November 23, 2022

Friends, 

I hope you and your family are well! I wanted to provide you with a few updates regarding what’s going on –

Protecting Religious Liberty in South Carolina

I applaud Gov. Henry McMaster for taking action to protect the religious liberty of Miracle Hill, a faith-based foster agency that places foster children into loving, Christian homes across South Carolina. I co-led an amicus brief in support of Miracle Hill to the Supreme Court last year. We won, and the Supreme Court protected their rights, yet the Left continues to harass Christian organizations like Miracle Hill Ministries.

Miracle Hill is once again under attack by the ACLU for simply upholding their faith and honoring the biblical definition of marriage by only placing foster children in Christian families. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against Miracle Hill for denying a same-sex couple's application to become foster parents. In response, the Governor has called on the U.S. District Court to protect the state's right to partner with faith-based foster care agencies like Miracle Hill. Thank you to our Governor for standing up for faith-based agencies and defending Miracle Hill’s right to act in accordance with their faith.

Diesel Fuel Shortage Threatens Nation 

Our economy runs on diesel fuel. With diesel fuel prices hovering around $5 in South Carolina and the nation facing a diesel shortage, truckers are struggling more than ever to make ends meet and keep food on our store shelves. The President must wake up to this crisis and release his death grip on domestic energy production before this energy crisis becomes worse. To read more on this, click HERE and HERE.

TikTok's Threat and the White House's Refusal to Stand Up to the CCP

The FBI is continuing to sound the alarm on national security concerns surrounding TikTok, the Chinese-owned video app popular among kids and young adults. China is active in stealing Americans’ personal and business data, and TikTok is a means by which they hack personal information or spread Chinese propaganda. The Trump Administration was actively pushing a ban on the China-owned app in the U.S. because of its dangers while the Biden Administration is actively embracing the platform. Why won’t the Biden Administration stand up to China? For more on this, click HERE. 

How We Can Restore an Energy Future that Keeps the Lights On

We must restore American energy production to ensure an energy future of reliability, affordability, and security for all Americans. Click HERE for my latest op-ed in the Washington Examiner with Congressman Jay Obernolte on the all-of-the-above energy strategy we're fighting for in Congress. 

Biden's Turkey Tax

If you thought buying for your Thanksgiving dinner was more expensive this year, you're not wrong. Americans are paying more for virtually everything as inflation surges, and the average price for Thanksgiving for 10 people is up 20% from 2021. Thanksgiving costs more under Joe Biden due to reckless government spending. I'm fighting to restore fiscal sanity in Washington.

Preparing for Turkey Day

Let’s Talk Turkey! Here are some helpful tips from USDA on how to safely prepare the Thanksgiving turkey this year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to South Carolina's Third District! We have so much to be thankful for, and I wish everyone a blessed day. God Bless you and your families!

Rivalry Week in South Carolina

It’s Rivalry Week in South Carolina, and Clemson University and the University of South Carolina will have their 118th annual matchup in the Palmetto Bowl in Death Valley this Saturday at noon on ABC. The rivalry is a proud tradition in South Carolina, dating back all the way to 1896 (Carolina won). Until 1959, the rivalry game was played on “Big Thursday” during the South Carolina State Fair, and starting in 1960, the teams began to alternate home fields each year on Saturdays.

This year’s game marks the 118th face-off for the two teams. The rivalry had a 111-year streak until the 2020 game was canceled by the athletic conferences because of the pandemic. The Tigers boast a 72-42-4 advantage in the series. As a proud Clemson University alumnus and former Clemson football walk-on, Go Tigers!

Legislative Action

I cosponsored Rep. Bob Good's Empowering Parents Act, H.R. 8767, which seeks to empower parents and protect children by creating a private right of action for parents to hold elementary and secondary schools accountable.

I cosponsored H.Con.Res 115, introduced by Rep. Jim Banks, which expresses support for the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family and urges the United States to be added as a signatory. This declaration advances the health of women, protects the family as a foundation of society, and affirms the value of life in all stages of development. 

In the District

The Dream Center of Pickens County was among ten South Carolina-based charities recognized by Secretary of State Mark Hammond as “a good steward of contributions” for devoting 95% of its expenses to charitable programs. The annual list is designed to highlight which nonprofits allocate the most funding toward charitable causes rather than administrative funding. 

For the third straight year, members of Anderson Interfaith Ministries came together on Monday to give out more than 700 turkeys and meals to families in need. Employees of United Way of Anderson County, Duke Energy, and the International Vitamin Corporation all volunteered to help distribute the food packages for Thanksgiving.

South Carolina's Third District is home to some wonderful small businesses, and I encourage you to shop small and support local this Small Business Saturday (and every day), especially as we enter into the Christmas season. 

It is an honor to serve the Third District of South Carolina. Should you or your family need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact my office directly.