Notes from Mike's Desk for the Week of November 14 – 18, 2022

Hello, friends! Welcome back to my newsletter highlighting what’s happening on Capitol Hill and in Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District. Thank you for subscribing and please consider recommending my newsletter to a friend.

IN THE HOUSE

This week, we officially confirmed that Republicans have flipped the United States House of Representatives from Democrat to Republican control for just the third time in the last 70 years. While the size of our new majority is smaller than we had hoped, it is abundantly clear that the American people have turned to House Republicans in the 118th Congress to lead on principle and serve as a check against radical Democrat policies.

These are fateful days for our great nation, and now is the time for us to speak and to lead with clarity and conviction. By God’s grace, and by standing together, we will succeed.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

I was humbled and honored to have been elected unanimously by my colleagues to serve a second term as Vice Chairman of the House Republicans, one of just seven elected leadership positions in the House.

The American people have entrusted us with their vote, and my House GOP colleagues and I are ready to get to work to fulfill our Commitment to America.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

During the October district work period, I enjoyed traveling across the district and holding a series of town halls. We held events in Claiborne, Webster, and Bossier Parishes and visited with countless others throughout the 4th District. If you missed us during this most recent series, keep an eye out for announcements about our final town halls and other events to finish out the year!

Representing the men and women who serve at Barksdale AFB, Fort Polk, and Camp Minden is one of the true honors of this job. Earlier this month, servicemembers at Barksdale welcomed members of my staff to the base for a mission brief and tour of the B-52s.

The work being done at Barksdale AFB is vital to ensuring America stands ready to defend our nation and its interests, and I look forward to continuing to represent our Airmen in Congress each day.

LAGNIAPPE

How ‘bout those Tigers! After a rocky start to the season, the underdog Bayou Bengals have found a way to win the SEC West and lock down a #6 national ranking. As a two-time grad (undergrad and law school), I may be biased, but this is one of the most exciting teams in the country to watch. Tune in this Saturday at 8pm to watch the Tigers take on UAB.

Thank you again for subscribing and reading. We’ll take a break next week for Thanksgiving, and will be back in your inbox the first week of December!

In the meantime, here’s a quick note of history about the first Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, which was issued at the request of Congress by President George Washington. He set November 26, 1789, as the date Americans would “unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations."

The father of our country wrote in the opening paragraph that it is our duty "to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor."

Each year as we celebrate family, friends, and harvests, we should remember more than just the sacrifices and achievements of the Pilgrims surviving their first winter in the New World in 1621. Thanksgiving is also a recognition of who we are as a people—a nation that is eternally grateful for the grace and sovereign authority of Almighty God.

The Founders knew it was God alone who allowed us to succeed in our revolution and the creation of (as Lincoln would later articulate in The Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863) this "new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Lincoln also resolved that “this nation, under God… [our] government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Washington's original Proclamation (linked here) is worthy of review and reflection, and it would be a great reminder to share all or part of it this year with those gathered around our tables.

For freedom,