Responsible National Security Funding

This week the House of Representatives passed the Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Acts. As a member of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, I am proud of the legislation we were able to pass.

Throughout the entire appropriations process, I have worked hard to ensure that both packages include conservative priorities that keep our nation safe while cutting wasteful spending.

In the Defense bill, we were able to increase pay for all military personnel, fight the CCP’s attempts at infiltrating our institutions, and refocus the Pentagon’s core mission to delivering combat-ready military forces to deter war and ensure national security.

In the Homeland Security bill, we made major investments in fighting the crisis at our southern border. When I was at the border in February, Border Patrol told us the wall works, so we appropriated funds to build it.

These bills bolster our national security at home and abroad, and our nation will be better for it.

Combatting the CCP's Fentanyl Operations

This week, I led the first session of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Fentanyl Working Group. We heard testimony from Bill Evanina, the Director of the National Counterintelligence Security Center and Ray Donovan, the former Chief of Operations for the Drug Enforcement Agency. 

Our job is to take a hard look at this issue based on the evidence, including what we have uncovered as part of our groundbreaking bipartisan investigation and report unveiled last April.

We are all in agreement that too many Americans have died for us to waste time on political theater. On this issue, there are no Republicans or Democrats. We must face this particularly disturbing aspect of the CCP threat together as Americans.

The objective of this Fentanyl Working Group is to ensure the Select Committee policy recommendations are enacted into law as well as ensure tangible and attainable solutions are achieved. 

SCOTUS Takes Power from Unelected Bureaucrats

Yesterday, the Supreme Court voted to overturn Chevron v. National Resources Defense Council, a massive 1984 decision that increased the regulatory power of federal agencies.

The Court decided 6-3 to overturn the decision that gave agencies across the federal government leeway to interpret ambiguous laws. Dubbed the Chevron deference, it employed judges to defer to the agencies when the law is ambiguous.

This decision by the Supreme Court reiterates the Constitutional premise that Congress is tasked with making the laws of the land, interpreted by the courts, and not the executive branch by way of unelected bureaucrat.

By ending deference, regulators are stripped of their ability to skew Congressional intent and must execute the laws as they are written, rather than enact their own agendas.

I applaud this decision which will return the power back to those elected by the people and prevent future regulations from being bent to the whims of federal agencies.

Federal Investment Coming to Richland and Wenatchee Airports

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Meeting with Associated Homebuilders

Western Caucus Corner

This week, I introduced legislation alongside Western Caucus Executive Vice Chair Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), and Vice Chair Tom Tiffany (WI-07) to nullify President Biden’s Executive Order 14072 and prevent the U.S. Forest Service from finalizing the Old-Growth Amendment Plan’s draft Environmental Impact Statement.

The proposed Old-Growth Plan Amendment is out of touch with the needs of rural America. By limiting timber harvesting and proper forest management, the risk of catastrophic wildfires increases.

I’m proud to join Western Caucus Executive Vice Chair LaMalfa on this important legislation to overturn this attack on common sense forest management and to ensure forest managers have access to the tools needed to do their jobs.