Dear Friend,

The American Dream is quickly becoming unaffordable under the crippling levels of inflation. With the unprecedented amount of wasteful spending we have seen from the Biden Administration and Congressional Democrats over the last two years, inflation is growing impossible to contain. Today, we learned that inflation has continued to surge over the last year — growing 8.2% since last September. The underlying pressures of lingering inflation include the high levels of wasteful spending we've seen from the current Democratic leadership in Washington and high gas prices, which were exacerbated by President Biden's attacks on our oil and gas industry. 

Fiscal responsibility and restoring American energy independence are two strong answers to inflation that Republicans will work to implement if we retake the House in November. However, we will likely face hurdles in the White House as the Biden Administration continues to refuse to acknowledge the impacts their policies have had on inflation. Regardless, Republicans are committed to making the American Dream affordable again. 

Bold Leadership on the Border

As the crisis continues to grow worse along our southern border, border patrol agents have found themselves without support from the White House. President Biden has yet to visit the border a single time in his almost 20 months in office; and instead of addressing the crisis, his administration continues to mislead the American people by declaring that the border is secure. This claim has been made despite record levels of encounters on the border and a fentanyl crisis that has been fueled by an open border.

I am working in Congress to so see that our border agents are provided with the resources and permissions they need to succeed in securing our border. That's why I introduced the Combatting International Drug Trafficking and Human Smuggling Partnership Act of 2022, which would grant Customs and Border Protection (CBP) permanent authority to operate in foreign countries in order to advance its mission to protect Americans from international criminal activity. The legislation grants statutory authorization for CBP to work with foreign countries and conduct joint operations with other nations’ law enforcement partners to support humanitarian and law enforcement efforts, fight drug and human trafficking, and combat terrorist and other security and economic threats.

CBP is responding to increased levels of criminal activity as the current border crisis continues. In its mission to safeguard our homeland, CBP often works with foreign countries to fight drug smuggling, human trafficking, and other threats from international criminals and terrorist organizations. With this authorization, CBP officers would be assured of their ability to partner with other nations and work to turn the tide against the cartels that continue to wreak havoc on our border and in our communities. It is time for bold leadership on the border. We cannot allow the cartels to continue to take advantage of the weak policies of this current administration. With policies like this one, we can work to secure our border and get our nation back on track. 

“Our southern border is broken, and we must take every step necessary to regain operational control. This legislation will ensure that the CBP will have the resources available to them to conduct joint operatives outside of the U.S. in concert with international partners to help put an end to the deadly flow of drugs, such as fentanyl, terrorists, and human trafficking and smuggling. This will strengthen international partnerships, not only on security matters, but also for assistance in disaster recovery as well as humanitarian aid,” 

- House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member and fellow Committee on Homeland Security Member Michael McCaul

Visiting the 172nd Airlift Wing of the Mississippi Air National Guard 

Yesterday, my staff and I visited the 172nd Airlift Wing located at the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport to better understand how we can help them remain combat ready. The 172nd is a premier part of the Mississippi National Guard and has served on missions across the globe. We also heard from the 186th Air Refueling Wing in Meridian about its significant aerial refueling capabilities. The leadership and servicemen/women of our National Guard are some of the best in our Armed Forces, and it has been a pleasure to work with them to ensure that they remain ready to assist in the mission to defend our great nation and allies. I want to thank all of the men and women who welcomed my staff and me and showcased their impressive abilities. I look forward to continue working with them to advance their mission.