Congressman Good Update: Fighting for Truth and Transparency in Congress

Defeating a Phony Border Security Bill President Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas continue to facilitate an invasion of our Southern Border. In December, a record 302,000 illegal aliens were encountered at the border – about 10,000 per day. In addition to the 8 million known illegal encounters at the border over the past 3 years since Biden became President, nearly 2 million more are known to have gotten away. The Biden Administration has inflicted catastrophic harm on our nation, allowing cities to be overrun, Americans to be beaten and killed by criminal gang members, and hundreds of thousands to die from fentanyl overdoses. This is on top of the strain the millions of illegals place upon our education system, healthcare system, housing availability, and other social services.  This is why it was so important to defeat the terrible "border security" bill that was negotiated between Secretary Mayorkas and Senators Schumer and McConnell. This was really a Ukraine funding bill, combined with an amnesty bill, masquerading as a border security bill. The $118 billion bill contained $60 billion in additional Ukraine funding, and would have permitted 35,000 illegal border crossings a week before requiring the President to take any action to shut down the border. It would have given immediate work permits to millions of illegals already in the country, further incentivizing the invasion. It would not end Biden's parole abuse, not require completion of any border wall before 2028, and not require the deportation of anyone here illegally. This bad bill would have borrowed $118 billion from our kids and grandkids, worsened the illegal border invasion, and given political cover to Biden and Democrats who are intentionally facilitating the invasion. Biden could secure the border today by reversing the executive actions he took to open the border on his first day in office. He does not need congressional action. Fortunately, because of the efforts of the House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives in the House and Senate, and an outcry from the American people, the bill was defeated. This was a rare "win" for the citizens against the government, but we cannot rest as the Senate is working right now to resurrect the bill – primarily to borrow and send $60 billion to Ukraine – without the phony border security provisions.

Impeaching Secretary Mayorkas  The House voted this past Tuesday on the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas for refusing to enforce the law and keep America safe; but we unfortunately fell one vote short. I voted in favor of impeachment because Mayorkas has intentionally endangered our country, and repeatedly lied to Congress. We must exercise our constitutional responsibility to hold him accountable, and while it was disappointing to fall one vote short of impeaching him this past week, I expect us to try again with the return of Majority Leader Steve Scalise this coming week.

Responsibly Supporting Israel   I joined 214 Republicans and 12 Democrats in a bipartisan vote in November to send $14 billion in additional aid to Israel, paid for by reducing Biden's massive expansion of the IRS. We must end the practice of borrowing more money for unpaid "supplementals" that further exacerbate our unsustainable debt situation, and threaten our ability to respond to future crises. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats have so far refused to take up this bipartisan legislation to support our most important ally. They would rather fund the expansion of the IRS than support Israel, and they want to try to use Republican support for Israel as leverage to force support for Ukraine. Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson reversed course and brought a new bill to the floor last week, now borrowing $17 billion to support Israel. He denied my request to permit an amendment to pay for the funding by cutting money for the U.N. the so-called climate crisis, unspent COVID funds, or the IRS expansion. I joined 13 other conservatives voting against borrowing the money for this aid package, and the bill failed to pass. I am now working to bring a new vote to the Floor that responsibly pays for our desire to send more aid to Israel. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell recently said that the United States' fiscal path is unsustainable. The era of unlimited spending without consequence is over, and we must stop borrowing from our kids and grandkids, no matter how worthy the cause.

Fighting for Government Transparency My All Economic Regulations are Transparent (ALERT) Act passed the House Oversight and Accountability Committee this week. The legislation would shine a light on the federal agencies which continue to pile new barriers to business and additional costs on hardworking Americans through unnecessary regulations. The ALERT Act would require executive agencies to provide monthly updates on any new rules they are developing, to help enable a clear and accessible understanding of regulatory actions. It would also require the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to issue an annual report detailing the cumulative costs of all rules that have been proposed or finalized during the previous 12 months. Read more about my bill on Breitbart News.

Standing With President Trump I joined my colleague Rep. Matt Gaetz from Florida as a cosponsor of his House Resolution that states unequivocally that President Trump did not incite an insurrection on January 6, 2021. It also sheds light on the hypocrisy of the left-leaning media, the political persecution of President Trump, and the weaponization of the Biden administration against conservatives. President Biden has repeatedly weaponized his Department of Injustice to target his political rival and conservatives across the country. This is the real threat to democracy.

Addressing our Spending & National Debt We held a House Budget Committee markup this past week, and I was glad to support three bills intended to improve the federal budgeting process. Congress must begin to demonstrate the resolve to address the existential threat that is our $34 trillion in national debt, an annual deficit that is more $2 trillion, and resulting 40-year high inflation and 20-year high interest rates.