Key Votes
Crypto Week
This week, the House passed numerous bills, including H.R. 3633, the CLARITY Act, S. 1582, the GENIUS Act, and H.R. 1919, the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, focused on making America the cryptocurrency hub of the world. Digital assets are rapidly gaining popularity, and Republicans are leading the way to preserve freedom, protect privacy, and safeguard consumers.
President Trump is the most pro-digital asset leader we have had, and Congress is delivering on his agenda to help usher America into the Golden Age.
Passage of FY26 Department of Defense Funding
I applaud the House for passing an FY26 Department of Defense Appropriations package that meets the moment and robustly funds our military to deter our enemies and keep America safe. We live in a very dangerous world in which hostile regimes are waging war against our allies in Europe and the Middle East, and becoming increasingly belligerent in Asia.
The United States must remain strong militarily to maintain peace in our homeland and in our hemisphere. This appropriations package puts our warfighters first by investing in our troops and their families, making historic investments in next-generation technology, keeping the Pentagon free from woke and harmful distractions, reducing inefficiency and bloat, and taking on international actors engaged in trafficking on our borders.
I proudly represent Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Stations Cherry Point and New River, and I will always fight to put our troops first. The men and women in uniform serving our great nation sacrifice so much in defense of the freedom and prosperity we enjoy. It is my honor to support them and ensure they are taken care of well and have everything they need to perform their jobs at the highest level.
- 3.8% pay raise for our troops
- $174b for procurement, including $1.9b for 13 F-35Bs
- $50m for Impact Aid & $20m for children with disabilities
- $13b for the Golden Dome effort.
- Keeps woke ideology away from the Pentagon
- Combats international actors who facilitate drug trafficking and manufacturing
Introduced Legislation Targeting University Investments in Adversarial Entities
I introduced the Protecting Endowments from Our Adversaries Act to crack down on universities with large endowments investing in adversarial entities.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is economically, digitally, agriculturally, biologically, and philosophically attempting to control the United States. We must take the threat of its influence in our society and on college campuses seriously. Multibillion-dollar, tax-advantaged university endowments must be divested from companies beholden to Beijing and stop feeding the CCP’s hegemonic pursuits.
Learn more about the Protecting Endowments from Our Adversaries Act here.
Participated in The Alliance of Specialty Medicine Conference
It was a pleasure participating in a conference hosted by The Alliance of Specialty Medicine to discuss the top issues facing American health care. We cannot continue to allow Medicare reimbursement cuts to drive physicians out of practice and erode access to care in Eastern North Carolina.
Since 2001, reimbursements have declined 33% when adjusted for inflation, forcing many doctors to retire early, stop accepting new Medicare patients, or sell out to larger, consolidated hospital systems, private equity, or even insurance companies. This is creating far-reaching consequences for millions of seniors, especially those in rural and underserved communities.
Introduced Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Improve Enforcement of No Surprises Act
Nearly five years ago, the No Surprises Act was signed into law to eliminate surprise medical billing. Although this historic legislation became law, big insurance companies have not been held accountable for paying what they owe.
I introduced the bipartisan No Surprises Enforcement Act to crack down on those willfully defying the law and to double down on protecting patients. I am grateful for the continued bipartisan support to put patients first and prevent Americans from being crushed by medical debt from surprise billing.
Learn more about the No Surprises Enforcement Act here.
VA Committee Hearing on VA Community Care
The House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health held a hearing to discuss VA Community Care and how we can improve access to high-quality services and the timely delivery of care.
As a practicing physician and community provider, I have seen veterans compete for limited specialty services such as urology and orthopedics. Our veterans, who bravely served our nation, deserve timely access to high-quality care. I will continue to fight for improvements in the Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care Program to ensure we deliver on our promises to them.
Ways and Means Oversight and Health Subcommittees Hearing on Medicare Advantage
The Ways and Means Oversight and Health Subcommittees hosted a hearing to discuss efforts to improve Medicare Advantage (MA). It is a program that was created with good intentions, but taxpayers have subsidized wasteful, fraudulent, and abusive practices from insurance companies for too long.
MedPAC estimates that MA plans will cost taxpayers $84 billion more than traditional Medicare in 2025. Unfortunately, this is because of poor oversight and a broken incentive structure. For example, plans can upcode (charge more for) the diagnoses of a patient without appropriate guardrails or ensuring the patient actually receives medical care.
Big insurance companies put profits before patients and do not want to see Congress meaningfully reform the program. All the more reason to do something!
House Administration Committee Hearing on Voter Roll Management
Free and fair elections are the bedrock of American democracy. Ensuring voter rolls are up-to-date and accurate is one of the most important responsibilities of a state.
House Administration Committee Republicans are committed to improving election integrity and supporting states with the resources they need to administer successful elections!
Meeting with Pittsburgh Steeler Calvin Anderson to Discuss Drug Development for Malaria
It was wonderful to have Calvin Anderson, an offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, stop by my office to hear his story about battling malaria and discuss America’s role as a global leader in life-saving drug development.
Meeting with NC-03 Boys and Girls Club Advocates
It was a blast having young leaders from Boys & Girls Clubs in NC-03 stop by my office to meet with me! Youth leadership and civic engagement help young Americans give back to their communities while building important life skills.
I appreciate the work that our Boys & Girls Clubs across the district do to help kids in our communities thrive. Kudos to these special kids for advocating in our nation’s capital!
Meeting with Physicians from North Carolina
It was a pleasure meeting with physicians from North Carolina to discuss how we can work together to ensure safe, timely, and high-quality care for all patients. Among the topics we covered were Medicare reimbursement cuts, prior authorization reform, and step therapy.
I appreciate all the hard work they are doing to serve and advocate for patients in our state.
Meeting with Deputy Administrator of CMS
It is a pleasure meeting with CMS Deputy Administrator, Chris Klomp, regularly to discuss concerns with the changes in the proposed rule for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule in CY2026.
We must protect access to high-quality, affordable care for Medicare patients, especially those in rural and underserved areas. Additionally, we must ensure physicians can afford to see Medicare patients. I am grateful to President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and CMS Administrator Oz for their commitment to putting patients first.
Meeting with the National Kidney Registry
It was wonderful to meet with the National Kidney Registry to discuss the VA organ transplant system and the important work NKR is doing to help facilitate live kidney donations to save lives!
As a urologist of over 30 years and a former transplant surgeon, I understand the immense need for kidney donors and the new lease of life a successful transplant gives individuals in need.
Meeting with Nipro
Thank you to Nipro for visiting me in Washington to discuss how Congress can help support our manufacturers succeed, strengthen our domestic supply chains, and improve our trade relationship with Japan.
Meeting with Military-Veterans Advocacy
As the representative of over 76,000 veterans, I am committed to being your voice and delivering on America’s promises to you.
Thank you to Military-Veterans Advocacy for stopping by my office to discuss how Congress can help improve VA services. On the House VA Committee, I am working tirelessly to bring about innovative solutions to help our veterans most in need. We must vastly improve Community Care, make HBOT therapy available for those with brain injuries, and ensure accountability at the VA.
I appreciate our veteran advocates who do such important work, looking out for those who sacrificed so much for our country.
