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. 

Special Counsel Robert Hur Testifies Before The House Judiciary Committee 

Special Counsel Robert Hur testified before the House Judiciary Committee on his report related to President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. In his report, Hur did not criminally charge President Biden even though he had willfully retained classified records related to national security operations abroad. Hur cited that he could not charge Biden as he is simply a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.” Below are some main takeaways from the hearing: 

• Special Counsel Robert Hur confirmed he did not exonerate President Biden in his report.
• President Biden’s ghostwriter attempted to delete the audio recordings of his conversations with the president after it was announced a special counsel was hired to investigate his handling of classified documents.
• Classified documents were found at numerous Biden-related locations across the Northeast—including the Penn Biden Center, Joe Biden’s garage in Delaware, and the University of Delaware.
• Despite overwhelming evidence incriminating President Biden, Democrats did not want to get at the truth and instead deflected to President Trump’s alleged retention of classified documents.
• Special Counsel Robert Hur was unflappable, articulate, and a straight shooter in a hyper-partisan environment. He drove Democrats up a wall.

The House Judiciary and House Oversight & Accountability Committees will continue to follow the facts and gather more evidence to impeach Joe Biden. 

Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing:

Voting Against the House’s Flawed “TikTok Bill”

I voted against the House’s Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. 

This bill is not a serious attempt to thwart China’s influence or data collection in the United States. It’s a micro-step that only gives the appearance of protecting Americans from adversarial nations while doing little more than forcing divestiture of China’s ownership in the data collection company.

Touting this as a ‘win’ while China controls our supply chains and our access to critical minerals, facilitates the flow of fentanyl into the country, and owns our national debt is almost laughable. Not to mention that they’ll continue to have access to the same data collected by TikTok through other sources. It’s time we get serious about restoring our independence from China and truly protecting Americans’ privacy from both foreign and domestic spying agencies.

Urging House Leadership to Vote on a FISA 702 Standalone Bill, Privacy Legislation  

I led a bipartisan letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), urging them to oppose any attempt to attach reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to “must-pass” legislation and to allow floor votes on crucial reforms to protect the privacy rights of Americans. 

FISA 702 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 non-U.S. persons, are then kept by intelligence agencies, and can be later accessed without a warrant. This type of backdoor surveillance has occurred for decades and allows for rampant abuse of the FISA authorities. In 2022, the FBI used Section 702 over 200,000 times to search for Americans’ data, circumventing the Fourth Amendment. In December, the House Judiciary Committee overwhelmingly advanced Congressman Biggs’s legislation—H.R. 6570, the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act—to reform the FISA 702 authority and end these abuses. Yet, House Leadership has not brought this legislation to the floor for a full body vote.

We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to warrantless surveillance in America. Congress has a real opportunity to make critical reforms to the FISA 702 spying authority. For more than a year, our bipartisan coalition worked to find common ground on reforms to protect Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights. But consideration in the House has been repeatedly stalled by Members fearful that the will of the House could lead to fundamental reforms of the program. It’s time to dispense with the temper tantrums and allow the full House to consider how best to end warrantless spying on Americans. Any effort to extend Section 702 authorities without reform should be a nonstarter.

The full letter may be read here. 

The Washington Times covered the letter here. 

Pressing for Further Inquiry Into the Unjust Prosecution of Former Trump Advisor Peter Navarro 

I sent a letter to Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Chairman of the Committee on House Administration's Subcommittee on Oversight, encouraging him to conduct further oversight over the January 6th Committee’s decision to recommend contempt of Congress charges against former officials in President Trump’s Administration. 

Peter Navarro, former Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, has been ordered to report to prison next week for his refusal to comply with the sham committee’s demands.

The illegitimately constructed and biased January 6th Committee must be held accountable for its pursuit of political opponents.

That Mr. Navarro is required to report to federal prison for refusing to comply with an illegitimate committee’s demands is indicative of our nation’s two-tiered justice system. Throwing political opponents behind bars is a cruel move more likely to be seen in communist China and banana republics around the world. We must swiftly bring this practice to an end if we hope to protect our Republic.

