This past week, Congress returned to Washington to continue our oversight efforts and to vote one of the most critical pieces of legislation in recent memory.

Passing the SAVE Act

Frequent readers of this newsletter will be familiar with the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which ensures that ONLY American citizens can vote in American elections.

READ: Congressman Bishop Applauds Passage of SAVE Act

The honor system is not enough when it comes to safeguarding our nation’s future. Tens of millions of people have already violated our nation's laws by crossing the border illegally, and they will not be deterred from further illegal activity by a box-checking exercise.

I spoke on the House floor to express my strong support for this vital legislation, which passed the House on Wednesday:

This should be a no-brainer, common-sense exercise. But Democrats are staunchly opposed to securing our elections, and 198 of them voted against it on the House floor.

TWEET: 198 Democrats

What is a nation without borders? Without secure elections? I’ll tell you -without secure elections, the American experiment is finished. I agree with President Trump: this bill should be tied to upcoming government funding bills. It must become law.

TWEET: Absolutely.

Homeland Security Update

My colleagues and I on the Homeland Security Committee visited the Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Center to learn about their partnership with Tim Tebow and the Tebow Foundation. They do important work in rescuing victims of child exploitation and supporting them once rescued. It was a privilege to meet with these hardworking men and women.

We also convened a hearing to examine how relatively new technology, like drones, can help our border agents in the field.

Tragically, the flood of distressing stories about our illegal immigration crisis has continued unabated, which it will as long as Joe Biden and Border Czar Kamala Harris are implementing their open border policies.

This is the outcome of rolling out the welcome mat for illegal aliens.

The Week in Weaponized Government

I strongly support the resolution from my colleague, Anna Paulina Luna, to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in inherent contempt of Congress, fining him $10,000 in personal funds for each day he refuses to comply with the Congressional subpoena for Biden’s interview tapes with Special Counsel Robert Hur.

Unfortunately, the resolution failed narrowly on the House floor, after four Republicans voted no and four Republicans took a walk during the vote. Rep. Luna will not be deterred. She reintroduced the resolution and will call it up again when Congress returns in two weeks. I look forward to voting for it a second time. We must hold the lawless administration accountable.

In our Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, we held a hearing examining how the New York County District Attorney’s Office weaponized and politicized the criminal justice system in pursuit of President Trump -- by first setting him in their sights as a target of lawfare, and then searching for an unproven legal theory to go after him.

Media Hoaxes

Our most recent Judiciary Committee hearing focused on investigating collusion in the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), a censorship laundering organization. Leftist advertisers are colluding to block paid advertising from organizations, candidates, and news organizations they disagree with in a censorship scheme.

NC Veterans Home Visit

While back in North Carolina, it was great to visit the NC Veterans Nursing Home in Salisbury along with Expedition Orange, a nonprofit doing great work to help our disabled veterans through benefit horseback rides.

Service Academy Nominations and Internship Applications

We've had a great group of interns this summer. As they prepare to go back to school for the fall semester, we are now accepting applications for fall and winter internships in our D.C. and North Carolina offices. All interested applicants should email their resumes to [email protected].

We are also now accepting applications for a nomination to the Military Service Academies. For more information and application materials, please visit my website.

INFO: Service Academy Nominations

App Challenge

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. App submissions must show some degree of functionality to be competitive. For a full list of rules, please visit the Congressional App Challenge website.

Votes Last Week

H.R. 8281: Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (Passed)
H.R. 897: Alabama Underwater Forest National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act (Passed)
H.R. 5441: Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Reauthorization Act (Passed)
H.R. 7637: Refrigerator Freedom Act (Passed)
H.R. 7700: Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act (Passed)
H. Res. 1344: Finding that Merrick Garland, Attorney General of the United States, is in contempt of the House of Representatives for disobeying a certain subpoena. (Failed)
H.J. Res 109: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to “Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121” (Failed)
H.J. Res. 165: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance” (Passed)

Sincerely,