The Week in Review

Happy Friday!

I hope you had a wonderful week. I am grateful to serve you all in the 118th Congress. Read below to see what I’ve been working on this week.  

118th House Speaker's Race 

Last week, Kevin McCarthy was elected as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 118th Congress. 

It is important that he be successful and I wish him success in fighting the Democrats and advancing the Republican agenda. He has shown a new willingness to empower the people of the country and I will be watching closely to see if he stays true to his word. 

For months, I led an effort to elect a House Speaker that would change the status quo and advance America First principles. I challenged Kevin McCarthy for House Speaker in multiple ballots, nominated several individuals who I thought could serve as viable alternative Speaker candidates, and stayed true to my word that I would not vote for Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker despite facing immense pressure from his machine. 

On the 15th ballot, it became clear that Kevin had the votes to become the next House Speaker and my objection to him wouldn't hold anymore. 

While this may have not been the overall outcome that you wanted, the opposition effort still revealed a few positives. 

First, we deliberated as a body for the first time in a long time and showed glimpses of what a bona fide constitutional republic should look like. We ought to keep doing that. Second, we secured concessions that decentralize power from Leadership and give power back to the people. And finally, we proved that the House Speakership is earned, not given. 

I look forward to working with Kevin, my Republican colleagues, and serving you all in the 118th Congress.

House Rules Changes for the 118th Congress

I am grateful to have worked with the 20 individuals who fought for rules changes in the 118th Congress. The rules changes we secured restore power to the people and allow all members to better represent their constituents. Below are some of the major changes in the rules:

If followed and enforced, these types of rule changes allow us to better represent our constituents. It's hard to believe some of these rules weren't already in place! 

Letters and Legislation 

Bills sponsored

H.R. 114 – Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act  

H.R. 111 – Budget Process Enhancement Act  

H.R. 100 - No SmartPay for Anti-2A Companies Act  

H.R. 98 – Federal Land Freedom Act  

H.R. 90 – Voter Integrity Protection Act  

H.J. Res. 1 – Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that the Supreme Court of the United States be composed of nine justices.  

Bills cosponsored 

H.Con.Res.3 - Expressing the sense of Congress condemning the recent attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, and churches (Passed the House this week).

H.R. 26 – Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act (Passed the House this week). 

H.R. 53 – FIND Act 

H.R. 150 – Protecting American Energy Production Act

H.R. 174 – No Federal Funding for Teacher’s Unions Act

H.R. 38 – Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act

My America First Contract

House Republicans need to immediately reverse the Democrats’s disastrous policies to get our country back in good shape. 

My America First Contract is an outline to reduce inflation and strengthen the economy, secure our border, restore transparency and parental choice in education, reduce violent crime and preserve the rule of law, restore election integrity, break up Big Tech, put America First in foreign, energy, and trade policies, and reinstate good government practices. 

In addition to achieving these eight goals, the plan calls on conducting enhanced oversight and using available leverages to stop the abuse of power from President Biden in 2023. I will introduce legislation supporting each area of the plan within the first 100 days of the next Congressional term and will work with my colleagues to bring that legislation up for consideration in the House.

The full contract may be read here. 

Alien Invasion Border Documentary 

Check out my  new border documentary titled Alien Invasion. The 30-minute documentary features footage from private ranches along the border, the Darien Gap in Panama, and interviews with members of Congress, Border Patrol, local and state law enforcement, and much more. It addresses how President Biden’s border crisis began, its consequences, and solutions to address the crisis.  

The border documentary may be watched here. 

Top Media Appearances of the Week 

I joined Fox and Friends’s Brian Kilmeade to discuss the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) computer failures under Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttiegieg and how President Biden stole classified documents and stored them in private offices while serving as Vice President. Click below to watch some of the segment. 

I joined War Room’s Congressman Matt Gaetz to provide an update on the southern border and explain why trading amnesty for border security is a bad idea. Click below to watch some of the segment.

Top Op-Ed of the Week 

I wrote a column for Townhall.com arguing why President Biden’s first trip to the border was a total flop. 

Not only did it take Biden 80 years to visit the border, but he also did not get a full understanding of the situation down here.

Between cleaning up the congregated homeless illegal aliens and the limited time he spent in the area, we can assume that Biden came on the scene with scant information and probably left more confused than ever.

In the end, Biden checked his box and got his photo op, but he didn’t learn anything. And, the mastermind of the border collapse, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, was able, with the help of the media, to cover up his border misdeeds. Surely my colleagues will agree that Mayorkas must be removed from office.

The piece may be read here.

What's the Biggs Idea? Podcast w/ Western Journal's Floyd Brown

Earlier today, founder of The Western Journal Floyd Brown joined the “What’s the BIGGS Idea?” podcast. Floyd has spent the last 40 years as an advocate and activist for conservative ideas. He met Ronald Reagan when he was 15 years old and worked in his campaigns and as a political appointee in his administration. In 1988, he founded Citizens United and served as chairman of Citizens United until 2008, when he founded a predecessor website that was later merged to become part of The Western Journal.

Floyd and I discussed the 118th Congress Speaker’s race, the newly adopted House rules package, and President Biden stashing classified materials in private locations.

We’ll be posting more episodes soon. Check out our social media pages for updates. 

Click below to view the podcast. Or visit my website to watch previous episodes. 

Tweets of the Week

Constituent Services

Flags
Would you like to purchase a flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol?  Flags flown over the Capitol include a certificate, which may be personalized for a particular person, event, or organization. Click here to learn more about purchasing a flag.

Internships
If you or someone you know is interested in completing an internship in either my Mesa or Washington, D.C. office, they can apply directly on my website. 

Help With a Federal Agency 
If you can't get an answer from a federal agency in a timely fashion, or if you feel you have been treated unfairly, my office may be able to help resolve a problem or get you the information you need. For example, my office routinely helps constituents with issues involving the Veterans Administration, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the State Department, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  You can learn more by visiting my website.

Click here to find out more information about my office’s services. 

Tours and Tickets

Interested in touring the White House or U.S. Capitol? As constituents of the Fifth Congressional District, you may request tickets and tours for various Washington D.C. destinations from my office. 

All tickets are provided to constituents on a first-come, first-served basis, so request tickets early.

Click here for more information. 

Definition of the Week

On Wednesday morning, the FAA grounded flights nationwide due to computer outages. More than 10,000 flights were delayed and more than 1,300 were canceled. 

It remains unclear what caused the computer outage and why backup systems didn’t work, but what is clear is that Secretary Pete Buttigieg continues to prove that he is incapable of overseeing the nation’s transportation system.

From supply chain issues to abnormal domestic flight cancellations, Secretary Buttigieg appears to be a woefully inadequate leader for this department. It is also unclear what qualifications Secretary Buttigieg has to manage the nation’s transportation systems. 

Inspired by Mayor Pete, here’s the definition of the week:

FAA: Failed Aviation Administration