Notes from Mike's Desk for June 20 – 24, 2022
Hello, friends. Welcome back to my newsletter highlighting what’s happening on Capitol Hill and in Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District. Thank you for subscribing and please consider recommending this resource to a friend.
Yesterday was a historic and joyful day. After nearly a half century, the Supreme Court has finally corrected its egregious error and returned the fateful policy decision over legalized abortion to the people and their elected representatives—where it has always belonged.
No real ‘constitutional right’ to abortion ever existed. The Court invented it out of thin air. House Republicans will continue to stand for the sanctity of human life and hold the Biden Administration accountable for any future attempt to impede the policy decisions of pro-life states.
After the decision was made public, I joined Fox News with Bill and Dana to discuss the ramifications. Watch here:
IN THE HOUSE
In the early hours of Thursday morning, the House Armed Services Committee passed the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). I was able to help secure major wins for Northwest Louisiana in the legislation, building off the great success we had with the 2022 NDAA. Here’s just a brief sample of the NWLA wins included in this legislation:
Barksdale Air Force Base:
- $125 million: Construction of a Weapons Generation Facility (WGF). Building upon the $40 million secured last year for this project, the WGF will enable Barksdale to once again become a nuclear weapons Air Force Base. Currently, B-52s stationed at Barksdale must fly to North Dakota to be armed with nuclear weapons. This presents national security and efficiency issues, and the construction of a WGF at Barksdale will solidify its place as one of America’s most important military installations.
Fort Polk:
- $61 million: Construction of a new Joint Operations Center (JOC). The JOC is the command station for all of the training activities conducted at Fort Polk and the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC). The current JOC was built in the early 1960s and was originally intended to be a classroom. It has been modified over the years to meet the Army’s changing requirements, but a new JOC has been needed for years. This $61 million investment builds upon the $55 million secured last year for the project, and it will ensure our soldiers have the most realistic training experience possible so they are fully prepared for combat. This project directly supports the JRTC’s mantra: “We want our Soldiers’ worst day to be here, rather than in a combat theater.”
- $32 million: Construction of a new Child Development Center (CDC). Currently, Fort Polk operates three outdated CDCs that are crowded and require constant maintenance. This project will build a new state-of-the-art facility to serve over 300 children, ages 6 months to 5 years. This project aligns with Congressman Johnson’s years-long efforts to improve the quality of life of servicemembers and their families.
In addition to these projects, I offered an amendment fighting back on the DoD’s Covid vaccine mandate. My amendment would nullify the waiver which allows Sec. Lloyd Austin to serve as Secretary of Defense if he does not rescind the DoD vaccine mandate within 30 days. Committee Democrats rejected this amendment even though it’s clear that the military’s vaccine mandate is forcing many qualified people out of our armed forces—and preventing many others from enlisting.
Later during our meeting, I helped Committee Republicans band together to defeat a Democrat amendment that would have forced diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements onto small military contractors. I’ll always reject those trying to bring their woke agenda into our armed forces!
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
In addition to the historic Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case, I want to highlight two other important decisions:
The Court ruled 6-3 in Carson v. Makin, striking down a Maine education program that provides tuition assistance to attend private schools, but excludes schools that provide religious instruction. This decision is a significant victory for religious liberty and educational choice and affirms what we have been emphasizing in our litigation efforts for decades: the U.S. Constitution does not allow religious people and institutions to be treated as second class citizens.
The Court ruled 6-3 in NY State Rifle & Pistol Assn. v. Bruen, striking down a New York gun-control law that required people to show “proper cause” to get a license to carry a concealed handgun outside of their home. The Court affirmed that you don’t need a special reason to exercise your constitutional right to carry a firearm, because the right to defend yourself and your family is both fundamental and inalienable.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
If I sound like a broken record, it’s because nothing has changed. This week, Rep. Jim Jordan and I sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding to know why the Department of Justice has repeatedly refused to prosecute threats against Supreme Court Justices. This inaction harms the safety of the Justices, and the Democrats refusal to call out this behavior amounts to an endorsement.
LAGNIAPPE
Wednesday, I had the chance to visit with the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives student delegates from across Louisiana during their visit to D.C. for the NRECA Youth Tour. I’m encouraged by this next generation of young leaders and know our state and nation will be in good hands!
Thank you again for subscribing and reading. We’ll have more next week!
For freedom,
  
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