Passing the FY23 NDAA

After months of bipartisan debate, conferencing, and committee work, the House has passed the FY23 NDAA.

We had some conservative wins in the NDAA, such as overturning the COVID vaccine mandate, preventing required registration for women with the selective service, and revoking attempts from the left to spend DoD resources on their climate change agenda.

This bill takes necessary action against Chinese and Russian aggression, increases President's Biden proposed defense budget by $45 billion, and will ensure our military is better funded, equipped, trained, and ready to fight in these dangerous times.

I'm particularly proud of the amendments I sponsored that will increase our military's ability to operate with key partners, including establishing a partnership program with Ukraine for research on military trauma care and an amendment expressing the need for joint exercises with Taiwan.

Relationships like these are critical to overcoming threats from Russia and communist China and ensuring democracy continues to thrive.

Moreover, I am very proud of the relationship between the Georgia National Guard and the country of Georgia’s Armed Forces as part of the State Partnership Program.

You can read more here.

Congratulating Tift County's Farmer of the Year

I want to extend a congratulations to Carl Tawzer for being named Tift County's Farmer of the Year! Mr. Tawzer works on his family farm to cultivate more than 1,000 acres each of cotton, peanuts, and 400 acres of corn. I am proud to represent such an outstanding farm family like his in Congress!

You can read more here.

Sharing Concerns About DOL’s Changes to the H-2A Program

The H-2A visa program is critical for supporting our farmers and our nation's food supply. However, a new rule from the Biden Administration's Department of Labor will further increase food inflation if not addressed.

My colleagues and I have serious concerns about excessive, unsustainable increases in hourly wages for these laborers, and we shared them in a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Martin Walsh. Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina may face 14% increases in 2023 over 2022.

In a downturn economy, this rule will be disastrous for our nation's farmers, ranchers, and fruit and vegetable growers, who are often short-handed to harvest specialty crops. These increases will result in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses for states' economies, and the costs to the consumer would be just as painful.

You can read more here.

Joining Agri-Pulse Newsmakers to Discuss Upcoming Farm Bill

Joining John Solomon to Break Down the Georgia Senate Runoff

Just the News | Georgia Rep. Scott slams Senate GOP arm for failing to focus on Warnock's extremism

"Georgia GOP Rep. Austin Scott said Wednesday that Washington Republicans failed in their effort to unseat Georgia Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock because they didn't highlight enough the incumbent's extreme liberal agenda.

Warnock defeated GOP challenger Herschel Walker on Tuesday night in a runoff election. 

'The Republican Party refused to identify for the state of Georgia and the voters in Georgia who Raphael Warnock was from a legislative standpoint,' Scott said on the John Solomon Reports podcast.'"

Read more here.