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. 

State of the Union 2023 

On Tuesday, President Biden addressed a joint session of Congress regarding the State of our Union. As suspected, Biden’s speech contained numerous lies, misleading narratives, and smears on Republicans. Our economy is struggling. Crime is up. Our border security is gone. Energy prices are high. Foreign policy has been a disaster. Yet Biden glazed over these issues and spent 73 minutes doubling down on the reckless policies that led us here.  

Below are some claims I immediately debunked from Biden’s address. 

Biden: We will act to protect our country against China. 
Reality: A Chinese spy balloon just surveilled our land-based nuclear arsenal while crossing the entire mainland United States.

Biden: Ban assault weapons. 
Reality: Guns don’t murder - people murder.

Biden: Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset.
Reality: Republicans are not going to cut Medicare and Social Security.

Biden: I created 12 million new jobs.
Reality: He took away millions more due to COVID mandates.

Biden: We must see each other not as enemies, but as fellow Americans.
Reality: Biden has said, "MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards."

Impeaching Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas 

This week, I held a forum to discuss my effort to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at The Heritage Foundation. 

Tom Homan, the former acting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director under the Trump Administration, Mark Morgan, the former acting US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner under the Trump Administration, Steve Bradbury, a distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation, and Robert Law, director, Center for Homeland Security and Immigration at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) all provided testimony.

I was the first member of Congress to introduce articles of impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas, introducing them in August 2021 after concluding that Secretary Mayorkas’ dereliction of duty in protecting our nation’s borders constituted high crimes and misdemeanors. 

I have now introduced an updated impeachment resolution and will continue working with my colleagues to build support for impeaching Mayorkas in the 118th Congress. It’s clear Secretary Mayorkas has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. His conduct is willful and intentional. He is not enforcing the law and is violating his oath of office.

My impeachment resolution may be read here. 

A recap of the forum may be watched below. 

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Hearing on Combating Twitter Censorship

This week, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held a hearing titled Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias, Part 1: Twitter’s Role in Suppressing the Biden Laptop Story.

My colleagues and I examined the role former Twitter executives played in suppressing the Biden laptop story in 2020. We interviewed four former Twitter employees and confirmed their actions were severely inappropriate. For example, former Twitter executive Yoel Roth admitted that the New York Post’s story on the Hunter Biden laptop didn’t violate any of Twitter’s policies, and yet Twitter still censored the story. 

This is election interference. The censorship of negative Biden family content affected the American electorate in 2020. These are dictatorial actions.

This committee will be holding more hearings in the 118th Congress to combat Big Tech censorship and collusion with Democrats. We’ll leave no stone unturned. 

Click below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing.

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Hearing on Addressing the Biden Border Crisis 

This week, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held a hearing titled On The Front Lines of the Border Crisis: A Hearing with Chief Patrol Agents. This hearing examined the crisis at the southern border and its impact on U.S. Border Patrol operations and border security.

I’d like to thank John Modlin, Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector, and Gloria Chavez, Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector for their testimony. 

They made it clear that the border is in disarray and they do not have the bandwidth to address the record number of illegal aliens and contraband attempting to enter our country. The reckless policies of Secretary Mayorkas and the Biden Administration have made it impossible for U.S. Border Patrol agents to fulfill their mission, and exacerbate the challenges agents deal with daily. I will always support our Border Patrol agents and look forward to working with Oversight Committee Chairman Comer to hold the Administration accountable. 

Click below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing.

Community Outreach 

This week, my office met with a number of individuals and groups in the local community.

We attended the Educational Freedom Institute’s (EFI) forum on school choice. EFI’s research  supports policies that protect and promote school choice. I am working in Congress to decrease federal intrusion into matters rightfully governed by the states, such as education, and to ensure that states have the flexibility to provide children the best education possible.

We met with Lieutenant William Moore, whose plane was shot down in Germany during World War II. He just turned 100 years old. We are helping him apply for the Purple Heart, an award he rightfully deserves. 

We enjoyed our monthly coffee with the Red Mountain Veterans Group. This group represents different military branches. We have provided constituent services to some of these members in the past. 

Save the Date: Drop Zone 2023

My annual Drop Zone event is coming up! Drop Zone 2023 will occur on Saturday, May 13 from 10am to 2pm at the American Leadership Academy, Applied Technologies, located at 7729 East Pecos Rd, Mesa, AZ 85212.

Drop Zone is the one-stop shop for all veterans. You’ll be able to access health screenings, taxpayer advocates services, community support groups, and much more. 

Save the date and we hope to see you there!   

 Legislation 

Bill cosponsored:

H.R. 890 - GOOD Act.
H.R. 899 - To terminate the Department of Education.
H.R. 921 - No Asylum for Criminals Act.
H.R. 944 - Preventing Malign CCP Influence on Academic Institutions Act.
H.Res. 113 - Ukraine Fatigue Resolution. 
H.Res. 115 - Womens Bill of Rights Resolution. 
H.R. 828 - The Troop Act. 
H.R. 862 - Dismemberment Abortion Ban. 
H.J.Res. 30 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights". 
H.J.Res. 31 - Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to "Reproductive Health Services". 
H.Res. 100 - Expressing support for the Iranian people's desire for a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran, and condemning violations of human rights and state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian Government. 

My America First Contract 

House Republicans will 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 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 News’ Harris Faulkner to discuss the aftermath of the Chinese spy balloon and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s hearing on Twitter censoring negative Biden Family media coverage. Click below to watch some of the segment. 

I joined Fox Business’ Stuart Varney to argue why foreign aid to Central America hasn’t been curbing illegal migration to the United States. Click below to watch some of the segment. 

I joined Newsmax’s Shaun Kraisman to react to President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address. His speech was filled with lies as usual. Click below to watch some of the segment.

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 

This week, a Chinese espionage balloon flew freely across the continental United States for 8 straight days. The Biden Administration refused to immediately take down the balloon even though the balloon had entered U.S. airspace and was hovering over sites with national security importance. The Administration cited that shooting down the balloon over land would pose serious risks to civilians. However, they have not explained why it couldn’t have been taken down over the Aleutian Islands in Alaska or Northern Montana—two sparsely populated areas. Instead, the balloon was allowed to traverse another 2,000 miles across the country, flying over additional significant sites, until reaching the Atlantic Ocean.

The debacle reveals that China does not view Joe Biden as a strong leader. It also reveals that the U.S. military under President Biden isn’t well prepared to take down our adversary’s military instruments. 

Inspired by Biden, here is the definition of the week: 

CCP spy balloon: In Biden’s eyes, a balloon as harmless as a birthday balloon.