Weekly Columns
From working on behalf of the American people to providing critical oversight of the Biden Administration, House Republicans have hit the ground running. During the 118th Congress, my Republican colleagues and I have taken concrete steps to counter President Biden’s anti-American energy agenda and restore American energy independence.
With the start of the August district work period, I want to take a moment to reflect on the accomplishments of the 118th Congress. With a House majority, Republicans have conducted rigorous oversight, lead committees, brought meaningful legislation to the floor, and worked together to advance solutions. This is what the American people expect.
Last week, Republicans in the House Oversight Committee held a hearing with two whistleblowers from the IRS who wanted to bring concerns to light without intimidation or tampering. These two individuals provided eye opening evidence on the preferential treatment given to Hunter Biden and the Biden family during their investigation. Americans are rightfully concerned about the two-tiered justice system that exists in our country.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This legislation is crucial in ensuring our military is focused on being an effective fighting force. It includes the largest pay raise for service members in history and ensures our soldiers have the tools and resources to combat our adversaries on land, sea, air, and even space. Critically, this year’s NDAA is mission focused and free of social policies.
After having oversight of Oklahoma’s election board as a State Senator, I can say with certainty that Oklahoma has some of the best election processes in the entire country. Voting is safe, it is secure, and we receive the results on election night. The same cannot be said for other states in the country.
Our nation was founded on the principle of equal justice under the law, no matter the circumstances. Recently, however, we have seen what increasingly looks like a two-tiered justice system that favors those in power. This is especially true when it comes to the Biden family.
Last week, House Republicans passed legislation to fight against extreme executive overreach. In his first year, President Biden added more than $200 billion in new regulatory costs. These harmful regulations cost the American taxpayers over $2 trillion per year in compliance costs and economic losses. The legislative branch must take back their authority as a coequal branch of government and take a serious look at regulations from across the federal government.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been immensely expanding its influence in the Western Hemisphere in an attempt to drastically change the current world order. The CCP not only seeks to intimidate and threaten the U.S. and our allies, but they pose one of the most serious national security threats this country has faced in decades. Unfortunately, the White House has continuously turned a blind eye to their increasing aggression.
The Administration’s open-border policies have caused the worst border crisis in American history. However, these policies are having downrange effects throughout the country, making every town feel like a border town. I want to highlight the serious impact the surge of fentanyl pouring into our nation has had on Americans of all ages.
While the humanitarian crisis continues to evolve at the southern border, House Republicans have been working on solving this tragedy. When I visited the border, I saw with my own eyes the devastating impact of this situation. Under this Administration, it feels like every town is a border town, and sadly, it will only get worse. So far, we have seen over 6.3 million illegal border crossings since Biden took office, which is over 2 million more people than reside in the state of Oklahoma. In March alone, 2,848 pounds of fentanyl were captured.