fueling a drug and crime crisis impacting the local communities across our state and country. This crisis has led to unprecedented fentanyl deaths in North Carolina and nationwide. Families have lost loved ones, crime is on the rise, and our law enforcement is not receiving the support needed to combat these problems. I am grateful for Sheriff McVicker's commitment to protecting our communities, and I am glad he could join me to encourage President Biden to listen to those on the front lines and work to keep America safe.
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Meeting with North Carolina Agriculture Leaders
I enjoyed meeting with North Carolina peanut and sweetpotato farmers in DC this week! As one of the top 5 peanut producing states in the country, our dedicated peanut farmers are such a vital contributor to North Carolina’s ag economy. I’m honored to support their hard work. North Carolina is also proud to be the country’s top sweetpotato producing state. Many families rely on this superfood as a kitchen staple. Thanks to both groups for stopping by to discuss ways we can improve and support the livelihoods of our local producers!
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🕶 Spring Break Travel Tips: Are you traveling internationally for spring break? Be sure to follow these travel tips from Travel.State.Gov to avoid any mishaps. Tips include researching your destination, checking your passport, packing carefully, and more.
🎨 Enter the 2024 Congressional Art Competition: Each spring, a nationwide high school art competition is sponsored by members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students (grades 9-12) who reside in North Carolina's Seventh District. The winning artist from the Seventh District will have their artwork on display for eleven months in the U.S. Capitol. The deadline for submission is Friday, April 19, 2024, by 5pm. Click here to read more about the 2024 submission deadlines and instructions.
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For this week's good news story, I'm highlighting the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) whose oldest otter, Asta, just celebrated her sixteenth birthday on Tuesday! According to the Aquarium, "this milestone was an important one for this Asian small-clawed otter who is the oldest of this species at the Aquarium. She has been at the Aquarium since February 2020 and is beloved for her endearing traits of juggling pebbles and looking after her son, Ray. Asian small-clawed otters live up to 12 years in professional care, with some individuals living longer than 20 years. Lead otter keeper, Shannon Anderson created a three-tier frozen cake and filled it with pebbles and shells, topped it with fish candles and sprinkled it with her favorite kibble.” Happy birthday, Asta, and thank you to the NCAFF for your efforts to protect critical wildlife!
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"Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan." — Margaret Thatcher
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