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 Inflated Uniparty Spending

The House is continuing the appropriations process to fund the government before current funding expires on September 30. This week, we considered H.R. 8772, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2025. I opposed this bill, and it ultimately failed on the House Floor 213-205.

H.R. 8772 in its current form would give the legislative branch more than $7 billion, a 5.6% increase from last year. Congress ought not to give itself a raise while fighting to decrease funding for other branches of government. This bill will likely be amended and reconsidered on the House Floor in the coming weeks. I’ll keep you posted. 

More here:

Protecting American Elections

The House passed Rep. Chip Roy’s (R-TX) Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act out of the House by a vote of 221-198. This bill closes loopholes in federal law to ensure that states verify that only U.S. citizens are registering and voting in our elections. This legislation is especially timely given the Biden regime’s radical open border policies, and recent reports in states like South Carolina, Georgia, and Ohio related to noncitizens attempting to register to vote or being provided voter registration materials.

Five Democrats allowed the voice of reason to prevail and voted to pass the SAVE Act, but the vast majority of House Democrats voted in opposition, signaling their support for allowing illegal aliens to influence the direction of our Republic. 198 House Democrats sided with Biden’s woke administration to drown out the voices of American citizens.

The SAVE Act will now be transmitted to the Senate for consideration. Conservatives must continue putting pressure on Senators and President Biden to uphold our election laws. I’ll keep you posted.

Fighting for Accountability Within Merrick Garland’s Two-Tiered Justice System

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has yet to comply with lawful congressional subpoenas issued several months ago. Multiple House Committees subpoenaed AG Garland to produce the audio tapes of Joe Biden’s interview with Robert Hur, and he failed to do so. 

Although the House voted to hold Garland in contempt of Congress last month, Garland’s DOJ has not enforced the subpoena. In response, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced a resolution to hold AG Garland in inherent contempt of Congress, which would have given the House the authority to enforce the subpoenas. Unfortunately, 4 House Republicans in the Uniparty voted with Democrats to defeat Rep. Luna’s resolution.

Merrick Garland is not above the law. The House has the authority to issue and enforce these subpoenas, and conservatives must take a stand against Garland and his weaponized Department of Justice.

I spoke on the House Floor in favor of Rep. Luna’s inherent contempt resolution. Click the image below to watch some of my remarks:

Condemning Secretary Mayorkas’s Failure to Address Elevated Risk of Terror

I sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas regarding DHS’s failure to issue a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin on the number of terrorists who have illegally entered the country. More than 360 illegal aliens on the terror watchlist—and upwards of 52,000 who were identified as “special interest aliens” because of national security concerns—have been apprehended by Border Patrol agents since President Joe Biden took office in January of 2021. 

Several of these foreign nationals in the country illegally have already planned or attempted to conduct terror operations within the United States. Recent examples include two Jordanians who attempted to infiltrate the Marine Corps base in Quantico and eight Tajikistanis who were planning to detonate a bomb. Members of South and Central American gangs have also committed violent crimes in major U.S. cities.

Despite these alarming statistics, Mayorkas’s DHS has refused to alert the American public to the heightened risk of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. My letter requires DHS to provide answers to its failure to properly inform Americans of the danger of the Biden Administration’s open border policies. 

Alejandro Mayorkas’s negligent refusal to secure and protect America from terrorist threats is unacceptable.

More than 10 million illegal aliens have invaded our country during Mayorkas’s tenure as DHS Secretary. The Biden Administration’s disastrous open border policies make it impossible for Border Patrol agents to properly vet foreign nationals flowing unchecked through our porous borders. Even the administration’s own FBI Director has repeatedly warned against the increasing likelihood of terrorist attacks carried out by unvetted illegal aliens.

The Biden Administration adamantly refuses to enforce existing U.S. immigration law to protect American citizens from foreign threats. DHS must provide answers for its failure to alert Americans to the increased risk of terror threats. I’m grateful to my colleagues for joining this effort as we await Secretary Mayorkas’s response.

The letter may be read here.

The Washington Examiner covered the letter here.

House Oversight & Accountability Committee Activity

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing titled “Oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.” My colleagues and I exposed how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Biden Administration has operated outside its rulemaking authority. The agency has implemented burdensome regulations and sweeping executive orders to advance President Biden’s radical environmental agenda and appease left-wing climate activists.

Many areas in my home state of Arizona are part of desert ecosystems and face challenges meeting nationwide air quality standards due to naturally occurring dust in our air. EPA Administrator Michael Regan could not provide a satisfactory answer on how his agency expects these regions to comply with the EPA’s new air quality standards, even though we’ve been asking about compliance for months. Click the image below to watch some of my remarks:

House Judiciary Committee Activity

The House Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing titled “Collusion in the Global Alliance for Responsible Media.” We continued our investigation into the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), specifically its Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) initiative, and its clear bias against conservative outlets and individuals. GARM has undertaken various actions to eliminate the monetization, and in effect the existence, of conservative voices online. Judiciary Republicans will continue uncovering corruption and collusion against conservatives in the global sphere. Click the image below to watch my remarks:

Letters and Legislation

Bills Cosponsored:

• H.R. 7772 - Safeguarding Benefits for Americans Act of 2024 (Rep. Grothman)
• H.J.Res. 133 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles-Phase 3” (Rep. Fulcher)
• H.Res. 1323 - Rejecting the United Nations decision to place the Israel Defense Force on a list of child’s rights abusers (Rep. Burchett) 
• H.R. 8985 - Preventing Forced Abortions Act of 2024 (Rep. Ogles)

Letters Led:

• Letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas regarding DHS’s failure to issue a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin on the number of terrorists who have illegally entered the country

Speaking to the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce

It was an honor to join constituents at “Coffee and a Mic” hosted by the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce.

We discussed important issues like border security, water challenges, the impact of SCOTUS’s overturning of the Chevron doctrine, appropriations, and improvements to Mesa Gateway Airport.

I’m thankful to the Chamber for hosting me and all who attended!

Service Academy Nominations for Class of 2029 Now Open

Every year, my office has the pleasure of interviewing and nominating some of the brightest young men and women in Arizona to the most prestigious military institutions in the world.

Students interested in attending a U.S. Service Academy will need to apply and obtain a congressional or presidential nomination in order to receive an appointment to four of the five Service Academies: U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY; the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, MD; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY.

Our nomination applications for the Class of 2029 are now open for students from Arizona’s Fifth District. Applications must be submitted by October 25, 2024. 

To request a Military Academy Nomination from my office or additional information, please contact Victoria Armijo at (480) 980-9609 or [email protected] for an application packet.

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 Laura Ingraham on Fox News to discuss the Democrats’ and corrupt mainstream media’s efforts to hide Joe Biden’s mental decline from the American public for years. Click the image below to listen to some of the segment:

I joined War Room with guest host Jack Posobiec to discuss AG Garland’s continued defiance of lawful congressional subpoenas. Click the image below to listen to some of the segment:

I joined Newsmax with Shaun Kraisman and Emma Rechenberg to discuss the Oversight Committee’s bombshell report that Joe Biden’s physician is also a corrupt family business associate. 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 
I 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.