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.

Continuing the Fight for Conservative Priorities in the FY25 Appropriations Bills

The House is continuing the appropriations process to fund the government before current funding expires on September 30. Under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the House is supposed to finish consideration of the 12 individual appropriations bills by June 30, though the last time that happened was 1976. This week, we considered, debated, and passed the following FY25 appropriations bills out of the House:

• H.R. 8752, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2025
• H.R. 8771, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2025
• H.R. 8774, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2025

I voted in support of all three pieces of legislation.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is the mastermind of the Biden Administration’s open border policies. American taxpayers should not be paying the salary of an official who willfully refuses to comply with U.S. immigration law and who was impeached by the House earlier this year. For these and many other reasons, I submitted an amendment to the DHS Appropriations Act to defund the salary of Secretary Mayorkas, which was passed favorably by the House 193-173. 

Additionally, the House unanimously adopted a second amendment I offered, which prohibited any federal funds from being used for the Biden Administration’s radical “Public Charge” rule, which loosened prohibitions on immigrants receiving welfare benefits. 

I debated in favor of my amendment on the House Floor. Click the image below to watch some of my remarks:

The bill also:

• Increases funding for real border security policies
  —$1.4 billion for border construction and technology
  —$3.1 billion for more detention beds
  —$800 million+ for operations to deport illegal aliens
  
• Prohibits funding for the CBPOne app, which the administration uses to allow illegal aliens to schedule their entry into the United States
  
• Eliminates funding for transporting illegal aliens into the United States
  
• Cuts off funding for sanctuary cities
  
• Completely defunds the Shelter and Services Program that gives taxpayer money directly to illegal aliens
  
• Prohibits DHS funding from being used for any abortions, gender surgeries, or hormone therapy
  

Click the image below to hear more about the funding for DHS:

Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations

The FY25 SFOPS Appropriations Act:

• Provides a $7.6 billion spending cut (reduced to FY15 spending levels) while still appropriately funding initiatives to counter adversaries and aid our allies
• Prohibits funding for corrupt international organizations such as the World Health Organization, the EcoHealth Alliance, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine, the International Criminal Court, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology
• Terminates unnecessary programs including the UN Montreal Protocol, the UN Environment Fund, and the World Economic Forum
• Maintains all long-standing pro-life protections

Click the image below to hear more about the funding for SFOPS:

Department of Defense (DOD) Appropriations

The FY25 DOD Appropriations Act:

• Defunds the granting, renewing, or maintaining of security clearances for the 51 officials listed as signatories on the “Public Statement on the Hunter Biden Emails”
• Provides a 19.5% pay increase to junior enlisted service members
• Prohibits funds for implementing COVID-19 mask or vaccine mandates
• Blocks funding for paid leave and travel for a service member or dependents to obtain an abortion or abortion-related services 

Click the image below to hear more about the funding for DOD:

House Oversight & Accountability Committee Activity

The Oversight Committee held a hearing titled “Defending America from the Chinese Communist Party’s Political Warfare, Part II.” Experts detailed how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has successfully waged an influence and infiltration campaign that jeopardizes critical U.S. industries, including America’s military readiness, technology sector, financial markets, agriculture industry, intellectual property, and education systems. The Committee’s government-wide investigation into CCP political warfare has revealed federal agencies have failed to combat China’s dangerous tactics, and too much of the Washington bureaucracy is unwilling to address the ongoing threat.

I spoke with Ms. Mary Kissel—the former Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State—about steps the United States should take to combat the CCP’s political warfare. Click the image below to watch some of my questions:

The Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce held a hearing titled “Security at Stake: An Examination of DOD’s Struggling Background Check System.” My colleagues and I examined how the Department of Defense (DOD) has fallen short in its mission to modernize the personnel vetting process with the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) system.

