December 9, 2022

Friends, 

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

NDAA Excludes COVID Vaccine Mandate for Troops

Republicans have forced Democrats to accept language in the National Defense Authorization Act to repeal the COVID vaccine mandate for the military. I've been fighting to eliminate this mandate since day one, and I'm so thankful we finally got it over the finish line! This is a win for our national defense and our military! The next step is to end all remaining COVID shot mandates, and this is something I will continue fighting for.  

Disrespect for Marriage Act

The House passed the “Respect for Marriage Act” yesterday to codify gay marriage in the United States, and I voted NO.

This legislation threatens the religious liberty of Americans of faith and endangers faith-based organizations that oppose same-sex marriage. Pastors, priests, nuns, rabbis, churches, faith-based adoption agencies, religious schools and universities, Christian-owned businesses, etc. are all now subject to lawsuits for simply adhering to deeply held convictions on marriage.

Sen. Mike Lee offered an amendment to this legislation that would have protected religious freedom and have prevented the Biden IRS from trampling on the rights of faith-based organizations and businesses that hold to the traditional/biblical definition of marriage, but that amendment was not adopted, and the legislation falls far short of upholding First Amendment protections, putting the tax-exempt status of many churches, charities, and schools at stake. This legislation is unconstitutional on its face, threatens religious freedom, and will likely be challenged in court.

Twitter Files Released

Big Tech is no friend of conservatives. The Twitter files released last Friday further confirmed this and showed how the Biden campaign and DNC colluded with Big Tech to meddle in the 2020 election, exposing what many of us knew to be true about Twitter and its suppression of free speech. It’s not a conspiracy theory that tech giants have used their power to suppress, silence, and censor conservative thought for years.  

The speech-sharing platform regularly manipulated free speech by censoring politically inconvenient content (at the request of the Biden campaign and other actors) and essentially operated as a Left-wing operative and as public relations for the DNC. Twitter suppressed the New York Post Hunter Biden laptop story leading up to the 2020 election and de-platformed the sitting President of the United States while child pornography accounts and the Taliban were still allowed to tweet freely.

Accountability is coming, and my Energy and Commerce Committee members and I will fight for reform and to get answers for the American people in the next Congress. I encourage Elon Musk to keep releasing the truth and fighting to bring much-needed reform to Twitter.

Protecting Children's Innocence

In many instances in recent months, we can plainly see there is a war being waged on our children through sexually explicit content directed at kids (i.e., “family-friendly” drag shows) and a widespread propaganda campaign directed at young minds.

This week, we saw where American Girl, a popular doll company, is telling young girls they could have been born in the wrong body and to ask their doctors for puberty-blocking medications or seek out support groups without parental consent. And recently, Balenciaga came under fire for its disgusting, grossly inappropriate ad campaign that included children and should be considered child abuse.

The Left is pushing radical, sexually explicit material and messaging on innocent children, especially those who are most vulnerable and in need of protection. This is why I am urging South Carolina schools to cut all ties with the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and their state affiliate given the organization’s opposition to the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act (which simply prohibits sexually explicit programming to be directed at elementary-aged children).

I urge the passage of the Protect Children’s Innocence Act to protect kids from this abuse by prohibiting “doctors” from performing body-mutilating procedures or prescribing irreversible, deeply damaging drugs to gender-confused minors. I have also introduced the JUSTICE Act that will help combat the sexualization of children by making the import and transportation of child sex abuse dolls illegal. Parents, be aware of these threats and the radical sexual and gender ideology being pushed on children.

Biden's Border Crisis

Joe Biden said there are “more important things going on” when asked about not visiting the southern border while in Arizona. Millions of illegal immigrants and an untold amount of fentanyl have poured through our southern border and into our communities since he took office, and the President does not even recognize this as a crisis. Every state is now a border state because of open border policies, and Joe Biden should visit the southern border to witness the national security and humanitarian crisis he caused. With Title 42 set to end soon, this will only get worse. Our nation is being invaded and ignoring this historic crisis won’t make it go away.

I remain committed to securing our southern border and ensuring rule of law is being upheld. In the 118th Congress, we will hold this Administration accountable for enabling an invasion of our southern border and ignoring the crisis their policies have caused.

South Carolina Port  Expansion

The South Carolina Ports Authority deepening at the Port of Charleston is a win for all South Carolinians. We now have the deepest harbor on the East Coast at 52 feet, and the entire Palmetto State will benefit from this expansion. I've worked on this issue for the entirety of my time in Congress, and I’m excited to see the port expand! South Carolina is now able to accommodate the world’s largest cargo ships, and we’re ready for business!

Remembering Pearl Harbor and the Greatest Generation 

December 7, 1941, is a “date which will live in infamy” that forever changed the course of the United States and the world, beginning our involvement in World War II. This week, we remembered the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Americans who lost their lives on this dark day. Thank you to the brave heroes of World War II who defended freedom and defeated tyranny to ensure liberty at home and abroad.

REAL ID Update

DHS has delayed the deadline that Americans need a REAL ID to fly and meet updated identification standards from federal agencies. States now have until May 7, 2025, to ensure residents have REAL IDs that meet these new security standards. Click HERE for more information.

In the District

Flybar, Inc., a premier sporting toy company that was founded in 1918, exists as one of the world’s largest pogo stick manufacturers. The company announced its plans to invest $8 million to establish distribution operations in Greenwood County, which is going to create 36 new jobs.

Feed & Seed Company in Greenville and the Salvation Army of Pickens County are joining together this Christmas season to give over 100 food share boxes to families in need in Pickens County. This partnership was created to be able to offer all families receiving assistance through the Angel Tree Program a food share box as well.

Christmas parades across South Carolina kick off the holiday season through the next few weeks. Click HERE for a list of parades.

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.