The Week in Review

Happy Friday!

I hope you all had a wonderful week. I was busy in D.C. this week battling the Biden administration on multiple fronts, from immigration to the VA to the crisis in Ukraine. Read more about my efforts and other news, below:

Hearing on Biden's Border Crisis

On Tuesday, House Freedom Caucus hosted a hearing to examine how President Biden’s reversal of Trump’s border security policies have affected communities across the nation. We spoke with and questioned witnesses who know first hand how the Biden administration’s open border policies have resulted in a historic crisis at our Southern Border. A big thanks to Brandon Judd, President of the National Border Patrol Council; Joseph Edlow, Former Acting Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Todd Bensman, Former Manager, Texas Department of Public Safety’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division; Russell Johnson, New Mexico Cattle Rancher, and FreedomWorks for making this event possible. Click below to watch the hearing:

Memorializing a Fallen Soldier

On Tuesday, I sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) demanding that it begin the process of renaming the VA Health Care Clinic in Gilbert, AZ. The clinic’s name change, which President Trump signed into law in January 2021, is in honor of Staff Sergeant Alexander W. Conrad, a former resident of Chandler, AZ. SSG Conrad died overseas while defending this nation (you can read more about his life here). SSG Conrad was an American hero. His life of service and sacrifice reminds us that there are men and women fighting every day to keep our country free and prosperous. It is unacceptable that we are still waiting for the VA to rename this facility in his honor. Renaming this facility not only memorializes his life in our community, but pays respects to his family for their tragic loss. SSG Conrad deserves to be recognized for his heroic sacrifice. Read my letter to the VA below:

Stopping Funds for Legal Aid for Illegal Aliens

On Wednesday, I sent a letter, along with 24 colleagues, to the House Appropriations Committee regarding the recent reports that the Biden administration is planning to spend taxpayer funds to provide legal services for illegal aliens. The letter demands that the Appropriations Committee oppose funding these programs. This should go without saying, but the American taxpayer should not be paying for illegal aliens to be given free legal aid services. Instead, Biden should prioritize enforcing our nation’s laws, securing our border, and addressing the backlog of more than 1.6 million cases pending before the immigration courts. Read the full letter below:

Biden MUST Seek Congressional Approval

As founder and co-chair of the War Powers Caucus, I sent a letter to President Biden on Thursday demanding he request congressional approval before taking any offensive military action relating to Russian aggression towards Ukraine. The Constitution requires Congress to declare war if it determines that offensive military action is in our national security interest. Deploying American troops into what could be a deadly and long-lasting conflict should be taken very seriously and requires congressional approval. President Biden must bring his arguments before Congress so it can exercise its constitutional prerogatives and determine whether a declaration of war is right for America. Read letter below:

Eight Months Later...

In May, I sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas requesting answers for why he is violating federal law by releasing inadmissible aliens into the interior of the United States. Eight months later, I finally received answers. Well, more like excuses.

Click here to see our original letter and click below to read DHS’s response letter and answers to our questions.

To read more about the misleading information offered by DHS, check out this blog post from Center for Immigration Studies:

One Year of Mayorkas Misery

Speaking of Secretary Mayorkas, Tuesday marked his one year anniversary as DHS Secretary. And what does he have to show for it? Over two million illegal alien encounters, a 134% increase in fentanyl seizures (think about what we aren’t catching), and upwards of 1,500 illegals that escape into our country EVERY day. Secretary Mayorkas has failed America with his open border agenda and has left Border Patrol and ICE agents out to dry. Check out my interview on Mornings with Maria discussing why it is well past time to impeach Mayorkas by clicking the graphic below:

Ending Common Core & Expanding School Choice

On Friday, I reintroduced the Ending Common Core and Expanding School Choice Act. This legislation repeals some of the stringent federal policies tied to education funding for low-income students and allows states and parents to implement educational options that meet the needs of their children. During COVID-19 we learned that parents need to have greater control over their child’s education. When traditional public schools shut down in 2020, parents were forced to turn their homes into classrooms and put their own careers and incomes on hold to pick up the slack, while public schools continued to receive federal funds. My bill would have given states the option for federal education dollars to follow students to alternative education options, such as private schools, charter schools, homeschooling, or private tutoring. Read full bill below:

What's the BIGGS Idea

This week on my podcast, What’s the BIGGS Idea, I sat down with Julie Kelly, author of January 6: How Democrats Used the Capitol Protest to Launch a War on Terror Against the Political Right, to discuss her work uncovering the mistruths of January 6 that are being pushed out by the Far Left and the continued mistreatment of the January 6 prisoners. Click the picture below to hear the full episode. You can also find previous episodes of the podcast on Apple Podcast.

Congressional App Challenge

Congratulations to our Congressional App Challenge winner, Prisha Shroff! Prisha is a student from Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona and developed Wildfire Prevention System, an artificial intelligence based app designed to prevent wildfires by preprocessing satellite and meteorological data and identifying hot spots. Prisha’s innovation will address a preventable environmental issue that affects communities across America.

Learn more about the Congressional App Challenge and how you can participate next year by clicking here.

Save the Dates

Mark your calendars! My office has two upcoming events for the Fighting Fifth District. Check them out below:

On Tuesday, February 15, 2022, I will be hosting “Tips for Filing Income Taxes”, a free webinar via Zoom where we will be joined by Taxpayer Advocate Service to discuss family tax credits, income matching, what slows down a refund, and how to avoid common filing errors. Registration details to come!

And look what's back. On Saturday, April 23, 2022, we will be hosting our 3rd annual Drop Zone event. Drop Zone is a resource fair for veterans and their families to gain easy access to the services they need. Check out the poster below for more details. We’d love to see you there!

Check Out my Latest Remarks

House Committee on the Judiciary:

Respecting Artists with the American Music Fairness Act

Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons

House Committee on Oversight and Reform:

Examining the Washington Football Team’s Toxic Workplace Culture