The Week in Review 

Happy Friday!

I hope you had a wonderful week. I am grateful to serve you all in the 118th Congress. Read below to see what I’ve been working on this week. 

Celebrating Veterans Day

As we celebrate Veterans Day tomorrow, let us not forget the countless sacrifices our veterans have made to defend our freedoms. 

I have the utmost appreciation and respect for veterans and their families. These individuals are American heroes and deserve our support.

At the congressional level, I will continue to fight for legislation that better addresses our veterans’ needs. If you ever need assistance related to veterans’ issues, please contact my district office at 480-699-8239 or visit my website here. 

Recap: Salute to Veterans Ceremony

I’d like to thank everyone who attended this year’s Salute to Veterans event in San Tan Valley. The event was a resounding success and I am grateful that we had a large turnout to express support to our veterans. 

Special thanks to: 

• Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7968
  
• Arizona Skyline High School Choir
  
• Rick Kreiberg, U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major (retired) and founder of Veterans Affinity
  
• Jacob Peterson, Bugles Across America
  
• Apache Junction High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps
  
• Larry Baedke, Mesa City Band
  
• Colonel Tom Sheets, Executive Director of the Southwest Veterans Foundation
  
• Combs High School
  
• Pinal County Sheriff’s Office
  
• Jordan Webb, Musician 

Curbing FISA Abuse

I voiced support for the Government Surveillance Reform Act (GRSA)—legislation I’ve cosponsored that closes major loopholes in federal surveillance laws for the illegal collection, use, and retention of American citizens' sensitive data—at a press conference led by Senator Wyden (D-OR). 

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Section 702 explicitly states that it may only be used to target non-U.S. persons located abroad for the purpose of obtaining foreign intelligence information. 

Unfortunately, for as long as I can remember, the FBI has grossly misused FISA to spy on American citizens. There have been 3.4 million warrantless searches of Americans’ communications through FISA's Section 702. In 2021 alone, the FBI misused FISA 278,000 times to spy on American citizens. The government doesn’t care about your right to privacy.

I applaud the efforts of my colleagues, who have put forward a bill that leverages the 702 deadline to secure significant civil liberties protections for American citizens. This particular bill would require federal agents to get warrants to surveil U.S. persons, would prohibit so-called “reverse targeting” and “abouts” collection, would prohibit federal agencies from buying information from data brokers, and would impose new reporting and public disclosure requirements.

As the Judiciary Committee considers FISA legislation in the coming weeks, it will be vital for us to incorporate the items outlined in this bill. We cannot continue to allow the FBI to use spying powers to conduct surveillance on innocent Americans. It’s un-American. It’s Orwellian. 

Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the press conference supporting this legislation.

House Judiciary Committee Activity

In my Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, I led a hearing titled “Oversight of the Bureau of Prisons.”  

The BOP Director addressed several of my concerns related to the management of the prison system, the usage of private contractors, and contraband entering prisons nationwide. Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing.

I participated in the Committee’s hearing titled “Free Speech on College Campuses.” 

I am appalled by the limitation of free speech on college campuses. This is a recurring issue that I even experienced while attending my undergraduate, graduate, and law school programs. I often found myself hiding my beliefs due to rogue professors retaliating against beliefs they disagreed with. Our witnesses, who are active students, also shared their negative experiences at college campuses today. Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing.

I joined the Committee’s transcribed interview with Special Counsel David Weiss. Weiss is the U.S. Attorney for Delaware investigating Hunter Biden but his ties to the Biden Family greatly concern me. Weiss previously worked with Beau Biden, Joe’s other son, stonewalled the IRS from looking into Joe Biden’s finances, and crafted the “sweetheart” deal for Hunter Biden. 

Special Counsel David Weiss is anything but impartial. His unwillingness to adequately answer the Committee’s questions this week confirms that he maintains an inappropriate relationship with the Biden Family.

The committee will be conducting more oversight on this matter. 

