The National Defense Authorization Act 

I fought alongside my conservative colleagues to include critical provisions in the bill, like ending President Biden’s unconstitutional policy to pay for abortion-related travel, eliminating funding for woke indoctrination, and banning sex-change surgeries. While the bill wasn’t perfect, it did achieve many important conservative wins, and I was glad to vote for it. I will fight to keep these conservative, common-sense provisions in the final version of the legislation. 

TWEET THREAD: Why I Voted for the NDAA

While my two amendments were not adopted, these issues are still critical, and I will continue to fight for them to receive a vote on the House floor. 

My amendment to repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) was joined by a bipartisan group of supporters, including Representatives Matt Gaetz and Barbara Lee. The 2001 AUMF has served as the legal basis for dozens of US interventions across the globe under four different Presidents, far beyond what Americans signed up for when Congress originally passed this law more than 20 years ago.  

READ: Congressman Dan Bishop Introduces Amendment to Repeal the 2001 AUMF

Every member of Congress should be on the record as to their stance on this AUMF, and I will continue to push for this critical issue to receive an up-or-down vote.  

Unfortunately, the unwillingness to deal with the problem of blank-check support for the Ukraine war also remains. I strongly supported my friend, Rep. Warren Davidson’s, amendment to require a report from the President on his strategy in Ukraine, which would include specific objectives and a diplomatic pathway to end the war. I was disappointed, but not surprised, that so few Members of Congress supported this commonsense measure. 

TWEET: 301 members oppose a diplomatic pathway to peace.

The Week in Weaponized Government 

On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee. The FBI has shown a deep disregard for the Constitution and Americans’ most sacred liberties. No matter how often they are scolded and reprimanded, the FBI’s performance only gets more and more concerning. 

It’s time to implement a more aggressive strategy to bring this rogue agency to heel. Congress funds the FBI – we need to cut the agency’s funding, remove much of its authority, or both. 

TWEET: Americans want to know when the FBI will finally face accountability.

Also last week, Lina Khan, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair, testified to the Judiciary Committee. Khan’s FTC has made some alarming moves, including trying to fully outlaw non-compete agreements, which have been an issue of state law for years. Regardless of your views on non-competes, that’s the role of state governments, not federal. 

Additionally, on the morning of the hearing, the FTC opened an investigation into OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT, the popular artificial intelligence chatbot. One part of the agency’s inquiry particularly caught my attention – the FTC demanded OpenAI “describe in detail the extent to which Your Large Language Model Products have the capacity to generate statements about real individuals that are false, misleading, or disparaging.” 

Like many other government agencies, it now appears that the FTC is attempting to regulate speech and serve as the arbiter of truth. Where does the agency claim that authority? I asked Chair Khan about this investigation and will follow up to get more information.  

WATCH: Is the FTC now in the business of regulating speech?