2025 Year in Review...

Dear John,

Happy New Year! I look forward to continuing to represent you in Washington this year, the Second Session of the 119th Congress. This past year, I enjoyed meeting with the many individuals and families, small businesses, and local leaders who make North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

I was proud to host and attend community events across the district, read and respond to thousands of constituent letters and emails, help constituents with federal agencies, and introduce and support legislation focused on the needs of our community, working to get the federal government out of the way so that we have a tax and regulatory environment that fosters prosperity for all.

I greatly appreciate your input on the issues you care about. Below are a few highlights of my work over the past year to benefit Southeast North Carolina, along with an update on the vital casework my talented staff has performed.

If you received this newsletter from a friend, and you would like to continue receiving these updates, you can subscribe here or connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

2025 in Review

I take a lot of pride in listening to your concerns and ideas (even when we may disagree on an issue), assisting you with federal agencies, and keeping you informed on legislation and other items of importance. Below are a few examples where my staff and I can assist you:

•   Navigating the Department of Veterans Affairs
•   Assisting with Passports
•   Helping with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
•   Service Academy Nominations
•   Social Security and Medicare issues
•   DC Tours, Flags, and Internships

Please feel free to contact my office if you need assistance dealing with the federal government. My team and I look forward to helping you!

Delivering Results for NC-07

Secured $3.2M to Assist in Rebuilding After September 2024 Storm

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced a $3,200,000 grant to assist in the rebuilding areas of North Carolina's Seventh Congressional District impacted by Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight (PTC-8) on September 16, 2024. The historic storm dropped more than 18 inches of rain in less than a day, causing significant flooding that undermined roads and caused washouts, pipe blowouts, and other storm-related damage to the State's Federal Highway System.

The storm caused significant damage to infrastructure across the district, and this grant is essential to helping our communities recover and rebuild. I’m grateful to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Federal Highway Administration for prioritizing the needs of Southeastern North Carolina.

Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Receives Full Federal Recognition

After years of determination and support, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has finally received full federal recognition. Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which included the Lumbee Fairness Act, granting the Lumbee Tribe full federal recognition. With President Donald J. Trump’s signature, this long-overdue achievement is now law, ending generations of denied recognition.

This amazing achievement would not have been possible without Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery’s leadership and the hard work of generations of Lumbee. Their voice has been heard, and their perseverance and faith in God has brought us to this historic moment.

I also want to commend and thank our current Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd as well as former Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr. Each of them have been staunch supporters of this effort, and Senator Tillis’ efforts have been nothing short of stellar. A number of my House colleagues in the NC Delegation have been strong advocates as well, including Mark Harris who now represents most of Robeson County.

This victory, decades in the making, is a moment of celebration for a community that has never wavered in its resolve. I am proud to stand with the Lumbee Tribe and with all who worked tirelessly to make this a reality.

Improving Safety on U.S. Transit Systems

In September, as Chairman of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, I led a bipartisan roundtable discussion with transit officials, law enforcement officials and stakeholders to discuss the need to identify actionable solutions to improve safety on publicly funded transportation systems to help restore the public’s trust in transit.

I also participated in a House Judiciary Committee field hearing in Charlotte, North Carolina. The hearing evaluated the rise in violent crime in American cities, the radical, pro-criminal policies instituted in liberal cities across the country in 2020, and the failure of judges to keep violent criminals off the streets.

The deadly stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail is a stark reminder safety must be at the center of our national transit conversation. While law enforcement and the justice system have their obligations to keep the public safe and ensure justice prevails, Congress has an obligation to address any shortcomings in federal statute that could improve deterrence and prevention to enhance public safety.

This transit safety roundtable was an essential and initial step in ensuring every rider can feel safe when they step onto public transit. By bringing together transit leaders and law enforcement, we are focused on real, actionable solutions to protect riders, strengthen community confidence, and uphold the fundamental promise of safe, accessible public transportation systems for all Americans.

You can listen to my House Judiciary Committee field hearing remarks here.

