Dear John,

At the forefront of many Mississippians’ thoughts and prayers this week are our family and friends in Memphis and the surrounding areas. The senseless loss of life in Memphis has been felt here in our state, and we will continue to pray for the families of the victims of these attacks. I am grateful for the hard work of first responders everywhere who risk their own lives in service to their communities. Without their bravery, we would have no justice, and the violent crime we see across our nation would be a constant threat. If you are a first responder, I want to personally thank you for your service to our great state. 

As your Congressman, I have continued to fight work on behalf of all police officers, firemen, emergency medical technicians, and first responders through my work in Congress. It's been a mission of mine to provide first responders with the resources they need to serve our communities and, most importantly, return home safely to their families at the end of the day. 

I have also worked to see that we create a system of laws in this country that prioritizes the protection of innocent civilians over criminals. A few weeks ago, I joined other Members of Congress in cosponsoring a resolution calling for the President of the United States to join Congress in this mission by “reinforcing strong criminal justice policies, by laying blame on the perpetrators of violent acts, and by securing the southern border.” The President and my colleagues across the aisle have been unwilling to work with Republicans in these efforts and have instead supported soft-on-crime polices, bail reform, liberal prosecutors, and the Defund the Police Movement that has led to the increases in violent crime across our nation. 

I am committed to restoring the rule of law in our country and prioritizing our nation’s prosperity, and that can only be achieved when our citizens are safe to go about their daily lives without fear of becoming a victim of violent crime. The path to a safe and prosperous nation is simple — we must put the rights of law-abiding citizens over criminals. We must end the plague of crime by putting dangerous criminals behind bars instead of releasing them on bail to continue their crime sprees. We must elect prosecutors and public servants who understand that a tough approach to crime is not unfair, but necessary in the pursuit of justice. We must defeat the Defund the Police Movement by supporting our law enforcement officers through funding, praise, and respect. Simply put, it’s time for America to get tough on crime again. 

My fellow Republicans and I are committed to restoring law and order to address the violent crimes that have taken over our nation. Our plan is a commitment to America that promises to work toward reducing crime, securing our border, and creating peaceful neighborhoods by backing the first responders whose mission it is to keep us safe and enacting laws that put dangerous criminals behind bars. 

With this plan, Republicans will work to make our nation safe again when we lead the House of Representatives.

Tomorrow, I will discuss the Republican commitment to safety further on SuperTalk's MidDay's with Gerard Gibert at 12:00 noon. I hope you will tune in to listen at supertalk.fm or on your local SuperTalk station.