Friends,

Thank you for taking time to read my weekly update. Below you'll learn more about what I'm doing in Washington to support Iowans in the first district.

In-Person Listening Post

This week I hosted my first in-person listening post of the year in Anamosa. Thank you to everyone who came! Please be on the look out for more in-person listening posts in the future.

Energy & Commerce Border Hearings

This week I traveled to Texas with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for two field hearings, "President Biden's Border Crisis is a Public Health Crisis" and "American Energy Expansion: Improving Local Economies and Communities' Way of Life."

These hearings provided insight into how President Biden's border and energy policies are failing hardworking Americans. The Committee is committed to holding the Biden administration accountable, and will work to enforce effective border policies and expand domestic energy production.

To watch my remarks click HERE and HERE.

Secure our Border to Save Countless Lives

This week, I was proud to join my colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee in McAllen, Texas where we held a hearing to discuss the public health crisis caused by President Biden’s open border policies. The immigration failures of this administration have paved the way for fentanyl to pour into our country.

As a mother of two, I cannot imagine the pain and grief parents across the country feel when they lose a child to a drug overdose, or on the case of fentanyl, poisoning. According to a report from the Center of Disease Control, of the 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2022, those involving synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, rose to over 70,000 deaths.

Under President Biden’s immigration policies, cartels in Mexico have been emboldened and have increased their drug smuggling operations through our southern border. By working to secure our border we will decrease the supply of fentanyl in our country which, in turn, will decrease the number of synthetic opioid deaths across the country.

Earlier this month when I joined Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04) at the border crossing in San Diego, I saw firsthand the lack of support for our border patrol agents. By providing these agents with improved assets, like increasing the number of K9 drug units (officers with dogs), they would be better equipped to slow the influx of illicit substances crossing our border.

While slowing the supply of fentanyl and other illicit drugs is a step to protecting Americans from overdoses, we must work equally as hard to ensure access to recovery and rehabilitation services and to lifesaving medication to counter overdoses. Last week, I joined Representative Buddy Carter (GA-01) in a letter to the Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf demanding that naloxone, a drug designed to reverse overdoses, be made available over the counter. Naloxone has proven to be an effective tool to reduce medical emergencies, drug overdoses, and deaths by up to 46 percent. Increasing access to this lifesaving drug is a critical component in addressing the fentanyl crisis that has been devastating our nation.

As fentanyl and other illicit drugs continue to flood across our border, we must work together to find solutions that work. Securing our border is vital, but we must also prioritize treatment options for those suffering from addiction. Thousands of overdose deaths could be prevented by enacting common-sense policies to secure our border, equip our border patrol agents with the necessary equipment, and increasing access to lifesaving medication such as naloxone.

In the News

This week, I joined Fox and Friends First to talk about the field hearing at the Texas border hosted by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It is essential that we secure our border to stop the influx of illicit drugs like fentanyl.

To watch my full interview click HERE.

I also joined Newsmax to discuss the fentanyl crisis at our southern border. Fentanyl is killing tens of thousands of Americans every year. It's past time to secure our border and prevent illicit drugs from flooding into our country.

To watch my full interview click HERE.

20 County Tour

It is always great to meet with Iowans as I travel across the first district! It truly is my favorite part of serving in Congress. Speaking to Iowans allows me to stay informed about what is happening in their communities and what I can do to help.

This week I met with Mayor Connie Boyer and City Administrator Aaron Kooiker of Fairfield to talk about their goals for the community and ways Congress can help.

I also met with folks from Packwood Locker & Meats and toured their facilities. I will continue working to ensure our small businesses in Iowa have the support they need to succeed.

I finished my week by meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers and took a tour of the Mississippi Lock & Dam 12. Our navigation system on the Mississippi River is critically important to our economy in Iowa and I am grateful for the work of the Army Corps to maintain them.