Introduced Bipartisan Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act

I introduced the bipartisan Healthy Drinking Water Affordability Act, also known as the Healthy H2O Act, with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01). This legislation would provide grants for water testing and treatment technology directly to individuals and nonprofits in rural communities. Systems that improve water quality — whether installed at the faucet or within a building — can provide immediate and ongoing protections from known and emerging water contaminants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), lead, and nitrates.

The Healthy H2O Act would help rural residents in the Cape Fear Valley gain access to safe, clean drinking water free from harmful contaminants. As city and county water systems continue upgrading to address these pollutants, this legislation would help ensure rural communities aren’t left behind by supporting testing and the installation of effective filtration systems to remove ‘forever chemicals.'

Bolstering Disaster Preparedness and Recovery

Every year, North Carolinians must prepare for severe weather events. To make the hardening of all homes more affordable in preparing for natural disasters, I introduced the Disaster Assistance Fairness Act, a bi-partisan bill, to provide cooperative residential communities with the same assistance after disasters as others.

Hurricane seasons remind us that natural disasters do not discriminate among neighborhoods, location, or housing arrangements. No matter your living situation, every individual deserves the same access and support during recovery from natural disasters. Unfortunately, under FEMA’s current eligibility rules, individuals and families that have co-ops and homeowner associations do not have access to FEMA’s Individual Assistance program to cover the damage of common-area elements, increasing their share of the costs to repair and/or rebuild. The Disaster Assistance Fairness Act allows communities that have HOAs to receive the same assistance as everyone else.

Working Families Tax Cuts

With my support, Congress passed the Working Families Tax Cuts Act earlier this year. This landmark legislation provides historic relief for middle-class families and small businesses, bolstering investments in American goods and services, while delivering the largest investment in border security and national defense in a generation. By fulfilling these campaign promises the average American family will receive a significant refund on Tax Day, April 15th. Small business, the economic engine that drives the economy, will have fewer regulations that create unnecessary costs, a lower tax burden and lower energy costs — all of which will help save consumers money.

Highlights of the bill:

Makes the Trump Tax Cuts permanent.
The largest border security investment in history is to permanently secure our borders.
Incentivizes Made-in-America: Rewards new factories built in the U.S.A., lowers tax rate for those producing in the U.S.A. Buy an American car and get a Made in America Auto Tax Break.
No tax on tips, no tax on overtime.
Slashes taxes on Social Security, offering historic tax relief to seniors.
Delivers bigger paychecks to working families.
Unleashes American energy.
Updates our air traffic control system to ensure Americans fly safely and efficiently.
Funds the Golden Dome, invests in American shipbuilding, and modernizes our military.
Protects Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for every eligible American by removing waste, fraud, and abuse within these programs.
Strengthens, secures, and sustains Medicaid for the most vulnerable.
Cuts $500 billion in Green New Deal giveaways and luxury Electric Vehicle (EV) credits.
Provides a historic investment in the farm safety net to protect our nation's food supply by keeping our farm families in business.
Permanently repeals the Death Tax to protect more than two million family farms.

Key Achievements

The best part of my job is working on behalf of the families, farmers, and small business owners of the North Carolina's 7th Congressional District. Whether I'm in Washington or right here at home, my focus remains on the people I serve. Below are a few highlights of my work this past year.

From the White House: President Trump officially signs the Lumbee Fairness Act! This landmark legislation finally grants full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Proud to witness this recognition become law.

Investing in the infrastructure that moves us! Great tour of the CSX Davis Yard in Leland. I’m focused on strengthening our rails, roads and ports to keep the

economy growing.

Great visit to Motts Channel Seafood in Wrightsville Beach with SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. It was a pleasure meeting with the Long family to discuss how we can continue supporting the small businesses that anchor our coastal communities.

Great to celebrate the grand opening of the new Rex & Sons RVs in Castle Hayne! Their new 17,000-square-foot facility is more than double the size of the original — a testament to nearly 30 years of hard work and growth.

A true privilege to welcome the NC State Agribusiness Management class to Capitol Hill. As a proud NC State alumnus, it’s always rewarding to connect with the next generation of leaders in agriculture!

Closing Thoughts...

Serving my constituents is my highest honor. As we start a new year, I remain fully committed to working hard for you and ensuring your voice is heard in Washington.