The United States is facing unprecedented threats from those who want to do us harm, so the House is prioritizing policies that strengthen our nation’s security and borders.
The House recently passed H.R. 8070, the Servicemembers Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for FY25, which is focused on improving our servicemembers’ lives while restoring our military’s focus on warfighting.
I’m excited to share that this bill also included three of my amendments.
The first requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to complete a survey of the 15 counties in North Carolina’s 11th District as potential locations for future defense facilities. Western North Carolina’s topography is much like that of many of our adversaries, including China’s, and would be advantageous for military training.
Another of my amendments requires the DOD to submit an annual report to the General Services Administration about office space occupancy data so that taxpayer dollars are not being thrown away on unused office space by the federal government.
The third amendment would revoke the security clearances of retired or active members of the armed forces or Defense Department civilian employees who support or participate in demonstrations in support of a designated foreign terrorist organization. It should be a no-brainer that someone who supports a terrorist organization should not have access to classified security information.
This year’s NDAA took an important step in getting our military away from wokeness and back to its mission of protecting and defending America, and I was glad to support it.
Open borders put American lives at risk
Protecting the long-term success of our nation and Americans require defending our border.
Since President Biden has taken office, there have been more than 9.6 million illegal immigrant encounters nationwide, with more than 7.9 million of them just at our southern border.
Over the past three years, the left’s failed border policies have made every community in America a border community, and the president’s latest executive order does nothing to actually address the crisis at our southern border.
Recent news of Americans murdered by illegal immigrants makes it clear that we must secure our borders to keep our citizens safe. We cannot protect Americans if we don’t secure our border. That’s why I helped pass the strongest border security bill in history, H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, which would put an end to this administration’s border crisis that is putting Americans’ lives at risk.
Appropriations season is upon us
The House Appropriations Committee continues to fulfill our Article 1 responsibility by moving 12 bills that fund the federal government through the committee and the House floor in regular order with robust debate on spending.
A common theme that marks these appropriations bills is a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility and American values.
One of the funding bills I helped pass as a member of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee is nearly 20 percent less than the president’s budget request and nearly 10 percent less than the spending level in FY24. Notably, this bill prioritizes agencies and programs that combat terrorism financing, maintain the integrity of our financial markets, spur small business growth, support the judicial branch and target opioid abuse.
After the Appropriations Committee’s passage of the Defense; Homeland Security; and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bills, the House also advanced these bills, putting our nation a step closer to increasing the safety and security of the American people.
Some of the highlights in these bills that strengthen our national security include the following:
The Defense bill refocuses the DOD on its core mission: preparing combat-ready military forces to deter war and safeguard our national security. The measure includes targeting funding to counter China and related adversaries; supporting innovation to develop modernized weapons and capabilities; and supporting our service members and their families, including giving a pay raise to all military personnel.
It also reduces waste by cutting $18 billion from the president’s budget request and eliminating the use of taxpayer dollars that would have gone to fund the radical left’s woke agenda.
The Homeland Security bill takes steps toward securing our southern border and makes sure that the Department of Homeland Security upholds federal law. The measure includes providing $600 million for constructing the southern border wall, sustained funding for 22,000 Border Patrol agents, and prohibits the transportation of illegal immigrants into the interior of the United States for purposes other than enforcement.
The State and Foreign Operations bill prioritizes agencies and programs that protect our national security while safeguarding our global economic interests, supporting our allies, targeting our enemies and promoting freedom and democracy abroad in a fiscally responsible manner, cutting overall funding by 11 percent.
The measure includes about $2 billion for U.S. national security interests in the Indo-Pacific and to counter influence by our adversaries, and more than $3 billion for Israel to defend itself against terrorist attacks. The bill also stops funding for the United Nations’ regular budget, terminates more than 18 unnecessary programs and eliminates 33 special envoys and special representatives at the Department of State.
This administration’s America Last foreign policy approach has weakened the United States’ standing on the world stage; emboldened our adversaries such as China, Iran and Russia; abandoned our allies and placed American service members’ lives at risk.
As the House Appropriations Committee continues to work through our process of funding the government, you can follow along on Facebook or X for ongoing updates.
If Congress does not do our job, we do not go home
Every year since 1996, Congress has failed to pass our annual spending bills on time, and yet once August rolls around, Congress goes home, despite work still left to be done in DC. We cannot continue putting funding our federal government on the backburner.
The Constitution gives the power of the purse in Congress, yet we cannot seem to get our single most important job done in a timely manner.
I’m introducing the Do Our Job Act because if our work is not done, we should not go home. The American people cannot afford Congress not funding our government on time. The way Congress runs is broken, and this bill is one of the ways that I’m working to fix how Washington works.
Standing up for life
The second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision is a celebratory reminder that the Constitution does not grant a right to abortion. This ruling was a major step toward protecting unborn life. I’ll continue to stand up for the most vulnerable through legislative actions and advocating for expecting mothers and families so that they feel empowered to choose life.
Coming to WNC soon: New Army Reserve facility
The Department of the Army is funding a $32 million project in Asheville for the construction of a U.S. Army Reserve center, vehicle maintenance facility and organizational storage building in the Asheville vicinity, to be completed by June 2026.
I’m pleased that the Department of the Army has agreed with the approach taken by my House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment, which requires the Department of Defense to complete a survey of the 15 counties in North Carolina’s 11th District as potential locations for future defense facilities and report to Congress on its findings.
The new construction will not only benefit our Army reservists, but it is also an opportunity for military leaders to explore additional avenues for WNC to uniquely contribute to doing our part to support our military and reservists.
“Unplugged” Town Hall in Yancey County
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, July 16 to join my next in-person town hall in Yancey County. The town hall will take place from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Yancey County Courthouse, 110 Town Sq., Burnsville, NC.
I’m looking forward to sharing an update about the latest legislative opportunities and challenges in Congress and answering questions about the issues that matter to you.
