I hope that you and your family had a wonderful time celebrating Independence Day this past week!
Beaches, barbecues, and baseball are all enjoyable, but let’s always make sure to remember that we live in the greatest nation the world has ever known, and the freedoms and rights we enjoy require us fighting to uphold them every day.
As Congress returns to Washington next week to debate the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I’ve been reflecting on our troops’ sacrifices and how glad I am to celebrate July 4th in the greatest state in the union.
Here’s a brief rundown of what I’ve been up to and some news you may have missed.
This upcoming week, Congress will consider the annual NDAA, which sets legislative policies and authorizes funding for the military and related endeavors. I’m offering multiple amendments to the bill, including an amendment to repeal the 2001 AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force).
While the 2001 AUMF was initially used as the legal basis to respond to the September 11th terrorist attacks, including the 20-year war in Afghanistan, it has since been used to justify dozens upon dozens of military operations in many countries around the world, including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. These military operations are conducted out of sight of the public and without express approval from Congress.
Enough. It is far past time to repeal this AUMF and give the American people a voice in how and where the military is being deployed. Every member of Congress should be on the record.
I told the Daily Caller - “The 2001 AUMF has served as the legal rationale for nearly every global entanglement in the nebulous ‘War on Terror’ under four different Presidents. This is far beyond what the American people imagined this authority would be used for. Congress is constitutionally bound to take responsibility here — any overseas military campaign should have specific and limited authorizations, and those in favor of them should make that case. The American people are tired of forever wars and deserve to know where their representatives stand.”
Additionally, I’m offering Sen. Ted Cruz and my bill, the AMERICANS Act, as an amendment to the NDAA. The AMERICANS Act will ensure that the service members who were harmed by the DOD’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be reinstated and begin the process of making them whole. We owe it to our troops to right this wrong.
I’ll update you on the progress of the amendment as the NDAA process continues next week.
Frequent readers of this newsletter may remember that Chairman Jim Jordan, Congressman Thomas Massie, and I have been investigating ESG schemes between various leftist organizations and major fund managers that appear to be violating US antitrust law.
We further expanded that investigation this week, calling on the heads of Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), Vanguard, BlackRock and State Street to provide all documents and communications related to their efforts to “decarbonize” investments.
We will leave no stone unturned in this investigation and will hold ESG cartels accountable to the fullest extent possible.
A Win Against Weaponized Government
On July 4th, freedom rang loudly, giving us one more reason than usual to celebrate.
A federal judge ruled that the Biden administration must immediately cease collaborating with social media companies and must stop violating Americans’ First Amendment rights.
Among other activities, the judge barred Biden administration officials from “threatening, pressuring, or coercing social-media companies in any manner to remove, delete, suppress, or reduce posted content of postings containing protected free speech.”
The Missouri v. Biden suit is a crucial part of the battle against a weaponized, censorious government. It has exposed the Biden administration’s numerous unlawful and unconstitutional practices in the administration’s quest to build out the Censorship Industrial Complex and destroy the First Amendment.
In the ruling, the judge noted that this scheme is “the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history,” that the Biden administration “blatantly ignored the First Amendment’s right to free speech,” and that they “almost exclusively targeted conservative speech,” among other findings.
I will continue monitoring this lawsuit and all related developments. I can promise you that I’ll make sure that we use every possible avenue to expose and stamp out these Orwellian tactics.
