It is my honor to return to D.C. on your behalf as the 119th Congress kicks off its first week of legislative business.

Last Friday, I was sworn in by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, alongside my wife Joan, as we gear up for a busy year in Congress!

The first bill passed in the new Congress was the Laken Riley Act that gives law enforcement the tools they need to counter violent, illegal criminals in the United States.

Named after an innocent young girl whose life was tragically taken by an illegal criminal; this bipartisan bill now heads to the Senate where it is already gaining support on both sides of the aisle.

This week, I introduced The Federal Employee Return to Work Act to crack down on wasteful government spending and incentivize federal employees to return to in-person work.

Federal employees who telework from home currently receive annual locality bonuses despite not being required to physically attend their offices located in a high-cost-of-living area.

This legislation is very clear; show up to where you are being paid to work so we can end this abuse of taxpayer dollars.

I also thank Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana for introducing a companion bill in the U.S. Senate.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Forest Service withdrew a top-down regulation proposal that would have been a detrimental to proper and common-sense management. 

I have long advocated for responsible forest management decisions to be made at the local level by the people who know the land and how to best handle it.

After fighting this proposal from day one, I am very pleased to see it withdrawn from consideration.

I had a chance to sit down with the nominated administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin.

We discussed some of the challenges in Central Washington and ways we can start to work together as the new administration comes together.

This week, former President Jimmy Carter lied in state in the U.S. Capitol.

I stopped in on Tuesday to pay my respects and send a prayer to his family and loved ones.