WEAPONIZATION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The Weaponization subcommittee held its first hearing yesterday, setting the stage for our investigation into the weaponized and politicized federal bureaucracy.  

This is just the beginning of our inquiry – we will leave no stone unturned as we expose and root out corruption. Importantly, we’ll use our investigative conclusions to craft legislative solutions to cure the rotten culture and practices in the FBI, the Intelligence Community, and the other alphabet agencies. 

The expert witnesses, including current and former lawmakers, former FBI agents, and Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley, testified to the depth of the Deep State’s corrosive, weaponized nature. 

As these investigations develop, I pledge to provide regular updates on our crucial work in this newsletter and via my social media channels.  

Watch my questioning here: 

There were a number of head-scratching moments and spurious claims in the speech, which I responded to on Twitter. Notably, President Biden failed to meaningfully address our border crisis, the fentanyl crisis, and the Chinese Spy Balloon that just traversed our airspace last week. This speech left a lot to be desired, to say the least. 

TWEET: "Groceries are up 11.8% since last year... That's not reassuring to American families!"

I spoke to Tony Perkins on Washington Watch about President Biden’s speech and other happenings this week in Congress. 

THREATS TO OUR HOMELAND

If you looked closely at the sky last Saturday, you might have been able to spot the now-infamous Chinese Spy Balloon as it passed over our district. The Air Force shot down the spy balloon just off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Navy sailors and divers are now working to recover the balloon’s debris from the sea floor. 

The President received bipartisan criticism for not shooting the balloon down sooner. We now know that this spy balloon contained receivers and antenna to vacuum up Americans communications and data, and send images of our military installations back to China. What’s worse is that the balloon traversed a number of remote areas in Alaska and Canada, among other places, where it could have been shot down before flying over more populated areas of the country.  

From our wide-open southern border to our airspace, the Biden administration’s policy is to tolerate these violations of American sovereignty.   

TWEET: "If it was worth shooting down, why was it permitted to drift across the continental US first?"

We were also inundated with news reports from “anonymous military officials” that previous spy balloons traversed the country during President Trump’s tenure in the White House. These reports varied and the narrative the “anonymous officials” pushed seemed designed to deflect criticism from the administration.   

TWEET: "Either the "anonymous officials" are completely lying, or they allowed this to happen without informing the public or the President."

I appeared on The Lead CNN with host Jake Tapper to discuss the spy balloon and the problems with “anonymous senior officials” being used as sources.  

DISORDER IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Crime and disorder in our nation’s capital is at an unacceptable level. The D.C. City Council overrode Mayor Bowser’s veto to try and implement a soft-on-crime criminal code that will, among other appalling provisions, reduce penalties for carjackings and robberies.  

The D.C. City Council also wants to allow non-residents, including illegal aliens, to vote in local elections. 

Congress maintains legislative jurisdiction over D.C., and our House Republican majority voted this week to overturn these unjust laws to make our nation’s capital a safer place to live, work, and visit. 

Tellingly, most Democrats voted against these commonsense measures.  

READ: D.C. Crime Code Overhaul, Noncitizen Voting Spark Clash With Congress

Votes this week: 

• H. R. 185 (passed): Terminates the CDC's requirement for foreign travelers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination 

• H. Res. 104 (passed): Condemns the Chinese Communist Party's use of a high-altitude surveillance balloon over United States territory. Recognizes this as a brazen violation of the United States’ sovereignty. 

• H.J. Res. 24 (passed): This resolution disapproves of the recent District of Columbia Council's approval of the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022.  

• H.J. Res. 26 (passed): This resolution disapproves of the recent District of Columbia Council's approval of the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 which relaxes punishments for major crimes. 

• H.R. 548 (passed): Takes certain Federal lands in Tennessee into trust for the benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians 

• H.R. 423 (passed): Takes certain land located in San Diego County, California into trust for the benefit of the Pala Band of Mission Indians

• H.R. 302 (passed): Establishes a program to give financial assistance to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers pursuing courses of study relating to cybersecurity and energy infrastructure.  

NOW HIRING SPRING AND SUMMER INTERNS!

My office is now hiring Spring and Summer interns. All internships are paid and offer students the opportunity to gain valuable experience serving on Capitol Hill.  

Interns will be asked to answer phones, conduct research for the Member and legislative staff, assist the communications team, attend hearings and briefings, and participate in educational opportunities.  

Any interested applicants should email their resume to [email protected].