The Week in Review 

Happy Saturday!

I hope you had a wonderful week. I am grateful to serve you all in the 119th Congress. Read below to see what I’ve been working on this week.

Reopening the Federal Government

Last week, the Democrats finally voted to reopen the federal government—ending 43 days of unnecessary pain inflicted on the American people. 

For 43 days, Democrats demanded a full repeal of President Trump’s agenda, irresponsible spending increases, tax increases on Americans, and an assurance illegal aliens can continue accessing taxpayer-funded health care. In the end, they got nothing. 

The Left’s political stunt accomplished only one thing: it reminded the country that Washington Democrats will always put power and partisanship above the American people.

While reopening the government was the right decision, we cannot return to business as usual. Washington’s size and power continue to suffocate our states and citizens. We must seize this moment to permanently shrink the federal bureaucracy, restore constitutional limits, and return power to the states—just as President Trump is doing through his executive actions.

It’s time to rein in Washington and put our Republic back on the foundation our Framers intended. Click the image below to hear more about my vote:

I voted in favor of H.R. 4405 to support continued transparency in the Epstein investigation and to advance the broader pursuit of justice. That work, however, requires more than a single bill.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform—on which I
serve—has already released more than 60,000 pages of documents this year as part of a serious, fact-driven effort to uncover the full record, protect the victims, and ensure every responsible party is held to account. This is the type of investigative work that produces real transparency and accountability.

For four years, the Biden administration and congressional Democrats remained silent on the release of Epstein-related records. Their newfound urgency suggests they want the public to believe they are leading on this issue, but they only hope to uncover some involvement by President Trump. Their ultimate goal is not to help the victims get justice and peace, but to try to deliver a body blow to the President.

In reality, President Trump banned Jeffrey Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after learning about Epstein’s 2008 convictions. President Trump’s first administration initiated the indictments of Jeffrey Epstein and his procurer Ghislaine Maxwell, setting the standard for real action rather than empty signaling.

I thank the Senate for their quick passage of the legislation.

Commemorating Veterans Day

Last week, we celebrated Veterans Day. Freedom endures because of the courage of those who stand ready to defend it.

We honor the brave men and women who put their country above themselves. Their sacrifices have made our Republic strong. 

Thank you to all who have served.

Introducing Legislation to Honor and
Support Our Nation’s Veterans

I introduced three bills reaffirming America’s commitment to those who served our nation. The legislation strengthens care, accountability, and dignity for veterans and their families by reforming outdated systems and expanding access to benefits without increasing taxpayer costs.

• The Veterans’ Cremation Certainty Act eases a long-standing financial and emotional burden on military families by allowing veterans to pre-designate direct cremation as part of their VA burial benefits. The bill extends the VA’s pre-approval process, currently limited to burials, to include cremation services, and enables the VA to pay cremation providers directly, reducing or eliminating out-of-pocket costs.
  
  
• The HSAs for Heroes Act allows all veterans to open and use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) while maintaining their VA benefits. The bill also broadens the range of eligible expenses—incorporating language from my existing Freedom for Families Act—to include caregiving costs.
  
  
• The Claims Legitimacy and Evaluation Accountability Nationwide for VA (CLEAN VA) Act strengthens oversight, ethics, and accountability within the Department of Veterans Affairs to protect both taxpayer dollars and veterans’ benefits. This bill:
  • Enforces time-limited disciplinary processes and streamlined appeals for misconduct;
    
  • Increases penalties for fraud and abuse, expands whistleblower safeguards, and incentivizes reporting through disclosure rewards;
    
  • Directs integration of AI tools to identify fraud vulnerabilities and ensure accurate, fair disability determinations; and
    
  • Requires annual department-wide training under Inspector General oversight to reinforce a culture of integrity and compliance.
    

This Veterans Day, Congress must recommit to honoring our nation’s heroes not just in word, but in deed.

Veterans deserve more than speeches and ceremonies — they deserve action. These bills deliver meaningful reforms that ease financial burdens, expand healthcare freedom, and hold the VA accountable to the men and women it serves. We owe our veterans the dignity of a government that keeps its word, honors their sacrifices, and works as hard for them as they did for us.

President Trump Reinstates GI Bill Benefits to Veterans Discharged for Refusing COVID Vaccine

Veterans who believe they were discharged inappropriately or believe their personnel records still reflect an error may request a review. Once Veterans receive official notification that their discharge status has been upgraded to fully honorable, they can submit a new education benefit claim to VA. Learn more.

Demanding Accountability for Del. Stacey Plaskett

This week, newly released text messages from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate—obtained through the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation—revealed that a House Democrat conspired with Jeffrey Epstein while questioning Michael Cohen during a 2019 congressional hearing.

Stacey Plaskett, the Democrat non-voting Delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, was exposed for having texted with then-indicted and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, receiving direction on what to ask Cohen during the hearing. An excerpt of their conversation is below:

          Epstein: Cohen brought up RONA - keeper of the secrets

          Plaskett: RONA??

          Plaskett: Quick I’m up next is that an acronym

          Epstein: Thats his assistant 

RONA, referring to Rhona Graff, worked for President Donald Trump at the time of the text exchange. Plaskett proceeded to question Cohen about Rhona Graff, clearly following the instructions from Epstein. After her questions, Epstein responded, “Good work.”

