Dear John,
More than two years ago, House Republicans made what was called our Commitment to America, guaranteeing a government that's accountable, a future that's free, a nation that's safe, and an economy that's strong. (Of course, as you know, nothing becomes law without passage in the Senate and the President’s signature, but at least the House is doing its job.) This past week, we continued to uphold that commitment by voting on more than two dozen bills focused on protecting America from the Chinese Communist Party. Also this past week, I held a Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment hearing with representatives of the agriculture industry, home builders, and others regarding the implementation of the Biden-Harris Administration’s new regulation defining a "water of the United States,” or “WOTUS" as it is called for short.
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Combatting the Threat of Communist China
Since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office their foreign policy of appeasement has diminished our standing on the world stage, emboldened our allies, and plunged the world into a state of constant chaos. Last week, House Republicans voted and passed many bills related to protecting America from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP presents the greatest threat to American values and American national security in our lifetime. We must stand up to the CCP by defending our values and reducing our reliance on China for critical materials that are being sourced from China. The legislation passed last week, if it were to become law, would help secure our supply chain, protect American technology, and defend our values. Those bills include:
Protect America's Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024 - Reestablishes a Trump Administration initiative with the National Security Division of the DOJ to address espionage by the CCP on U.S. intellectual property and academic institutions.
DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act - Prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from providing any funds to a U.S. institution of higher education that has a relationship with the CCP, and bars any funds to Chinese entities of concern that have a relationship with the CCP, support the military-civil fusion programs and other security and science entities within the Chinese government.
End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act of 2024 - Prevents the CCP from receiving any taxpayer dollars for electric vehicles created by the Biden-Harris Inflation Reduction Act (which should really be titled the Inflation Expansion Act).
Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act - Adds the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for the approval of transactions, including land, biotechnology, transportation, storage, and processing, and directs CFIUS to take necessary actions to prohibit the purchase of U.S. agricultural land by foreign adversaries.
Countering CCP Drones Act - Would increase the competitiveness of U.S. drone companies, enhance U.S. national security, and end our reliance on Chinese drones by ending China's monopoly over our domestic drone market and starting a much-needed transition period to eliminate America's reliance on CCP-drones.
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Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Hearing: "Waters of the United States Implementation Post-Sackett Decision: Experiences and Perspectives"
As chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, I led a hearing on Wednesday highlighting the the uncertainty states, farmers, home builders, and others are facing as they struggle to understand the regulatory inconsistencies and lack of transparency from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) on what constitutes a "water of the United States" (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act. This uncertainty and the resulting economic burdens remain even after the U.S. Supreme Court clearly ruled in Sackett v. EPA that key principles underpinning the Biden Administration’s WOTUS rule exceeded federal regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act. Just over a year ago, the Administration released its revision of the unconstitutional WOTUS rule, which failed to appropriately reflect the Court’s Sackett decision and has caused further confusion among the regulated community. Federal regulations should be simple and easy to follow. However, there is no greater example of bureaucratic overreach than the nightmare of complying with and understanding the definition of a 'water of the United States.’ When the Clean Water Act was written and passed, it was never envisioned to give the federal government control of every ditch and mud puddle. Much was left to the states and local municipalities to regulate — or, not to regulate — as they saw fit.
You can watch my full opening remarks here.
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Remembering the Lives Lost on September 11, 2001 |
On Wednesday, September 11th, we remembered the nearly 3,000 men and women who died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and United Flight 93.
We will never forget the victims— nor will we ever forget the extraordinary courage, service, and sacrifice of our law enforcement officers, firefighters, passengers, crew and Pentagon personnel during the 9/11 attacks. Through all of the devastation, the American people proved our spirit and patriotism could not be broken.
The anniversary of 9/11 is always a solemn reminder of what is at stake and why we must do everything in our power to prevent another terrorist attack. But for America, this world would be a very, very dark place. The principles that made America great — that keep the lamp of liberty lit — deserve to survive.
May God always bless our troops, their families, and the United States of America.
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This Week's Good News Story |
For this week’s good news story, I'm highlighting NBC's Clear the Shelters campaign in Wilmington. NBC's affiliate, WECT News 6, has participated all ten years in getting as many animals as possible into loving homes. A new record was broken this year as more than 700 dogs and cats were adopted from seven area shelters and rescue groups. You can read more about the campaign on WECT's website.
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"Today's accomplishments were yesterday's impossibilities." — Robert Schuller |
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