I hope that you and your family are well. As we enter the spring and summer travel season, remember that my office is happy to assist with tickets and tours should you decide to visit Washington, D.C. It’s always a pleasure to welcome North Carolinians to our nation’s capital!  

Honoring the fallen 

Last week was a tragic one for the city of Charlotte. A week ago, a violent armed suspect opened fire on law enforcement officers attempting to serve him with a warrant.  

Eight officers were wounded -- four from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and four officers who were assigned to the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.  

Tragically, four brave law enforcement officers were killed. I want to express my gratitude to them for their service and sacrifice – it’s a debt that we can never repay. 

 Last Friday, Officer Joshua Eyer, a six-year-veteran of the CMPD force, who was recently honored by the Department as Officer of the Month, was laid to rest in moving funeral service at First Baptist Church in Uptown. Officer Eyer previously deployed twice as an NC Army National Guardsman and was lauded by his fellow officers and servicemembers for his character, service, and heroism. He leaves behind his wife and 3-year-old son.  

Thomas Weeks Jr. was a Deputy US Marshal from Mooresville, North Carolina. He was a 13-year veteran of the U.S. Marshals Service, and previously spent eight years serving with Customs and Border Protection. He leaves behind his wife and four children. 

William “Alden” Elliott was a 14-year veteran of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, a member of U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, and a married father of one.  

Samuel “Sam” Poloche was a 14-year veteran of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, a member of U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, and a married father of two.  

These brave men are heroes, and I ask you to join me in uplifting their wives, children, and loved ones in prayer. They received the call that no family ever wants to get. They rushed into harm’s way to protect our community, and, in doing so, made the ultimate sacrifice.   

Jo and I were humbled to attend the memorial service of officer Joshua Eyer on Friday, and the memorial service for Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr. on Monday at the Bojangles Coliseum. The services were incredibly moving, with family, friends, and officers from across the state and nation paying their respects.

The response to this tragedy from across the state has shown the best of our community. I’ll be praying for the swift recovery of the injured officers and awaiting answers and justice from the investigation of the shooting. 

I joined many of my North Carolina colleagues on the House floor for a moment of silence to honor the fallen officers. 

Fallen Heroes Memorial Month   

Last week, I introduced a resolution with Senator Tommy Tuberville to declare the month of May as “Fallen Heroes Memorial Month.” 

READ: Bishop, Tuberville Introduce Resolution to Establish Fallen Heroes Memorial Month

Numerous months are devoted to specific causes and identities, but our fallen heroes are not currently among them. That should change, and this resolution expresses support for an annual Presidential Proclamation affirming our eternal gratitude for members of the Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice and calls on Americans to remember and honor them throughout the month. 

Lawless Lunacy  

We’ve seen violent protests run amok on college campuses across the nation this spring. While peaceful protests are protected by the First Amendment, violent actions, trespassing, blockading, and similar actions are not.  

At UNC Chapel Hill, we witnessed an abhorrent display as anti-American protestors tore down the American flag and replaced it with a Palestine flag. I was heartened to see UNC’s interim chancellor, Lee Roberts, personally ensured that our flag was again raised, with the help of a group of courageous young fraternity men who held up the flag, preventing it from hitting the ground, while being harassed by the campus mob.  

In the worst of circumstances, it’s heartening to witness upstanding behavior from exemplary young people in our state.   

The Week in Weaponized Government 

Last week, two key players in the Biden White House Censorship Laundering schemes, Andy Slavitt and Rob Flaherty, testified publicly for the first time. 

WATCH: The Biden admin violated the First Amendment

Concurrently, our select subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released a comprehensive report on the depth of the schemes. 

READ: Censorship Industrial Complex Report

 App Competition

The 2024 Congressional App Challenge is now live. Students in District 8 who are interested in coding are eligible to compete in this year's National Congressional App Challenge. Individuals or teams may submit their applications for any digital platform. Students may utilize any platform (web app, desktop/PC app, web browser extension, robot, Ruby on Rails, mobile, etc.). They can use any programming language (C/C++, Objective C, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, Swift, "block code", etc.). App submissions must show some degree of functionality to be competitive! For a full list of rules, please visit the Congressional App Challenge website.