Across the entire state, families are preparing for various holiday festivities and traveling to spend time with the ones they love. This time of year brings about a profound sense of reflection – where we take pause and think about the real meaning of the season: the birth of Jesus Christ. Further, we take time to think about the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us. One such blessing, that I am reminded of every day, is how we as Americans are incredibly fortunate to live in a magnificent Republic where the right to freely exercise one’s faith, whether alone or alongside family and friends, is protected by the Constitution.

In this country, we exercise our faith without the fear of retribution from rogue political factions or oppressive government regimes. I believe it should stay that way. We can both agree that our children and grandchildren deserve to live in a free America that is unwavering in its protection of the rights of conscience. In the People’s House, I am fighting every day alongside my Republican colleagues to ensure that religious liberty is safeguarded for every American from schools to the workplace. Religious liberty is a monumental pillar of our great country, and we stand ready to defend it.

Honoring Master Sergeant Jerry K. Crump

This week, my bill, H.R. 5481, which names the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Forest City, North Carolina, as the "Master Sergeant Jerry K. Crump VA Clinic", was signed into law. Master Sergeant Crump’s legacy will forever be enshrined in Forest City – a fitting honor for a true partier who served our nation in the Korean War and who demonstrated a willingness to put his life on the line to protect his comrades in the heat of battle. I am incredibly pleased that today, President Biden has signed H.R. 5481 into law, and that the nation will further honor an exemplary American for his service, courage, devotion to the country he was proud to call home.

To learn more about Master Sergeant Crump’s story of sacrifice, click here.

Free Speech on College Campuses

Recently, I took a stand on the floor of the House in support of preserving the First Amendment rights of students. Freedom of speech and thought on college campuses is essential to one of the most important missions of the university: the search for truth. While censorship can come from the right or left, many colleges and universities are now zealously devoted to advancing left-wing ideas and are willing to disregard evidence and logic to do it. Universities should be a marketplace of ideas, not temples to a single political dogma.

To watch my full speech, click here.

Quote of The Week

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

-Luke 2:14

Have a blessed weekend,