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.

Voting Against the Uniparty's Failed Bloated Spending Package

On Wednesday night, the House voted on H.R. 9494, Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2025. The bill failed to pass the House at a final vote count of 220-202, with 2 Members voting present. 

This Continuing Resolution (CR), though attached to the SAVE Act, would raise our deficit by $1.5 trillion and continue funding the Biden-Harris Administration’s radical priorities. I was an original cosponsor of the SAVE Act, and I supported its passage through the House, but its inclusion in the Speaker’s CR did not justify voting to extend Biden-Pelosi-Schumer spending levels. The SAVE Act has already passed the House and is collecting dust on Senator Schumer’s desk–he could bring it up for consideration at any time.

This CR maintains funding for the lawfare against President Trump, maintains funding for the salary of Alejandro Mayorkas and the border invasion he has facilitated, maintains funding for a new FBI headquarters and their warrantless spying activities, maintains funding for abortion and Planned Parenthood, and maintains funding for countless other Biden-Harris Administration priorities that House Republicans supposedly oppose.

Our national debt has exceeded $35 trillion–Congress is spending this country into oblivion. Conservatives cannot continue accepting the status quo and making empty promises to the American people.

Click the images below to hear more about the process and why I voted against the bill:

Protecting American Taxpayers from Funding Housing for Illegal Aliens

This week, I introduced the Keeping Aid for Municipalities and Localities Accountable Act, or the KAMALA Act. The KAMALA Act will ensure that the federal government is not bankrolling states and localities that provide illegal aliens with housing assistance.

Last month, the California legislature passed a bill that would allow illegal aliens to receive up to $150,000 for mortgage downpayment assistance. While the bill was vetoed, Governor Gavin Newsome’s justification was based on a lack of state funding for the program, not a recognition that the policy creates new incentives for illegal immigration and would drive housing prices further out of reach of middle-class Americans.

The KAMALA Act:

• Adds language to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program ensuring that CDBG-funded programs are used to benefit American citizens, not illegal aliens, parolees, or asylees
  
• Prohibits the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from allocating CDBG funding to states or localities allowing noncitizens to participate in housing assistance programs

Americans are outraged at the Biden-Harris Administration’s refusal to put the needs of citizens over the comfort of illegal aliens. Democrats across the country are coddling illegal aliens, providing them with housing assistance while hundreds of thousands of Americans live on the streets. Congress must step in and use the power of the purse to ensure that taxpayers aren’t subsidizing these foolish priorities.

Washington Examiner covered the bill here.

The bill may be read here.

Calling Out Border Czar Harris's Failure to Secure the Border

I held a Special Order Hour on the House Floor to discuss Kamala Harris’s failed tenure as this regime’s Border Czar. I was joined by eight of my Republican colleagues to highlight how the Border Crisis has impacted each of their respective states. In Biden-Harris’s America, every state is a border state. Click each of the images below to hear more about the tragic effects of Biden-Harris’s Border Crisis on American communities nationwide:

Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua—dubbed "MS-13 on steroids"—has overtaken Colorado communities.

Juan Carlos Garcia Rodriguez brutally assaulted and murdered 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez in Pasadena, TX.

Cesar Condor Vaca was listed on Ecuador's 100 Most Wanted Criminals list before being apprehended in Greenville, SC.

Nathan Kharim Melendez was arrested in Phoenix, AZ.

He has been wanted by Mexican authorities since March when he ran over a 30-year-old woman with her young daughter and nephew.

Giovanni Radu was illegally residing in Florida where he was arrested for fraud and soliciting charitable donations under false pretensions.

He collected a total of $80,000 in the past year using a fake nonprofit.

Within six months of his release into the United States, Daniel Hernandez Martinez committed at least 22 criminal offenses in New York City.

DHS records also indicate that he's a suspected member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

On February 22, 2024, Jose Ibarra murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia's campus.

Laken Riley would still be alive today if not for the failed Border Czar.

Jose Fabricio Veizaga-Vargas was repeatedly arrested and released by radical Biden-Harris appointees.

He was convicted of sexually assaulting a Virginia child and was charged with DWI and possession of child abuse sexual material.

Americans have had enough of radical Democrats and feckless Republicans refusing to implement policy that will actually secure our border. Click the image below to watch the full Special Order:

Defending United States Sovereignty from Corrupt International Organizations

The American people are rightfully concerned about the Biden-Harris Administration's apparent willingness to hand over public health decision-making to unaccountable bureaucrats at an unscrupulous international organization. For years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has undermined American interests and remains one of the most corrupt and ineffective international institutions.

President Donald Trump recognized the threat posed by WHO, took action to end U.S. contributions, and initiated a process to end U.S. membership in WHO. These actions were reversed by President Biden, who has since directed nearly $2 billion in federal funding to WHO.

My colleagues Congressmen Bob Good (R-VA) and Ralph Norman (R-SC) held a press conference on the dangers of surrendering U.S. sovereignty to WHO. We cannot surrender any more of our sovereignty, our geographical integrity, or our economic integrity to corrupt international organizations. Click the image below to see some of my remarks from the press conference:

I sponsored the WHO Withdrawal Act originally in 2022, and I reintroduced it at the beginning of this Congress. My bill requires the President to withdraw the United States from WHO, repeals the law that originally authorized the United States to join WHO, and prevents taxpayer money from being spent to participate in the WHO. Americans across the country are pleading for action on this issue, yet the Foreign Affairs Committee has taken no action on my legislation. I’ll keep you posted.

