WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week in Washington, we voted to fund our troops and other important provisions before returning to our home districts for Independence Day. In the past week, we’ve also seen some major rulings from the Supreme Court with important implications for Congress and our nation – overall, a victory for sanity and the rule of law.

Censorship Watch

Last week underscored the importance of being vigilant in defending our God-given rights as the the Supreme Court ruled recently on Murthy v. Missouri, the most consequential free speech case in recent history.

Unfortunately, SCOTUS turned away Missouri’s challenge on standing grounds. The Court did not rule on the merits of the case, leaving the question of government censorship laundering schemes wholly unanswered.

In response to this ruling, the House must expeditiously take up and pass my legislation, the Censorship Accountability Act, and redouble our oversight efforts to combat the Censorship Industrial Complex.

There is no doubt that this was a disappointing opinion – and Congress should act swiftly to address the deep state’s efforts to censor speech and control the nation’s narrative. We cannot rely solely on the courts to do this important work.

In more positive news, the efforts I have been leading to combat the censorship industrial complex have been bearing fruit. One of the chief censors in the 2020 election penned a screed in the New York Times complaining about the effectiveness of our effort and how it has hampered their censorship efforts.

Good. For the sake of the First Amendment, we must prevail.

Biden’s Border Bloodbath

It brings me no pleasure to report the latest news emanating from Biden’s border invasion. Last month, we saw a flood of heartbreaking headlines – stories of young women being murdered by illegal immigrants. This past week, we have unfortunately been seeing more of the same horrible stories.

I fear, unfortunately, that this deluge will only worsen by the day. Biden and Mayorkas have implemented open border policies that allow more dangerous illegal aliens into the nation each day. The only solution is to close the border and deport all those who are here illegally. Law and order must prevail if we hope to preserve America’s sovereignty.

In last week’s newsletter, we discussed the recent chilling news of ISIS-connected potential terrorists entering the country. This past week, I questioned the Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis on how these illegal aliens passed “vetting” and were allowed in in the first place.

His answer was not reassuring, to say the least.

Congressional Appropriations

On Friday, I voted to pay our troops, secure our homeland, support our allies, and make meaningful cuts to the runaway federal budget.

These funding packages bring spending down to a more sustainable level and allocate dollars in a much more effective, conservative fashion than in many previous years.

To fully restore constitutional government to Washington, Congress must fully exercise the power of the purse, not outsource that authority to unelected bureaucrats.

This work is methodical, and not glamorous – but critical in our representative government.

Contempt of Congress

We recently held Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing a duly issued subpoena to produce Biden’s interview tapes with the Special Counsel.

Instead, he’s keeping them secret. Biden’s ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, also refuses to turn over his recordings and transcripts of his conversations with the President, who shared classified information with him.

We are one step closer to holding him in contempt, passing the resolution out of the judiciary committee. He must produce Biden’s secret tapes.

Recognizing Athletic Achievement

On a more positive note, I was happy to honor Emma Clarke of Rowan County on the House floor, recently named the most outstanding female high school athlete in North Carolina for 2024. She is a star athlete in three different sports, and I look forward to seeing all she will accomplish in the future.

App Challenge

The 2024 Congressional App Challenge is now live. Students in District 8 who are interested in coding are eligible to compete in this year’s National Congressional App Challenge. Individuals or teams may submit their applications for any digital platform. Students may utilize any platform. App submissions must show some degree of functionality to be competitive. For a full list of rules, please visit the Congressional App Challenge website.

Votes Last Week

H.R. 8771 – Making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 (Passed)

H.R. 8752 – Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2025 (Passed)

H.R. 8774 – Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2025 (Passed)

H.R. 2789 – American Cooperation with Our Neighbors Act (Passed)

H.R. 7152 – Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act (Passed)

H.Res. 901 – Expressing support for democracy and human rights in Pakistan (Passed)

Sincerely,