117th Congress

Dear Friend, This week Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats continued to push a partisan agenda, forcing votes on a series of controversial, outside-the-mainstream legislative proposals that will dig America trillions deeper into debt and target the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

Dear Friend, These last couple of weeks in Washington have been a whirlwind of activity, most of it bad for American families, businesses and taxpayers. Last week we told you about the massive spending bill Democrats approved on a largely party-line vote. That budget-busting, $1.9 trillion package was fast-tracked through the House with little debate, and under strict procedures that did not allow for consideration of any Republican amendments – including one I filed to try and re-instate the Keystone XL Pipeline. Just 9 percent of this bloated Washington goodie-bag was set aside for pandemic related health care needs – yet it contained hundreds of billions of dollars to bailout big spending states like Illinois, more than a billion dollars for Amtrak, millions more for museums and taxpayer subsidized art – and even earmarks for a bridge in New York and a subway tunnel in San Francisco. It also contained a number of policy riders that have nothing to do with COVID, such as a massive minimum wage hike that will hammer employers already struggling under the weight of government lockdowns. I am opposed to this legislation and shared my concerns in a letter to our Senators this week now that the ball is in their court. You can read that letter here.

Dear Friend, This week, the House of Representatives reconvened to consider several far-reaching bills that unfortunately continue to undermine America’s economic well-being, erode many of our fundamental rights and institutions, and once again the interests of federal bureaucrats ahead of the working families across the country that pay their salaries.

The House of Representatives did not convene for legislative activity this week, so I spent time holding several well-attended listening sessions across the district to hear what folks had to say. More on that later. I also received my subcommittee assignments on the House Natural Resources and Judiciary Committees, specialized panels that focus on specific areas of public policy within the larger framework of the full committees.