October 22, 2022

This week, the White House announced it will withdrawal 15 million more barrels from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This announcement comes on the heels of OPEC+ cutting their production by two million barrels per day. 

Instead of draining our emergency reserves and begging our adversaries for help, it's time to unleash American energy production. There is no reason our country should rely on unstable foreign dictators for stable energy. We have the resources we need to power our nation under our feet. I joined my HEAT Co-Chairs in sending a letter to Biden, urging him to reverse his anti-American energy policies and issue a five-year offshore oil and natural gas leasing plan after Interior Secretary Deb Haaland let the previous five-year plan expire. Americans are suffering from high energy costs, and investing in our energy sector would help lower prices.

Biden has drained our reserves by 40 percent in less than two years, which is more than all of the U.S. presidents combined. Despite this, gas prices are still up 62 percent from the time he took office. Biden's timing is no coincidence. He might publicly deny that his announcement was motivated by political concerns as midterm elections approach, but the American people can see straight through him. In a Republican Congress, we will make America energy independent once again.

BETTER FOR AMERICA PODCAST: BIDEN'S DANGEROUS GAME

No one can say the country is in a better place than it was before Biden took office. This week, I joined Rebecca Weber, CEO of AMAC, on the Better for America podcast. We discussed American energy independence, border security, rural healthcare needs, and anticipated shifts within Congress following the midterm elections. Click below to listen to the full episode.

THE BUDGET SHORTFALL AT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER

Communities across the nation are left vulnerable to Biden’s open border policies regardless of their proximity to our Southern Border. Despite cries from Republicans in the halls of Congress and concerned citizens throughout America, the Biden Administration has put forth zero effort to contain the chaos. They’ve enabled it to get worse. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains one of the most critical lines of defense at our Southern Border. Yet, the administration is allowing its funding to expire this month.

As the agency that protects Americans from cross-border crime and illegal immigration, ICE cannot afford a funding cliff now more than ever. According to Axios, a $345 million shortfall in ICE’s budget will leave the already-overwhelmed agency in shambles by the end of October.

There are severe consequences of turning a blind eye to cross-border crime. Among them is allowing many of Mexico’s most lethal drug cartels to exploit the open border to smuggle humans across, making human smuggling a $20 billion business. The horrors these drug cartels commit, such as torture, rape, and murder, that had previously been resigned to their places of origin are now becoming prevalent on the U.S. side of the border. Those who participate in these practices have zero regard for human life.

Last year, 650 illegal immigrants died crossing the border, more than any other year, and current data from the United Nations shows we are on track to exceed those numbers this year. There is a clear human cost of these open border policies, and we should all be united in keeping these criminal organizations out of our country and out of clear reach from exploiting those seeking to come here.

The open border is an active threat to American communities in more ways than one. We cannot discuss the tragic outcomes of these policies without discussing the unrelenting fentanyl crisis. The Drug Enforcement Agency seized more than 20 million counterfeit pills last year, enough fentanyl came across the border to kill the population of the U.S. seven times over, and overdose deaths topped 100,000 for the first time in history.

In an attempt to offer a solution, Biden’s Department of Homeland Security recently announced a plan to expel Venezuelan migrants to Mexico. Not only is the number of Venezuelan migrants less than or comparable to migrants from other countries, but there is a daily cap on how many migrants Mexico will accept. Unsurprisingly, that cap is but a small percentage of those who are attempting to enter our country illegally.

I’ve joined my House Republican colleagues in introducing the DIRECT Funds for Border Security Act to redirect $80 billion worth of IRS funds from the Inflation Expansion Act to hire more border patrol agents at our Southern Border. Biden does not need to build an army of IRS agents when lives are at stake and ICE resources are running dry. His administration needs to reexamine its priorities and address the funding shortfall immediately.

ADDRESSING OKLAHOMA'S INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS

I had a great time meeting with the Oklahoma Cooperative Circuit Engineering (CED) Board this week. We had a productive discussion on rural infrastructure needs including roads and bridges, and the policies needed to achieve the best outcomes for our communities.

INVESTING IN OUR OKLAHOMA YOUTH

I was honored to attend the Boys and Girls Club of Nowata ribbon cutting ceremony this week. This facility will serve as a guiding center for children of all ages, allowing them to see positive life paths by offering mentoring and leadership development, healthy lifestyle programming, prevention programming, and financial literacy classes.

I want to give a special shout-out to Tri-County Tech on their partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, allowing learning opportunities for future careers, career enhancement classes, and a business development center for adults and teens.

RECOGNIZING LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITY

Congratulations to James Grimsley, Executive Director of Advanced Technology Initiatives for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, for being appointed to the U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Aviation Administration Advanced Aviation Advisory Committee (AAAC). This committee provides advice on key drone and Advanced Air Mobility operations in the national airspace system.

Congratulations to Ryan Ambrose from Checotah Intermediate Elementary School for receiving the Department of Education’s 2022 Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership. This award honors school leaders whose vision and collaborative leadership styles have produced outstanding results for all their students to develop academically, emotionally, physically, socially, and culturally.

Thank you to James Grimsley and Ryan Ambrose for your dedicated service to our Oklahoma communities, and congratulations again for your well-deserved honors.

Thank you for reading my weekly e-newsletter! You can stay in touch by visiting my Facebook and Twitter pages and as always, don’t hesitate to contact me if I can help in any way.