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. 

Chairing the House Subcommittee Hearing on America's Fentanyl Crisis 

This week, I chaired the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance’s hearing on America’s fentanyl crisis. 

Fentanyl poisonings are now the leading cause of death for Americans aged between 18 and 45. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, the amount that fits on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially lethal dose.

Over half of the fentanyl pills seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last year were seized in Arizona. Two weeks ago, law enforcement seized enough fentanyl to kill nearly 800,000 people. 

It is long past time for Congress to permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances. We must also secure our southern border to prevent drug smugglers from entering our country.

Democrats want you to believe that we are doing a good job detecting and seizing fentanyl before it can enter the country but ignoring that smuggling occurs between our ports of entry is simply irresponsible and dangerous. Experts have told me that only about 10-15% of all fentanyl is seized at the border.

I appreciate the testimony offered by Mr. Derek Maltz, Special Agent in Charge, DEA’s Special Operations Division, Retired, Ms. Erin Rachwal, Founder, Love, Logan Foundation, Dr. Timothy Westlake, Emergency Physician, and Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer, Senior Fellow in Health Policy Studies, CATO Institute. 

Click the image below to watch a recap of my remarks:

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Markup

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee held a markup revolving around two bills. I supported Committee Chairman James Comer’s legislation titled, H.R. 140, Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act, because we cannot allow presidential administrations to collude with Big Tech to stifle opposing voices.

This specific bill prohibits agency employees from using their authority to influence or coerce a private sector platform to censor—including to remove, suppress, restrict, or add disclaimers or alerts to—any lawful speech posted on its platform by a person or entity. 

I was personally censored by the Biden Administration for questioning the origins of COVID and the Administration’s draconian response to it. 

In order to protect the First Amendment, we must consider bills that stop the federal government from pressuring social media companies to silence Americans expressing views online and require a government-wide report to provide transparency about government censorship activity.

Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the markup:

Recognizing National Debt as National Security Threat

Yesterday, Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and I introduced a resolution that formally recognizes America’s national debt as a threat to its national security. Reckless spending, unbalanced budgets, and waste have soared the national debt to more than $31 trillion.

Our government’s spending spree is unsustainable and inches us closer to defaulting. America produces significant revenue and yet we continue to find ourselves in a position where we are unable to pay our bills. This means future generations will bear these costs and that’s unacceptable.

If our government does not become more fiscally responsible, we will no longer be able to adequately fund our military apparatus as well as basic societal services. That is a recipe for disaster and enables our adversaries to surpass us on the global stage. Raising the debt ceiling every year is a cop-out. 

This resolution will restore regular order to the appropriations process and acknowledge that Washington has a spending problem. I am grateful for Senator Braun’s dedication to this critical issue.

The resolution may be read here.

The Daily Caller covered the resolution here. 

Live Tele-Town Hall Recap

Yesterday, I hosted a tele-town hall with several thousand constituents. I provided updates on district events, foreign affairs, the invasion at the southern border, the economy, and much more. I also answered a wide range of questions from constituents.

I’d like to thank all who joined me last night. It is always a pleasure to hear from you all and respond to your insightful questions. 

Click below to watch a recap of the town hall:

Meeting with Arizona Wing Civil Air Patrol

I had a wonderful time meeting with the Arizona Wing Civil Air Patrol on Wednesday. This organization was founded during World War II and serves as an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. More than 56,000 members help the United States during times of disaster and educate our future leaders. 

I appreciate their service and hearing more about their mission experiences.

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!   

Save the Date: Congressional Art Competition 

The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students residing in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District. 

The first-place winner will have the honor of displaying his/her artwork in the United States Capitol Building, where it will be accompanied by winning entries from other congressional offices around the nation. All winning entries for Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District will be displayed for one year.

Aside from the first, second, and third place winners, a People’s Choice Award will be given. Additionally, one entry from each of the following mediums will also receive recognition for Best of Medium: 

1)            Paintings

2)            Drawings

3)            Mixed Media and Collage

4)            Prints

5)            Computer-Generated Art

6)            Photographs

All entries must be delivered by teachers, parents, or other assigned adults to my district office located at 2509 South Power Road, Suite 204 Mesa, Arizona 85209 by Wednesday, April 12, 2023.

Legislation and Letters

Bills sponsored: 

H.J.Res. 36 - Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States

H.Res.190 - Recognizing the national debt as a threat to national security

Bills cosponsored: 

H.R.1271 - No Retaining Every Gun In a System That Restricts Your (No REGISTRY) Rights Act

H.R. 1209 -To preserve open competition and Federal Government neutrality towards the labor relations of Federal Government contractors on Federal and federally funded construction projects, and for other purposes

H.R 140 - Protecting Speech From Government 

Letters cosigned:

Letter to DHS Sec. Mayorkas re the removal of Critical Border Surveillance Technology

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 provide my instant reaction to a Department of Energy report revealing that COVID likely leaked from a lab in China. Click below to watch some of the segment.

I joined Fox Business’ Brian Brenberg, Jackie DeAngelis, and Taylor Riggs to offer insights regarding the Department of Energy’s report on the COVID lab leak. Click below to watch some of the segment. 

I joined Newsmax’s Jenn Pellegrino to discuss the failures of Department of Treasury Secretary Pete Buttigieg and why he is unfit for public office. Click below to watch some of the segment.

Top Op-Eds of the Week  

This week, I co-authored an opinion editorial with Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) detailing how our government can curtail its poor spending habits.

The federal government’s destructive addiction to recklessly spending your money has gone untreated for far too long. We think it’s time for behavior change in the Capitol.

Washington’s spending problem and the inflation and skyrocketing interest rates that come with it are killing opportunities for American families. If we are going to save America from Washington, it’s time for real spending reforms. And yes, the debt ceiling is the right time to get that done.

The piece was published in Townhall. It may be read here. 

Separately, I wrote a column on how leftist environment, social, and governance (ESG) is turning America into a fascist state.

In China, the Communist Party has devised a scheme to compel compliance. They score every person and business to determine whether they are sufficiently in line with the Party’s standards. In America, this type of fascistic overreach is known as “ESG.” ESG fuses big government, big tech, and big business, and this tyranny is coming for you.

The piece was published in The Washington Times. It may be read here. 

What's the Biggs Idea Podcast w/ Yuma County's Jonathan Lines

This morning, Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines joined the What’s the Biggs Idea? podcast to react to the House Judiciary Committee’s field hearing in Yuma last week. Jonathan was raised in Yuma and spends countless hours serving and giving back to his community. I’m grateful for his friendship and willingness to keep me and my colleagues informed of the open border’s impacts in Yuma.

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

This week, former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger launched a bizarre campaign at the U.S. Capitol complex. Dozens of individuals wearing white strait jackets marched around the complex refusing to talk to anyone. 

The performance intended to advertise Kinzinger’s new pet project titled “BreakFree.” Kinzinger declares that his project “rejects conspiracies” and “stands for the truth.” Ironically, Kinzinger doesn’t do these things himself. 

From spreading images on social media of a false fighter pilot named the “Ghost of Kyiv” to promoting the fabricated and deceptively edited claims of the illegitimate January 6 Committee, Kinzinger is in no position to declare himself and his organization as the arbiter of morality. 

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

“BreakFree”: One must “BreakFree” from Kinzinger’s disingenuous organization.