Floor Speeches

This week I spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize Brennik Sapp and Jack Campbell.

When Brennik was an infant, he spent 12 days at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City when he was diagnosed at birth with Hirschsprung's disease. This is an intestinal disease that is present at birth and that can lead to death.

Thanks to the excellent doctors at the hospital, Brennik's life was saved, but he will always have to manage life with the disease. Brennik did not let this disease deter him. Rather, he made it his mission to help other children who have chronic illnesses.

Last year alone, Brennik raised over $2,000 for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City. This money was used to buy books for children who are undergoing hospitalization and treatment.

Brennik's selflessness did not go unnoticed by his community. The American Legion recently awarded Brennik with the Good Deed Award, which is gifted to youth who serve as an inspiration for their community.

Also this week, University of Iowa's Jack Campbell was named to the All-American Football Team and being recognized as this year's Butkus Award winner, the first in the university's history.

This is not Jack's first accolade. He was also named the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year award recipient as well as the Nagurski-Wooden Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and he received the William V. Campbell Trophy throughout his 4 years with the Hawkeyes.

This season, Jack had 118 tackles, two interceptions, one recovered fumble, and one forced fumble. Jack was pivotal in leading the defensive lineup to be named one of the best in the country, making him very deserving of these awards.

Jack is another example of the University of Iowa students excelling inside and outside of the classroom.

To watch my floor speeches click HERE.

In the News

This week I joined Newsmax to talk about areas that have begun to reimpose mask mandates. We cannot continue to enforce mask mandates. There is enough data available for people to make their own informed decisions on whether or not to wear a mask.

Legislative Roundup

This week I led a letter with Representative Feenstra (IA-04), Representative Hinson (IA-01), and Representative Axne (IA-03) to United States Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai demanding action be taken to enforce the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and protect corn farmers in Iowa.

To read the full letter click HERE.

I also led 113 of my colleagues in a letter to the Biden Administration and Congress urging intervention to prevent cuts to Medicare. Rural areas are already faced with limited healthcare resources, and looming Medicare cuts would be disastrous.

To read the full letter click HERE.

Committee Work

This week, I participated in a Select Subcommittee on the Cornavirus Crisis hearing entitled, "Preparing for and Preventing the Next Public Health Emergency: Lessons Learned from the Coronavirus Crisis." During the hearing, I was able to question witnesses about the harmful side effects of a total lockdown, such as suicide, depression, and drug overdoses and how to prevent this from happening in future pandemics.

To watch my questioning click HERE.

I also had the opportunity to question AmeriCorps about their misuse of taxpayer funds and their plans to reign in wasteful spending during an Education and Labor Committee hearing.

To watch my questioning click HERE.

Other News

This week I joined Iowa Pork Producer's "Give a Ham" challenge and donated hams to the Veterans Outreach Center in Davenport to enjoy this holiday season!