February 10, 2023

Friends,   

I hope you and your family are well! I wanted to provide you with a few updates regarding what’s going on –

Questioning CDC Director on COVID Therapeutics, Federal Response 

Washington bureaucrats pushed an experimental COVID shot at the height of the pandemic while they discouraged doctors from prescribing therapeutic treatments proven to be effective. The government chose to place itself in the middle of a deeply personal relationship: doctor and patient. Doctors should be able to make their own decisions on what treatments are best for their patients instead of being forced to “follow the science” of the politically driven, bureaucratic CDC. There are so many questions yet to be answered, and this week, I questioned CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and NIH Senior Official Dr. Lawrence Tabak on COVID therapeutics and treatment guidelines at the Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the Federal Response to COVID-19. Click HERE to see our exchange. 

Fighting to Unleash Energy Dominance

This week, we reviewed 17 bills in the joint Energy, Climate, & Grid Security Subcommittee and Environment, Manufacturing, & Critical Materials Subcommittee legislative hearing. The bills we reviewed included my bill, the Protecting American Energy Production Act. Our legislation will offer solutions and bring down the cost of energy, reduce emissions, strengthen our energy supply chains, and pave the way to restoring American Energy Dominance. It's time to flip the switch on American energy production! Click HERE for my opening remarks. 

Chinese Spy Balloon

Joe Biden's story on the Chinese Spy Balloon doesn't add up. The Biden Administration is claiming they made the decision not to shoot down the balloon because of concerns it could potentially harm someone on the ground. However, that makes no sense when you examine the balloon's flight path. The Biden Administration clearly had an opportunity to shoot it down over U.S. airspace in the Pacific or over rural Alaska (a state twice the size of Texas, with a total population around the size of Greenville & Pickens Counties). When you factor in reporting from left-leaning outlets like Bloomberg, that the Biden Administration was originally hoping to keep this quiet, what you get is a scenario where they were likely *hoping* it would just go over Alaska and no one would pay attention. Well, guess what Mr. President? Hope isn't a strategy.

They only really decided to shoot it down after the public spotted it for themselves over Montana. Why not shoot it down in US airspace in the Pacific? Because they either wanted to protect the Secretary of State's upcoming trip to China, or they didn't want to shoot it down and risk angering the Chinese. Both of those are terrible reasons not to stop the Chinese from spying.

Over the weekend, the Biden Administration rolled out talking points saying this happened in the Trump Administration. The problem is even President Trump's biggest detractors like John Bolton say that is not the case. And even if it is true that there was a very small breach on the edges of U.S. airspace somewhere, there was almost certainly never an event where a Chinese spy balloon traveled nearly the entire distance of the continental United States as we witnessed over the past week.

This is another example of weakness and indecision on the part of Joe Biden, which is exactly the sort of thing the Chinese hope to exploit.

TELL Act for American Data Privacy

A Chinese spy balloon traveled across the entire continental U.S. last week, and the CCP is using apps to exploit and harvest American data. It is no secret China is a threat to our national security and data privacy. My bipartisan TELL Act (Telling Everyone the Location of data Leaving the U.S. Act) will inform Americans if their data is being harvested by the CCP. Click HERE for my remarks on the TELL Act at the Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Markup this week. Click HERE for more information on this. 

The Real State of the Union

Joe Biden touted his Administration’s “accomplishments” in the State of the Union address this week, when in reality, the American people know the REAL State of the Union. Over the past two years under the Biden Administration, Americans have experienced record-high gas prices, empty store shelves, the effects of compromised national security, a southern border crisis, a national crime wave, draconian government mandates, and more. The truth is, a lot has changed in our country in the past two years under Joe Biden, but not for the better.

Don’t let the President gaslight you— We still remember the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and the President leaving 13 of our service members behind in a terrorist country (as well as countless Americans). We remember when parents couldn’t find baby formula on the grocery shelves due to supply chain issues. We remember when the national gas price nearly hit $5 as a result of the President shutting down domestic energy production (as Americans are still feeling pain at the gas pump). We remember when the price of staples like bacon, eggs, and milk reached record highs as these prices continue to climb. We remember when health care workers, members of the military, federal contractors, and more, were forced out of their jobs for choosing not to comply with Biden’s shot mandate. We remember how there have been over 4.5 million illegal border crossings (so far) as illegal immigrants continue to surge through our porous southern border. We remember the Biden Administration rushing a radical, Leftist, rush-to-green agenda through Congress that will only cause the national debt to skyrocket and exacerbate inflation. We remember how just this week, the President allowed a Chinese spy balloon to travel freely through our airspace and did not retaliate until it had traversed the entire continental United States. This just scrapes the surface of the damage Joe Biden has done.

The REAL State of the Union is in crisis due to two years of Joe Biden’s America-last actions and failures. The State of the Union is that inflation and energy prices are crippling, our national security is jeopardized, and our national debt is soaring. We are making progress in pushing back on Joe Biden’s agenda, and I will continue fighting to unleash American energy production, restore fiscal restraint in Washington, defend the Constitution, protect our national security, and secure our border.

Congressional Oversight and Investigations 

Congressional oversight investigations in the 118th Congress are in full swing as we investigate the federal response to COVID (mentioned above), Big Tech, the Biden Crime Family, and more. 

This week, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing on Twitter's role in suppressing the Hunter Biden Laptop story. Click HERE for more information on this and HERE to watch Part 1 of the "Protecting Speech from Government Interference and Social Media Bias" hearing. 

The Committee on Oversight and Accountability also heard from border patrol chiefs and held a hearing to outline how the Biden Administration's policies created the worst border crisis in American history. In the past two years, the Democrats held no hearings on the southern border crisis. Click HERE for more information on this. 

Touring Williams Companies in South Carolina 

I had the opportunity to tour the Williams Companies Gas Pipeline Upstate SC location to discuss pipeline issues and South Carolina's natural gas market. Williams handles 30% of the natural gas in the United States, and it was important to see their local operations.

While our nation is blessed with an immeasurable store of natural gas, our pipeline infrastructure is close to reaching full capacity due to the inability to permit new pipelines because of excessive regulatory burdens. It is essential for Congress to roll back the excessive regulations facing pipelines that provide the energy that fuels job growth. Without an adequate supply of baseload power provided by sources like natural gas, we run the risk of stifling our economy and pushing jobs overseas. We are in dire need of permitting reform to grow our economy and create jobs. Thanks to the employees of the Williams Companies for having me!

Meeting with Technical Colleges in South Carolina 

Thanks to leaders at Tri-County Tech and Greenville Tech for coming up to Washington and for the work you do in preparing students in South Carolina with the skills they need for good careers and successful futures!

Passport Services Update

Due to a seasonal increase in applications, my office has been informed that processing times for Passport Services will rise beginning on February 6. If you have upcoming summer travel or need an updated passport, expect processing times to be 8-11 weeks for routine processing and 5-7 weeks for expedited processing. Never hesitate to reach out to my office for assistance in expediting a passport. 

In the District

Seneca Police Department officer Tim McCall was named Oconee County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Monday night at American Legion Post 120’s annual law enforcement dinner. McCall started as a Westminster Police Department officer in 2014 and later joined the Seneca Police Department. Last summer, he and two other responding officers made a huge difference in someone’s life by responding to a call that saved a man from harming himself.

The fifth annual You are Beautiful pageant to raise money for the Anderson Special Olympic teams and highlight the beauty of the special needs community took place at the Anderson County Civic Center. The theme of this year's pageant was a "night under the stars" and set a new record with 33 contestants. 

It is an honor to serve the Third District of South Carolina. Should you or your family need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact my office directly.