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!

Service Academy Nomination Interviews

As a Member of Congress, I have the ability to nominate candidates for appointment to the 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. 

We received about 30 applications from interested students, and those students were invited to interview with a team of military panelists this week to talk more about their interests and qualifications. 

Thank you to all applicants who applied and interviewed. This was one of the strongest classes I’ve ever seen. I appreciate the panelists below for helping out with these interviews:

Colonel Matt Towers (USAF)

Colonel Keith Betsch (USAF)

Lt. Col. Christopher Padbury (USAF)

Colonel Stacey Reeves (USMA, Army)

Wayne Mihailvo (USNA)

Michael Carvelli (USMA, Army)

Karen Carvelli (USMA, Army

Speaking to Heritage Academy Gateway High School 

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to speak to some of Arizona’s best and brightest students at Heritage Academy Gateway High School in Queen Creek. 

I was impressed with their knowledge of the legislative process, budgeting, and other issues. These leaders are on the right track and I’m grateful I was able to spend time with them.  

Finding Biden’s 20,000 Lost Minors from the Border 

This week, I sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the Department’s laissez-faire attitude towards the welfare of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) that it has placed with sponsors in the United States. HHS previously revealed to me that it could not contact nearly 20,000 sponsors of UAC.  

President Biden’s HHS has displayed total carelessness for the welfare of UAC and this negligence must come to an immediate halt. HHS has a responsibility to ensure every UAC is accounted for and placed in a safe environment. Instead, HHS is doing the bare minimum and turning a blind eye when it cannot contact a sponsor.

This, coupled with the agency placing UACs with sponsors with virtually unknown backgrounds and who are likely unable to work and provide for the child’s needs, confirms that it is in dereliction of its duties. I demand immediate answers and data from HHS to ensure not a single additional child is unaccounted for.

The full letter may be read here. 

Breitbart covered my letter here. 

Holding Biden’s Woke State Department Accountable 

Yesterday, I sent a letter along with 10 of my House colleagues to the U.S. State Department (DOS) in response to recent reports revealing that it funded drag theater performances, workshops, and a documentary in Ecuador with U.S. taxpayer money. The State Department recently awarded a $20,600 grant to the Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano de Cuenca to “host 3 workshops, 12 drag theater performances, and produce a 2 minute documentary.”

President Biden has wokified the State Department and is misusing taxpayer money to implement a radical and unpopular agenda abroad. This initiative does not enhance national security, advance national interests, or support U.S. foreign policy. The State Department must explain its actions to Congress.

The full letter may be read here. 

Fox News covered my letter here. 

Co-signers include: Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX), Rep. Mary E. Miller (R-IL), Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX). 

Letters and Legislation 

Letters cosigned

Letter to President Joe Biden requesting an immediate end to the U.S.-Canada cross-border vaccination mandate for commercial truckers.

Letter to Secretary Jennifer Granholm conducting oversight over the Biden Administration’s potential plans to impose an oil and gas export ban.

Letter to Secretary Lloyd Austin regarding his memo dated on October 20, 2022, revealing that the Department of Defense will be establishing travel and transportation allowances for service members and their dependents to “facilitate official travel to access non-covered reproductive health care that in unavailable within the local area of Service member’s permanent duty station.” 

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. 

Alien Invasion Border Documentary 

Last month, I released my new border documentary titled Alien Invasion. 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.  

The border documentary may be watched here. 

Top Media Appearances of the Week

I joined Newsmax’s Rita Cosby to provide an immediate reaction to the latest border data released from the Biden Administration. More than 2.3 million illegal aliens were encountered at the southern border in Fiscal Year 2022 and that does not account for the hundreds of thousands who eluded agents. Click below to watch some of the segment.

I joined One America News Network's Dan Ball to discuss my new bill, the State Immigration Enforcement Act, which allows states to mirror federal immigration laws. Since the federal government has failed to secure the border and enforce immigration law, states must take matters in their own hands. Click below to watch some of the segment. 

What’s the BIGGS Idea? Podcast w/ Renowned Economist Stephen Moore

This week, renowned economist Stephen Moore joined the “What’s the BIGGS Idea?” podcast. Stephen is a distinguished fellow in economics at The Heritage Foundation and a senior economist at FreedomWorks. He is also a founder of Club for Growth and is widely known for his expertise in economics. 

Stephen and I discussed President Biden’s failing economy, how American 401(k)’s have been depleted under his leadership, and how the Democrats’ so-called Inflation Reduction Act actually accelerates inflation. 

We’ll be posting more episodes soon. Check out our social media pages for updates. 

Click below to view the podcast. Or visit my website to watch previous episodes.

Top Tweets of the Week

Constituent Victories of the Week

A constituent contacted my office after having difficulties communicating with the Social Security Administration (SSA) concerning the recalculation of his retirement benefits. In response to my inquiry, SSA recalculated the constituent’s benefits and he will receive a payment of $2,418. 

A constituent contacted my office seeking a status update on her passport. After my inquiry to the Seattle Passport Center, we were able to help get the constituent’s passport approved and  shipped to her overnight.

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

Constituent Services

Flags
Would you like to purchase a flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol?  Flags flown over the Capitol include a certificate, which may be personalized for a particular person, event, or organization. Click here to learn more about purchasing a flag.

Internships
If you or someone you know is interested in completing an internship in either my Mesa or Washington, D.C. office, they can apply directly on my website.  

Help With a Federal Agency 
If you can’t get an answer from a federal agency in a timely fashion, or if you feel you have been treated unfairly, my office may be able to help resolve a problem or get you the information you need. For example, my office routinely helps constituents with issues involving the Veterans Administration, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the State Department, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  You can learn more by visiting my website.

Click here to find out more information about my office’s services.

Tours and Tickets

Interested in touring the White House or U.S. Capitol? As constituents of the Fifth Congressional District, you may request tickets and tours for various Washington D.C. destinations from my office. 

All tickets are provided to constituents on a first-come, first-served basis, so request tickets early.

Click here for more information.

Definition of the Week 

Monday marks Halloween and millions of Americans will dress up in their favorite costumes. Even though few would ever consider dressing up as a Biden henchman, I still highly recommend that no one dresses up as Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas this year. 

Mayorkas has been the chief architect of Biden’s Border Crisis. He has destroyed this great nation by allowing an illegal alien invasion into our country as well as facilitating the drug and human smuggling industries. 

More than a year ago, I introduced articles of impeachment against him and expect my colleagues in the House to take on these articles come January. We must remove him from public office once and for all. 

Inspired by Secretary Mayorkas’ failures, here’s the definition of the week:

Alejandro Mayorkas (Noun): An open borders cabinet member who puts our country last.