The Week in Review

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone had a great week. Read below to see what I’ve been working on this week!

Rejecting Bloated and Radical Continuing Resolution to Fund the Federal Government

Today, I opposed a bloated and radical continuing resolution (CR) that funds congressional Democrats and President Biden’s radical agenda. I will not support a continuing resolution that does not include language to secure our border and prevent President Biden from unilaterally implementing a woke policy agenda. 

In addition to failing to hold the administration accountable, the CR sends an additional $12 billion to Ukraine. I unequivocally condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but we cannot afford to send more American taxpayer dollars to a war in which America has no strategic interest in. Tens of billion dollars that Congress has already passed have not even been used on the frontlines in Ukraine. 

Finally, this CR expires during the “lame duck” after the election and will give Democrats another chance to pass their radical agenda. That cannot happen. This is a bad bill and should have never passed.

Addressing Veterans Affairs Wait Times and Community Care Failures 

This week, I led a forum to discuss the failures of President Biden’s Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and solutions to correct these failures. Topics discussed included addressing unacceptable VA wait times and improving veteran access to community care. 

The forum featured Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), and Rep. Barry Moore (R-GA). 

Mr. Darin Selnick, Senior Policy Advisor at Concerned Veterans for America, Mr. Steve Cooper, Army Veteran from Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, and Mr. Grant Moody, Navy Veteran from Texas’s 21st Congressional District served as the witnesses.

I’m grateful for my colleagues and witnesses taking time out of their busy schedules to discuss one of the most important issues facing America today. I’d also like to give a special thanks to FreedomWorks for hosting the forum. 

Click the link below to watch the forum: 

Protecting Second Amendment Rights from Invasive Credit Card Companies

On Wednesday, I introduced the No SmartPay for Anti-2A Companies Act. This legislation prohibits the Administrator of General Services (GSA) from awarding contracts, under its SmartPay program, to credit card payment processing companies that have implemented a merchant category code for firearms retailers. The SmartPay program is GSA’s government credit card and commercial payment program and serves more than 560 Federal agencies, organizations, and Native American tribal governments. The program currently utilizes both Visa and Mastercard payment networks, among others.

Credit card companies are now weaponizing their financial systems to erode the Second Amendment rights and privacies of Americans.

Companies such as Visa, American Express, and Mastercard are implementing fire-arm specific codes to flag suspicious purchases made by law-abiding gun owners. These actions raise significant concerns about how this information will be used against law-abiding Americans.

The federal government should not work with these types of companies until Americans have assurances that their gun purchases are not being unjustly monitored.

Co-sponsors include: Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA), Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Rep. Andy Harris M.D. (R-MD), Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), and Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA).

The legislation may be read here.

Breitbart covered the legislation here.

Alien Invasion Border Documentary Premiere 

Yesterday, I released my new border documentary titled Alien Invasion at The Heritage Foundation. The 30-minute documentary features footage from private ranches along the border, the Darien Gap in Panama, and interviews with members of Congress, Border Patrol, local and state law enforcement, and much more. It addresses how President Biden’s border crisis began, its consequences, and solutions to address the crisis.  

I’d like to thank The Heritage Foundation for hosting this much-needed discussion as well as all who participated in the film. The border documentary may be watched here.

Protecting the Unborn from Radical Democrats

This week, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled “Examining the Harm to Patients from Abortion Restrictions and the Threat of a National Abortion Ban.” 

Democrats continue to support increasingly radical abortion bills. They continue to not only condone the practice of abortion but allow taxpayer dollars to subsidize this abhorrent practice. We have a duty to protect life from the moment of conception.

Click the screenshot below to view some of my remarks from it. 

U.S. Service Academy Nomination

If you or someone you know is interested in attending a U.S. service academy, I can help. As a member of Congress, I can nominate individuals to attend each of the service academies, including: 

U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY; the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, MD; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY.

Click here to apply or to find more information. 

Letters and Legislation

Bills Sponsored

H.J.Res. 97 - Disapproving of the rule submitted by the Department of Homeland Security relating to “Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility.”

Bills Cosponsored

H.R. 9063 – Protect Farmers from the SEC Act.

H.R. 9045 – Nuclear Assistance for America's Small Businesses Act.

H.R. 9031 – No Pay for Congressional Recklessness (CR) Act.

Letters Cosigned

Letter to Secretary Mayorkas urging him to withdraw the Department of Homeland Security’s recently announced public charge rule.

Follow-up letter to White House National Economic Director Brian Deese demanding answers about how the Biden Administration is working to combat inflation. 

Letter demanding the Department of Justice to investigate ties between John Podesta, the Biden Administration’s new Senior Advisor for Clean Energy, Innovation, and Implementation, and the CCP. 

Letter to President Biden opposing any effort to use the Antiquities Act or other executive branch authorities to unilaterally impose restrictions on hundreds of thousands of acres in Colorado.

My America First Contract

America has had enough of the disastrous leftist policies of the Biden Administration. Our nation is in desperate need of a new action plan for Republicans to follow in January. 

My America First Contract is an outline to reduce inflation and strengthen the economy, secure our border, restore transparency and parental choice in education, reduce violent crime and preserve the rule of law, restore election integrity, break up Big Tech, put America First in foreign, energy, and trade policies, and reinstate good government practices. 

In addition to achieving these 8 goals, the plan calls on conducting enhanced oversight and using available leverages to stop the abuse of power from President Biden in 2023. I will introduce legislation supporting each area of the plan within the first 100 days of the next Congressional term and will work with my colleagues to bring that legislation up for consideration in the House.

The full contract may be read here. 

Top Media Appearances of the Week

I joined Newsmax’s Jenn Pellegrino to discuss my newly released border documentary Alien Invasion. Click below to watch some of the segment.

I joined KFYI-AM (Phoenix, AZ)’s James T. Harris to provide my thoughts on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline explosions in Europe and the potential actors involved in the likely deliberate attack. Click below to hear some of the segment.

I joined Newsmax’s Bob Sellers to analyze an Arizona judge’s ruling that allows the state to enforce a near-total abortion ban. We also discussed recent gaffes made by the Biden Administration. Click below to watch some of the segment.

Top Tweets of the Week

Constituent Victories of the Week

My office helped a veteran constituent obtain medical supplies from the VA after his repeated unsuccessful attempts. The constituent suffers from severe MRSA infections in both feet and is unable to walk. After our inquiry, the VA provided the requested supplies and he is now receiving treatment.

My office helped a constituent after she experienced difficulties communicating with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about the status of her return. After our inquiry, the Taxpayer Advocate Service confirmed that IRS had flagged her return as suspicious and that she would need to confirm her identity. After confirming her identity, IRS approved a refund for the constituent of over $13,800, including interest, which was then mailed to her. 

Please contact my district office at (480) 699-8239 to inquire more about my constituent services. We are always happy to help!

Definition of the Week

Despite serving as the nation’s Border Czar and overseeing the worst border crisis in American history, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to the Korean DMZ this week.

While speaking at a press conference at the DMZ, Harris asserted that “The United States shares a very important relationship, which is an alliance with the Republic of North Korea.”

The United States does not have an alliance with the “Republic of North Korea.” North Korea remains a significant threat to the United States and cannot be considered an ally in any capacity. 

Inspired by Kamala Harris’ words, here’s the definition of the week:

North Korea (Noun): One of the United States’ primary adversaries. It is not referred to as the “Republic of North Korea” as Kamala Harris stated. It is officially named the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.