John,
It’s been a busy week with passing new legislation and making real progress in removing DEI from our children’s schools. That’s why I’m taking a moment to update you on the important work we’re doing to advance our conservative values.
This week, the House Financial Services Committee passed the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Anti-Surveillance State Act in a 27-22 vote, a critical step to protecting our financial freedom. I co-sponsored this bill to prevent the Federal Reserve from launching a centralized digital dollar and turning itself into a retail banking entity. It also blocks The Fed from using a government-backed digital currency as a tool of monetary policy. Why does this matter? Because once the federal government has access to every digital transaction, your financial privacy disappears. A centralized digital dollar opens the door to government overreach, surveillance, and control—down to how, when, and where you spend your money. We don’t need unelected bureaucrats or Washington elites acting as “Big Brother” over our bank accounts. I recognize the dangers of a government-controlled currency, and I’m committed to protecting your right to privacy and individual freedom.
President Trump issued a final warning to our nation’s public schools: they have 10 days to certify that they’ve eliminated DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs or lose their federal funding. This is a bold and necessary step in the right direction. DEI has done serious damage to education and the very foundation of opportunity in the American Dream. These programs don’t reward merit: they punish it. Hardworking students are sidelined based on race, ethnicity, or identity, rather than recognized for their achievements, effort, and potential. This toxic mindset has crept into the corporate world too. This backward system started in our schools, and it must end there. While Governor Walz said that Democrats weren’t “bold enough” to double down on DEI, I applaud President Trump for taking action to root it out and restore fairness, merit, and dignity to our classrooms.
Last week, the House passed the Deterrent Act, a vital piece of legislation to expose and combat foreign influence on America’s college campuses. For too long, adversaries like China, Iran, and Qatar have funneled billions of dollars into American universities with little to no transparency. These bad actors aren’t investing out of goodwill. They’re buying influence by steering academic agendas, silencing dissent, and promoting anti-American and anti-Western curricula. China, through its Confucius Institutes, uses “cultural exchange” as cover to push Chinese Communist Party propaganda, suppress discussion of Taiwan, Tibet, and Hong Kong, and surveil Chinese students studying in the U.S. Meanwhile, Qatar has quietly become one of the largest foreign donors to American universities, often funding programs that promote Islamist ideologies and cast the West in a negative light. The Deterrent Act brings much-needed transparency by requiring universities to disclose foreign gifts to not only institutions, but also to individual faculty and staff, who are often the most vulnerable targets for foreign manipulation. Americans deserve to know who’s funding what on our campuses, and I applaud my colleagues in the House for passing this important legislation. We will continue fighting to get it through the Senate and to President Trump’s desk.
As always, thank you for your continued trust and support. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance with anything.
