No More Laken Rileys

Laken Riley should still be alive today.

The 22-year-old Georgia nursing student had a bright future ahead of her, and that future was taken away by a criminal illegal immigrant who never should have been in this country in the first place.

The Biden-Harris administration failed to do its job to secure our border, and the Riley family paid the ultimate price.

In the face of tragedy, House Republicans are taking action. This week, we took the first step toward securing the southern border by passing the Laken Riley Act. This is commonsense legislation that requires illegal immigrants who commit a crime of theft to be taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

Every person who is in the United States illegally is subject to repatriation; however, many individuals fall through the cracks of our immigration system. This bill will help ICE better identify those people and ensures that no illegal immigrant who commits a crime is released back onto the streets, as Laken Riley’s killer was – twice.

Think about that. Jose Ibarra was allowed into this country illegally. He was then arrested for child endangerment in New York but was released. Aboard a free Biden-Harris flight to Georgia, courtesy of your taxpayer dollars, Ibarra made his way to Athens where he was arrested for shoplifting. Inexplicably, he was let go a third time, which is how his path crossed Laken’s.

This was a failure at multiple levels, and there is zero excuse for illegal immigrant criminals to roam free.

After these individuals are put into ICE custody, they will be given due process and then deportation proceedings will commence. We are a nation of laws, and all this bill does is enforce the laws that are already on the books.

Shockingly, 159 Washington Democrats voted against protecting our communities from criminals.

Georgia’s senators must do the right thing and support this bill. This is not a hard vote to take. It is time to put American citizens before illegal immigrants so that a tragedy like this is never repeated.

Buddy's briefing

In this week's edition of Buddy's Briefing we are discussing the certification of President Trump's election and how House Republicans are ready to hit the ground running.

From our nation's capitol cdlxxxix

Friday, January 3, 2024: After a great Christmas and New Year’s holiday, I’m back in Washington, D.C. today as the 119^th Congress begins with members being sworn in. The session begins at noon with the House Clerk presiding and the first order of business being to elect a Speaker of the House. The nomination for Speaker for the majority Republican Conference is made by Conference Chair Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MG) as she nominates Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and the nomination for the minority Democrat party is made by Caucus Chair Pete Aguiliar (D-CA) as he nominates minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). With such a slim majority, Speaker Mike Johnson can only afford to lose one vote and, unfortunately, after the first round he has lost 3 votes. Before closing the vote, 2 of the 3 Republicans who voted for someone other than Speaker Johnson meet with leadership and, with a call with President-elect Trump, convince the two hold outs to change their vote to Speaker Johnson and he is elected Speaker of the House for the 119th Congress. Once he is elected, he is sworn in by the Dean of the House, Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY), and then the Speaker swears in the members of the 119^th Congress and we are underway. After adjourning, I head to the Cannon Rotunda where I have interviews with local TV stations to discuss the session and afterwards head to Statuary Hall where my wife, Amy, and I have a ceremonial swearing in picture made with Speaker Mike Johnson. Next, I head back to the House Chamber where we have our first vote series of the session as we adopt the rules for the 119^th Congress.

Rep. Carter is sworn in by Speaker Mike Johnson

Monday, January 6, 2025: It’s rare that I stay in Washington over the weekend, but I did this weekend as we had a GOP Conference planning session on Saturday at Fort McNair in the Navy Yard. It truly was one of the most miserable days of my life. Because I lost a bet with Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN) when my beloved Georgia Bulldogs got beat by Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl last week, I had to wear a Notre Dame jersey during our conference meeting. Normally our meetings last an hour but this planning session lasted all day and therefore I had to wear the jersey all day. Nevertheless, the planning session was highly productive as we discussed our plans for Reconciliation with Chairs of the impacted committees as well as Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-SD). After meeting with our scheduling team this morning followed by a meeting with our communications team, I head to the Cannon Rotunda where I have separate interviews with Fox Business, WSAV-TV and WTOC-TV in Savannah to discuss the upcoming session as well as the legacy of former President Jimmy Carter who passed last week. Next, I head to the House Chamber where we have a Joint Session of Congress and where Vice President Kamala Harris, as President of the Senate, presides over the certification of the 2024 presidential election. Once back in our office, I have a phone conference with our Chief of Staff and District Director followed by a meeting with our legislative staff before having a meeting with the Energy and Commerce (E&C) Health Subcommittee staff including our Vice Chair Rep. Neil Dunn (R-FL).