Celebrating Constitution Day

237 years ago, on September 17, 1787, our Framers made a covenant that We the People's God-given rights would never be taken away by the government.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We must keep fighting to defend our Republic.

House Oversight & Accountability Committee Activity

The Oversight Committee held a hearing titled “A Legacy of Incompetence: Consequences of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Policy Failures.” My colleagues and I exposed how the American people continue to suffer under this Administration’s weak leadership and detrimental policy agenda. The Biden-Harris Administration’s open border agenda and decision to abandon deterrent-focused immigration policies have ignited the worst border crisis in American history.

Click the image below to see my questions in the hearing:

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

• H.R. 3642, the Executive Branch Accountability and Transparency Act of 2023;
  
• H.R. 9598, the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2024;
  
• H.R. 9592, the Federal Register Modernization Act;
  
• H.R. 9597, the Federal Acquisition Security Council Improvement Act of 2024;
  
• H.R. 9595, the Federal Improvement in Technology (FIT) Procurement Act;
  
• H.R. 9566, the Source Code Harmonization and Reuse in Information Technology (SHARE IT) Act;
  
• H.R. 9596, the Value Over Cost Act;
  
• H.R. 5536, the Grant Transparency Act of 2023;
  
• H.R. 9593, the Manager Attitudes and Notions According to Government Employee Responses (MANAGER) Act;
  
• H.R. 8784, the Full Responsibility and Expedited Enforcement (FREE) Act;
  
• H.R. 9594, the Protecting Taxpayers Wallet Act;
  
• H.R. 825, the Banning Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime (BOLIVAR) Act;
  
• Various Post Office naming measures.

House Judiciary Committee Activity

I chaired a hearing for the subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance titled “Oversight of Homeland Security Investigations.” Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is a law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). HSI handles more than 60% of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) cases in the United States that have an international nexus. HSI also plays a pivotal role in combating fentanyl trafficking, seizing over 77,000 pounds of fentanyl in the last three fiscal years. 

HSI is overburdened by its commitment to support the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) with protection duties. From 2019-2024, HSI provided over 717,000 hours of personnel support to USSS, at a cost of over $23 million in unreimbursed salaries. That’s 717,000 hours that could’ve been used to combat human trafficking, interdict fentanyl, or stop the proliferation of CSAM.

Congress has a constitutional duty to conduct oversight over federal agencies. We must ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and correctly. Click the image below to watch my opening remarks from the hearing:

The Judiciary Committee held a markup and passed several bills out of committee. H.R. 115, a bill I sponsored, passed out of the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 14-10. The bill has now been referred to House Leadership for a potential vote on the Floor. I’ll keep you posted.

I first introduced H.R. 115, the Midnight Rules Relief Act, in the 116th Congress. H.R. 115 will allow stronger congressional oversight of outgoing presidential administrations—one of Congress’s most important congressional duties. Click the image below to hear more about my bill:

In addition to H.R. 115, the Judiciary Committee passed the following out of committee:

• H.J.Res. 144, Overturning the rule submitted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Department of Justice, relating to ‘‘Definition of ‘Engaged in the Business’ as a Dealer in Firearms;”
  
• H.R. 358, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act; 
  
• H.R. 8205, the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act;
  
• H.R. 8666, To amend title 28, United States Code, to authorize holding court for the Central Division of Utah in Moab and Monticello;
  
• H.R. 7177, To amend title 28, United States Code, to consolidate certain divisions in the Northern District of Alabama;
  
• H.R. 9605, the No Censors on our Shores Act;
  
• H.R. 8419, the American Victims of Terrorism Compensation Act;
  
• Ratification of subcommittee assignments.

Receiving a United States Coast Guard Plaque

I was honored to meet with liaisons from the United States Coast Guard and receive a plaque to hang in my office.

We're thankful for the sacrifices of every service member and veteran.

Thank you for bravely defending our freedoms!

Letters and Legislation

Bills Sponsored:

• H.R. 9617 - Keeping Aid to Municipalities and Localities Accountable (KAMALA) Act

Bills Cosponsored:

• H.Res. 1457 - Strongly condemning Vice President Kamala Harris for championing anti-law enforcement policies and, as a result, encouraging lawlessness across the country (Rep. Arrington) 
• H.R. 9586 - STOP WEIRD Act of 2024 (Rep. Steube) 

Letters Cosigned:

• Letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas on the DHS OIG report on lost UACs (Rep. Gooden)

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.

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 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.

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 Appearance of the Week

I joined The Benny Show to discuss the concerning lapse in security surrounding President Trump. Click the image below to watch part of the segment:

I joined Newsmax with Bob Brooks and Katrina Szish to discuss the Uniparty’s spending package. Click the image below to watch part of the segment:

I joined the Conservative Circus with James T. Harris to discuss the Left’s violent rhetoric aimed at President Trump and his supporters. Click the image below to watch part 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.