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 DC Cartel's $1.2 Trillion Minibus Spending Bill

I voted against the House of Representatives’ $1.2 trillion minibus spending bill. Coupled with the previous minibus that I opposed a few weeks ago, these bills spend more money than the Fiscal Year 2023 Pelosi omnibus that Republicans unanimously opposed just 14 months ago. This 1,012-page bill contained six of twelve appropriations bills:

• Defense Appropriations Act, 2024
• Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2024
• Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2024
• Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024
• Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2024
• State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024

Unfortunately, the House passed the $1.2 trillion minibus spending package 286-134. More Republicans voted against the bill than voted for it, but the Uniparty received enough support from House Democrats to push it across the finish line.

The text of the bill was released at 2:32 am EDT on Thursday, March 21. An 11:00 am Friday scheduled vote time gave House Members less than 36 hours to read and analyze the massive bill. 

House Republicans secured zero meaningful policy wins in this bill. The bill funds the salary of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a man who was impeached by the House only weeks ago, and gives $880 million to countries like Jordan and Lebanon for “border security.” It continues to fund the Pentagon’s abortion travel, all of the Biden Administration’s DEI, CRT, and radical climate priorities, and provides another $200 million for a brand new FBI headquarters. Meanwhile, there are no substantive resources to secure our own border - in fact, the bill doesn’t even prohibit taxpayer dollars from flowing to sanctuary cities or the transportation of illegal aliens into the interior of the United States. 

The bill included 1,400 earmarks totaling nearly $2 billion in funding. These earmarks give millions to organizations that perform late-term abortions, clinics that push transgender treatments, surgeries, and gender-affirming clothing on youth and adults, and a housing provider focused exclusively on LGBT seniors.

All work accomplished by conservatives in the appropriations amendment process last fall was eliminated. There are no spending cuts, and we’re continuing to fund woke policies favored by the Biden Administration. This bill puts America last. The Uniparty has once again sold out Americans.

Several of my colleagues and I debated the bill on the House Floor. Click the image below to hear some of the reasons I voted against this bill:

I joined Chairman Good and my House Freedom Caucus colleagues for a press conference opposing the Swamp’s second appropriations minibus. Click the image below to hear why common sense conservatives voted against the DC Cartel’s reckless spending package:

Continuing the Impeachment Inquiry into Joe Biden

Earlier this week, the Oversight & Accountability Committee continued its impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden with a hearing titled “Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Biden’s Abuse of Public Office.” Former Hunter Biden business associates Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis testified under oath that President Joe Biden actively participated in his family’s corrupt business dealings and acted as the closer for deals with Chinese and Russian entities. Then-VP Biden was the “brand” being sold for millions of dollars. 

Despite spending months begging for a public hearing, Hunter Biden could not be bothered to show up to Wednesday’s hearing. His testimony would not withstand public scrutiny when held up against witness facts and evidence uncovered showing Joe Biden’s involvement in the business schemes.

President Joe Biden continues to lie to the American public about the central role he played in his family’s corrupt influence-peddling schemes. He joined a pre-arranged phone call with Russian Oligarch Yelena Baturina to send signals of access. He personally met with Tony Bobulinski, alongside Hunter Biden and Jim Biden, to discuss a business venture related to CEFC, a Chinese energy company. Joe was involved first-hand with his family’s corrupt business schemes and ought to provide testimony to the Oversight Committee explaining why his family received tens of millions of dollars from foreign companies with his assistance.

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

The Oversight Committee’s investigation is ongoing. I’ll keep you posted.

Conducting Oversight Over Mismanagement of Foreign Aid

The Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs held a hearing titled “Accountable Assistance: Reviewing Controls to Prevent Mismanagement of Foreign Aid.” My colleagues and I discussed how the Biden Administration has mismanaged the distribution of U.S. foreign aid due to a lack of accountability mechanisms and vetting controls to properly account and safeguard assistance the U.S. sends abroad. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department lack accountability mechanisms for tracking foreign support once it departs the United States. Recipients of foreign aid are rarely vetted to make sure foreign assistance is not ending up in the hands of bad actors.

The Biden Administration has politicized foreign aid to further woke progressive ideology abroad. Public International Organizations (PIOs) pour millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars into non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are helping illegal aliens from around the world cross into our nation. 

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

Judiciary Committee Activity

The House Judiciary Committee held a markup and passed the following bills out of committee:

• H.R. 661, Sarah’s Law;
• H.R. 5082, the Revising Existing Procedures On Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act;
• H.R. 7187, the Protection of Women in Olympic and Amateur Sports Act;
• H.R. 7198, the Prove It Act of 2024.

Addressing Biden's Border Crisis on the House Floor

My colleague from Georgia, Rep. Andrew Clyde, hosted a special order on Biden’s Border Crisis on the House Floor. We will continue sounding the alarm for Biden’s disastrous open border policies that have destroyed so many American families.

Click the image below to watch some of my remarks:

Speaking at Liberty University’s Future Leaders Symposium

I was honored to speak at Liberty University’s Future Leaders Symposium.

I’m encouraged to see so many students taking a stand for our country.

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

I appreciate hearing from veterans who have received positive treatment and are happy with the healthcare they receive at the VA. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In situations where certain treatments may not be available, or veterans are unhappy with the care they receive, they may seek community care to ensure their needs are met.

In these situations, the VA Mission Act requires the VA to pay for veterans to seek community care from non-VA doctors if they must wait longer than 20 days or drive more than 30 minutes for primary or mental healthcare. For specialty providers, this is 28 days or a greater-than-60-minute drive to the specialty provider.

If you are a veteran and have experienced any difficulty in obtaining community care under the Mission Act, please contact my District Office for assistance at (480) 699-8239 or visit my website at https://biggs.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency.

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 am to 2 pm 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 and we hope this year’s will be too!

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.

Legislation & Letters

Bills Cosponsored:

• H.R. 1440 - Modern, Clean, and Safe Trucks Act of 2023 (Rep. LaMalfa)
• H.R. 7728 - To repeal section 115 of the Clean Air Act (Rep. Perry)  
• H.R. 7733 - Identifying Potential Terrorist at Our Border Act (Rep. Williams) 
• H.J.Res. 116 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of the Labor relating to "Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act" (Rep. Kiley)
• H.R. 7739 - H.R. 7739 - Remain in Canada Act of 2024 (Rep. Babin)   

Letters Led:

• Letter to BOP Director Peters on Stewart Parks (Reps. Ogles & Gaetz) 

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 John Solomon and Amanda Head on Just the News: No Noise to discuss the terror threat created by Biden’s disastrous open border policies. Click the image below to see some of the segment:

I joined the John Fredericks Radio Show to discuss mainstream Republicans’ refusal to fight our American values. Click the image below to listen to some of the segment:

I joined the Steak for Breakfast podcast to discuss the DC Cartel’s spending bill. Click the image below to listen to some of the segment:

Tweet of the Week 

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.