The NBIS system is billed as critical to reforming the long-troubled security clearance process, but it is better described as a case study in mismanagement. Over half a billion dollars have been spent on NBIS since 2016; however, Director Cattler, who recently took over responsibility for the program, testified that “the analysis of the NBIS program identified several key problems including in oversight, software development, acquisition strategy, team competencies, and leadership.” Click the image below to watch my line of questioning:

The Oversight Committee held a second hearing titled “Standing up for the Rule of Law: Ending Illegal Racial Discrimination and Protecting Men and Women in U.S. Employment Practices.” The Civil Rights Act makes it a federal crime for employers to discriminate against employees, or prospective employees, on the basis of their race, skin color, religion, sex or national origin. However, experts testified that U.S. companies are pushing unlawful diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has a responsibility to investigate troubling DEI initiatives that are violating employees’ protected civil rights, but the Biden EEOC has failed to do so. Click the image below to watch my line of questioning:

House Judiciary Committee Activity

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

• Report Recommending that the House of Representatives Cite Mark Zwonitzer for Contempt of Congress;
• H.R. 2833, the Pretrial Release Reporting Act.

In his report, Special Counsel Robert Hur revealed that Mark Zwonitzer, who served as Joe Biden’s ghostwriter, possessed classified records and documents. After Zwonitzer declined to provide the relevant documents and records, the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena on March 22, 2024, to Zwonitzer compelling the production of six specific categories of documents and records, including audio recordings and transcripts of his interviews with Joe Biden. The Judiciary Committee subpoenaed these materials for several reasons—including to determine if legislation is needed to codify procedures governing clear statutory guidelines related to the handling, storage, and disclosure of classified materials or modify criminal penalties for the unauthorized dissemination and disclosure of classified materials. 

To date, Zwonitzer has refused to produce any of the requested documents or materials. Because of his failure to comply with a lawfully issued congressional subpoena, the Judiciary Committee voted to hold Zwonitzer in contempt of Congress. Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the markup:

House Republicans’ investigation into the Biden Crime Family is ongoing, and we are committed to revealing the truth to the American people. I’ll keep you posted.

Congratulating the 2024 Congressional Art Competition Winner

Congratulations to Kiera, the 2024 Congressional Art Competition winner from Arizona’s Fifth District!

It was wonderful to host Kiera and her family in D.C., where her piece “Broken Image” is now displayed in the Capitol.

Thank you to all participants in this year’s competition, and thank you Kiera for making AZ05 proud!

Congressman Eric Burlison (R-MO) Joins the What’s the Biggs Idea? Podcast

On this week’s episode of the What’s the Biggs Idea? Podcast, I was joined by Congressman Eric Burlison, the Representative from Missouri’s 7th congressional district. Last week, Congressman Burlison introduced a resolution to rescind subpoenas issued by the illegitimate J6 Committee. The injustices of the sham partisan made-for-television committee cannot be allowed to stand.

Previous episodes of the podcast can be found on my website. Click the image below to watch this week’s episode:

Legislation and Letters

Homeland Security Appropriations Amendments Sponsored:

• H.Amdt. 1000 - PASSED - Prohibits any funding from being used for the salary or expenses of DHS Secretary Mayorkas
• H.Amdt. 1001 - PASSED - Prohibits any funding for the DHS “public charge” rule

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.

The Congressional App Challenge is Back!

Applications are now open for the 2024 Congressional App Challenge! I encourage all interested Arizona students to participate for the chance to have your app featured in the U.S. Capitol and on the House of Representatives’ website. 

Visit the Congressional App Challenge website to register before October 24th:

Top Media Appearances of the Week

I joined Just the News, No Noise with John Solomon and Amanda Head to discuss the unconstitutional founding of the illegitimate J6 Committee. Click the image below to listen to some of the segment:

I joined the Joe Pags Show to discuss Biden’s lawless regime and the necessity to hold this administration accountable. Click the image below to listen to some of the segment:

I joined The Absolute Truth with Emerald Robinson to discuss the effort to delegitimize the sham J6 Committee. Click the image below to watch 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.