I thank Chairman Loudermilk for his diligence in uncovering the truth about the tainted January 6th Committee, and I look forward to the results of his continued investigation.

Cosigners of this letter are: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT).

The letter may be read here.

The Epoch Times covered the letter here. 

Military Service Academy Conference: May 4th 

I will be hosting a Military Service Academy Conference with the office of Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ) on Saturday, May 4th from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm at Combs High School Performing Arts Center. 

Liaisons from the U.S. Military, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, and Naval academies will discuss military service and career opportunities. My staff will additionally be on-site to discuss the application and nomination process. 

Hope to see you there! Please RSVP with the link below:
https://biggs.house.gov/service-academy-conference

Veterans Corner: VA Urgent Care Billing Information Card

Veterans, did you know that if you are enrolled in the VA health care system and have received care at a VA or in-network provider sometime in the last 24 months, you may download a VA urgent care billing information card to use at VA-authorized urgent care to treat non-life-threatening conditions?

You can find a VA-authorized medical center and pharmacy location here. 

To learn more about VA urgent care, eligibility requirements, and examples of urgent care services, click here. 

To download your VA billing information card, click here.

Drop Zone 2024

On Saturday, June 1, 2024, my office will host our 5th annual DROP ZONE event!

Drop Zone is a one-stop resource fair for veterans, seniors, and residents of Arizona’s 5th District. Participants will have access to many valuable resources in one location: VA benefit consultations, health screenings, Taxpayer Advocacy Services, community support organizations, employment assistance, and more!

Drop Zone will be held on June 1, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the American Leadership Academy Applied Technologies Campus located at 7729 E Pecos Road, Mesa, AZ 85212.

Stay tuned for more updates. Drop Zone 2023 was a major success!

2024 Congressional Art Competition

Our 2024 Congressional Art Competition is now open to all high school students (9th – 12th grades) within Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District.

Students who are interested in participating must complete the 2024 Student Release Form and the Student Information Form.

Please contact my Constituent Services Representative, Christina Cleveland, at (480) 699-8239 to request more information.

Former Trump Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker Joins the What’s the Biggs Idea? Podcast at the DC Rumble Studio

Former President Trump’s Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker joined me on this week’s episode of the What’s the Biggs Idea? podcast in the Washington D.C. Rumble studio. 

Matt was the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa from 2004-2009 and obtained his BA, MBA, and JD from the University of Iowa, where he was a tight end for the Hawkeyes. He is now the host of the Liberty & Justice Podcast.

We discussed the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Special Counsel Robert Hur’s Report related to President Biden stashing classified documents in locations across the northeast, American politics, and how to reinvigorate our country. Check out my website here to watch previous episodes. Click the image below to watch this week’s episode:

Legislation & Letters

Bills Cosponsored:

• H.R. 4740 - Streamline Pentagon Budgeting Act of 2023 (Rep. Jayapal) 

Letters Led:

• Letter to the IRS on its decision to classify the Arizona family tax rebate as taxable income
  
• Letter to Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jeffries on bringing FISA legislation to the floor
• Letter to Chairman Loudermilk on the January 6th Committee and Peter Navarro

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 Laura Ingraham on Fox News to provide a recap of the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Special Counsel Robert Hur’s Report. Click the image below to watch some of the segment:

I joined Bob Brooks & Katrina Szish on Newsmax to discuss President Biden taking classified documents to private locations. Click the image below to watch some of the segment:

I joined Dagen McDowell and Sean Duffy on Fox Business to provide an instant reaction to the new surge of Haitian migrants arriving in South Florida. Click the image below to hear some of the segment:

Tweet of the Week 

Op-Ed of the Week

The Daily Caller published my column on President Biden’s immigration remarks during the 2024 State of the Union Address. 

Joe Biden has the authority to shut down the border right now. He already issued 94 executive orders to undo President Trump’s secure border! Yet, he continues to lie to the American people by blaming Republican Members of Congress for his border crisis.

The piece may be read here. 

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.