Rep. Carter wears at Notre Dame jersey following UGA's loss

Tuesday, January 7, 2025: I’m live on Wake-Up America on Newsmax this morning as we discuss the budget reconciliation package that we will be working on this session. After heading to our weekly GOP Conference meeting, I have a radio interview with my good friend, Martha Zoller in Gainesville as we discuss the upcoming session before returning to our office where I have a taped interview with WSB-TV in Atlanta to discuss the legacy of former President Jimmy Carter. Next, I head to the House Chamber where I pay tribute to former Young Harris College math professor and tennis coach Dr. Bob Nichols who passed recently. Upon returning to our office, I have a virtual call with our district staff before calling Sophie Baldwin from Glynn Academy to congratulate her on her appointment to the Air Force Academy. After an RG2 event where we hear from Speaker Mike Johnson regarding budget reconciliation, I head to the House Chamber for our first and only vote series of the day. Next, I head to the Cannon Rotunda where I have a live interview with Fox News to discuss President Biden’s latest executive order to close 625 million acres of the U.S. Ocean from offshore drilling before heading to an E&C Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen meeting. Once back in our office, I film a video for a Patient Protector and Modern Medical Mafia Launch event before heading to the Capitol rotunda where I attend the ceremony honoring former President Jimmy Carter laying in state.

Rep. Carter joins Fox News

Wednesday, January 8, 2025: When there is someone lying in state at the Capitol, we are not allowed to be in session, therefore we do not have votes today. However, I still have a busy day and it starts with a live radio interview on SiriusXM with Laura Coates as we discuss immigration and budget reconciliation followed by a virtual interview with 11Alive in Atlanta to discuss the legacy of former President Jimmy Carter. Next, I head to an E&C member meeting where we discuss our priorities for the upcoming session followed by a virtual call to Harrison Crofts from South Effingham High School to inform him he has been accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy on a track scholarship. Afterwards, I have a virtual call with twins Josh and Jacob Delgado from Camden County to inform them that they have been accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy. Following a call with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to give a background check on my good friend and former congressional colleague, Secretary of the Veterans Administration (VA) Doug Collins, I head to a meeting of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC) where we hear from Speaker Mike Johnson regarding budget reconciliation. Next, I head to a meeting with E&C members to discuss how our committee can help with budget reconciliation before heading to our office to record this week’s edition of Buddy’s Briefing. My final meeting of the day is another budget reconciliation meeting to specifically discuss border security and energy.

Rep. Carter remembers the life of President Jimmy Carter

Thursday, January 9, 2025: We are back in session today after the funeral at the National Cathedral of former President Jimmy Carter. Although we share the same last name, we are not related and although our politics were certainly different, I have always admired the way that President Carter carried himself and particularly the work he did in his post presidency. A man of faith, President Carter set an example for all of us, in and out of politics, of how we can carry ourselves to show honor to God in our lives. In my mind, President Carter will be remembered more for his faith than for his politics. After joining in on our all staff conference call, I head to the House Chamber for our final vote series of the week before heading to the airport for my return trip home.

Rep. Carter joins Fox Business

Friday, January 10, 2025: I’m in our Brunswick district office this morning as I have a taped interview with A Starting Point to discuss the Laken Riley Act that was the first bill passed by the House in the 119^th Congress and is now in the Senate for their consideration. Next, I head to Southeast Georgia Medical Center where I attend a Resource Hub Task Force meeting to discuss how we can improve mental health services in Glynn and surrounding counties. Afterwards, I have a meeting with my good friends, Rep. Buddy Deloach (R-Townsend) and Rep. Rick Townsend (R-St. Simons Island), as they prepare for the upcoming Georgia State Legislative session set to start next Monday. Next, I head to Jesup in Wayne County where I visit Shane’s Crib, a 12 month residential program for sisters, daughters, wives, and mothers that is based in Christian faith. Afterwards, I have a virtual call with Caimen Werner from Richmond Hill High School in Bryan County to inform him that he has been accepted to the U.S. Air Force Academy. My final call of a very busy week is a member briefing with the FBI to update us on the January 1^st attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas.

Rep. Carter with State Reps. Buddy Deloach and Rick Townsend

did you know?

Recently, I joined the Make America Healthy Again Caucus, and one of our focuses will be combatting our nation’s chronic disease epidemic.

Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, can be extremely disabling and harmful to people’s quality of life. If left undiagnosed, these diseases can take a major toll on the lives and bodies of those suffering from them. For example, did you know that every 30 seconds a lower limb is amputated as a consequence of diabetes?

votes in the house this week

Click here to see this week's vote sheet in the House of Representatives.