House Oversight & Accountability Committee

The Committee issued subpoenas to the Biden Family and associates. President Biden’s son Hunter, brother James Biden, and family associate Rob Walker were just some of the names required to appear for depositions before the Committee. 

The Committee has collected overwhelming evidence on Joe Biden and his family’s influence-peddling schemes. The Biden Family set up numerous shell companies during Joe Biden’s vice presidency and received millions of dollars from China, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania. President Biden continues to assert that he was not involved in his son’s business dealings but that does not appear to be the case. 

Just this week, the Committee found more troubling evidence of wrongdoing in President Joe Biden’s finances. We are concerned over the $240,000 in payments he received from his brother James. The Biden Administration suggests that this payment was merely a loan repayment. But this week, the White House refused to release evidence to our committee that supported that claim. 

The American people deserve to know the truth and whether or not the Bidens are compromised by foreign entities. 

The Committee will continue to hold Joe Biden and his family accountable and ensure maximum oversight is conducted.

Legislation & Letters

Bills cosponsored: 

• H.R. 5949 - Protecting Gun Owners’ Privacy Act of 2023 (Rep. Rosendale) 
• H.R. 6262 - Government Surveillance Reform Act (Rep. Davidson)

Letters cosigned:

• Letter to Education Secretary Cardona re Grand Canyon University fine (Rep. Crane)
• Letter to Director Fontes Rainer of the HHS Office of Civil Rights re Catholic couple being found ineligible for adoption over transgender beliefs (Rep. Stauber) 
  
• Letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas re Oversight of LROs (Rep. Carter) 

Alien Invasion Border Documentary

Check out my border documentary titled Alien Invasion. The 30-minute documentary features footage from private ranches along the border, the Darien Gap in Panama, and interviews with members of Congress, Border Patrol, local and state law enforcement, and much more. It addresses how President Biden’s border crisis began, its consequences, and solutions to address the crisis.  

The border documentary may be watched here.

Top Media Appearances of the Week

I joined Fox Business with Liz MacDonald to elaborate on the House Oversight & Accountability Committee’s subpoenas to the Biden Crime Family. Click the image below to listen to some of the segment. 

I joined Fox and Friends with Brian Kilmeade to discuss Special Counsel David Weiss’ refusal to answer questions from the House Judiciary Committee during a transcribed interview this week. Click the image below to watch some of the segment. 

I joined One America News Network with Dan Ball to express concerns over pro-Hamas protests in Washington DC. Click the image below to hear some of the segment. 

Tweet of the Week 

What's the Biggs Idea? Podcast w/ Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH)

Congressman Warren Davidson (R-OH) joined me on the What’s the Biggs Idea? Podcast. Congressman Davidson represents Ohio’s Eighth Congressional District. He is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on Financial Services. We discussed FISA reform and how the Government Surveillance Reform Act (GRSA) helps address the FBI’s spying abuses. Click the image below to rewatch the podcast. Check out my website here to watch previous episodes.

Constituent Services 

Flags
Would you like to purchase a flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol? Flags flown over the Capitol include a certificate, which may be personalized for a particular person, event, or organization. Click here to learn more about purchasing a flag.

Internships
If you or someone you know is interested in completing an internship in either my Mesa or Washington, D.C. office, they can apply directly on my website. 

Help With a Federal Agency 
If you can’t get an answer from a federal agency in a timely fashion, or if you feel you have been treated unfairly, my office may be able to help resolve a problem or get you the information you need. For example, my office routinely helps constituents with issues involving the Veterans Administration, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the State Department, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  You can learn more by visiting my website.

Click here to find out more information about my office’s services. 

Tours and Tickets

Interested in touring the White House or U.S. Capitol? As constituents of the Fifth Congressional District, you may request tickets and tours for various Washington D.C. destinations from my office. 

All tickets are provided to constituents on a first-come, first-served basis, so request tickets early.

Click here for more information.