|
Dear Friend,
It’s been a busy two weeks to start the new year. Here’s what Congress worked on this week, and why it matters for our community.
Since Hurricane Helene, I’ve been working with federal, state, and local partners to help North Carolina communities rebuild, and I’m grateful the Trump Administration is moving to get relief dollars out the door.
This week, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced another $116 million for North Carolina: more than $72 million for roads, bridges, debris removal, and critical infrastructure, plus $44.6 million for hazard mitigation projects that will help protect families from future disasters.
We’re making progress, but the work isn’t finished. I met with Governor Stein and the entire NC delegation this week to discuss our strategy to ensure every eligible project gets approved, every dollar is accountable, and every community gets the help it’s owed.
As Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, we passed six bills out of my subcommittee to strengthen public safety communications, improve emergency alerts, and modernize how Americans reach help in a crisis.
One of the key bills was my Next Generation 9-1-1 Act, which supports further deployment and coordination of NG911 technology nationwide. Moving 9-1-1 systems to modern technology helps communities upgrade call centers and improve coordination for first responders.
Energy infrastructure faces growing cyber and physical threats, and North Carolina has lived the consequences. In December 2022, a deliberate attack on electrical substations in Moore County left more than 45,000 people without power for days during winter weather.
This week, the Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on protecting America’s energy infrastructure from today’s threats. I welcomed that focus, and I’ve kept steady pressure on this issue since the Moore County attack.
That includes touring the attacked substation, meeting with utilities and law enforcement, organizing a classified FBI briefing for Members of Congress, bringing Congress to Moore County for a field hearing with site visits and expert testimony, advancing my Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act out of committee, and helping secure $1.6 billion through energy and water appropriations to strengthen grid security.
I also chaired an oversight hearing of the Federal Communications Commission, where we had productive discussions with Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioners Anna Gomez and Olivia Trusty on ensuring broadband access to all Americans, strengthening communications networks, and U.S. leadership in innovation.
My focus is on practical outcomes: cutting red tape to speed broadband deployment, strengthening emergency response through Next Generation 9-1-1, reforming the Universal Service Fund so it stays sustainable and reaches the people who need it most, modernizing outdated broadcast ownership rules, and following Congress’s direction on spectrum auctions so America stays ahead in wireless innovation.
Serving the men and women of Fort Bragg is one of the greatest honors of my life, and it’s our duty to always have their backs. That’s why I introduced the Special Operator Protection Act with Congressman Pat Harrigan and Senators Ted Budd and Jeanne Shaheen.
The bill creates criminal penalties for doxing certain personal information when it’s shared online to threaten, intimidate, or help facilitate violence against Special Operations Forces, certain designated personnel who support sensitive missions, and federal law enforcement assigned to SOF, including their immediate family members. It also sets enhanced penalties if serious bodily injury or death results.
Our Special Operators take on the most dangerous missions. They shouldn’t have to worry about threats following them home.
In addition, House Republicans are advancing appropriations work focused on accountability and core responsibilities: stronger tools to target terrorists and cartels, efforts to stop fentanyl before it hits our streets, tighter discipline on wasteful spending, and reforms aimed at preventing federal agencies from being used to target Americans.
This is about keeping pressure on the bureaucracy and making sure your tax dollars are handled responsibly.
I’ll continue to focus on results and ensure North Carolina’s priorities are heard in Congress.
Until next time,
| 