In response to this revelation, Congressman Ralph Norman (R-SC) introduced a privileged motion to censure Plaskett and remove her from committee assignments (including her assignment to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence). The resolution failed to pass the House, with three Republicans voting with the Democrats and three voting present.

I joined my colleagues on the House Floor to debate Congressman Norman’s resolution. Click the image below to watch my remarks:

Leading Effort to Deny Zohran Mamdani
a Federal Security Clearance

I led a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem urging her department to deny New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani a federal security clearance.

My letter makes clear that Mamdani’s conduct is a consistent, years-long pattern that should disqualify him from ever accessing classified information. There is a well-documented record of conduct that raises serious national security concerns, including:

• Co-founding Students for Justice in Palestine, the group that hailed the October 7 Hamas massacre as an “historic win” and openly called for “armed confrontation;”
• Cheering violent uprisings, appearing at rallies that celebrate “resistance by any means necessary,” and defending “Globalize the Intifada,” a slogan calling for violent unrest across the world;
• Undermining counterterrorism, including blaming the FBI for the radicalization of al Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki — a talking point favored by anti-American propagandists;
• Standing alongside clerics who prayed for the destruction of Israel’s supporters and praised Hamas fighters;
• Smearing the NYPD, repeatedly calling officers “racist, anti-queer, and a major threat to public safety,” and being arrested for disorderly conduct during a protest; and
• Demanding that the NYPD be defunded, even as he seeks a position that requires working directly with the department and federal partners.

Mamdani has a well-established pattern of siding with extremists, undermining U.S. counterterrorism efforts, demonizing law enforcement, and legitimizing violent movements. He has spent years defending extremists, attacking American law enforcement, and aligning himself with individuals who praise terrorists. Putting classified material in his hands would be a direct threat to NYPD officers, federal agents, and the security of this country.

Security clearances are reserved for individuals who can be trusted with the nation’s most sensitive materials—a standard Mamdani doesn’t come close to meeting. His record is a bold red warning flag. DHS must reject his request without hesitation.

The full letter may be read here.

Fox News covered Congressman Biggs’s letter here.

Urging CMS to Approve
Arizona’s Rural Health Plan

I led a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz urging the approval of Arizona’s application for the federal government’s Rural Health Transformation Program. I also invited Dr. Oz to visit Arizona’s rural communities to see firsthand the distance, limited resources, and unique challenges that rural residents face in accessing care.

My letter highlights Arizona’s vast geography and the significant challenges rural communities face in accessing healthcare. More than 500,000 Arizonans live over 30 minutes from a hospital—among the highest rates in the nation—and many rely on limited Critical Access Hospitals rather than full-service facilities.

The Rural Health Transformation Program was created through President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, which expanded resources to strengthen healthcare delivery and infrastructure in rural America. Arizona’s application seeks to utilize these funds to expand access and develop innovative local care models for underserved areas.

Congressmen Eli Crane (AZ-02), Paul Gosar (AZ-09), and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) joined in signing the letter. 

The letter may be read here.

Speaking at the 50-Year Anniversary of Boeing’s AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter

I attended and spoke at the 50-year anniversary celebration for the first flight of Boeing’s AH-64 Apache. 

Congratulations to the engineers, machinists, line workers, and suppliers who have spent years constructing, improving, and producing one of the finest machines ever built. Your dedication to our national security does not go unnoticed, and I am grateful to have a well-renowned institution such as Boeing located in Mesa. 

I look forward to continuing to work with industries committed to American exceptionalism. 

CARE Inc. 

My district office attended a 20-year celebration event for CARE Inc. in Chandler. 

The organization connects community leaders from areas such as non-profits, businesses, and faith, to create projects that provide a lasting impact in our towns and cities. 

Thank you for the work you have done in Arizona, and I look forward to seeing all that CARE Inc. accomplishes in the future.  

House Judiciary Committee Markup

The House Judiciary Committee held a markup and passed the following bills out of committee:

• H.R. 4638 - BOWOW Act;
• H.R. 5713 - Expedited Removal of Criminal Aliens Act;
• H.R. 4711 - REMOVE Act;
• H.R. 2189 - Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act of 2025;
• H.R. 2675 - Protecting Our Courts from Foreign Manipulation Act of 2025;
• H.R. 6048 - NDO Fairness Act; and
• H.R. 988 - To move the place of incorporation and domicile of the National Woman's Relief Corps to Illinois, to move the principal office of such Corps to Murphysboro, Illinois.

H.R. 2189, the Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act of 2025, ensures that law enforcement departments across the country have access to the most effective less-than-lethal equipment on the market. This legislation modernizes the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) by excluding “less-than-lethal projectile devices” from its definition of the term “firearm.”

Under the current reading of the GCA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) considers new models of less-than-lethal equipment, such as TASER devices, to be classified as firearms due to the way an object is propelled, although they do not carry a substantial risk of serious injury or death. The current classification has made procurement of these devices, critical for self-defense and de-escalation, difficult for law enforcement. This also leads to the misclassification of police officers' use of force, as the use of any firearm is considered “deadly force” by a majority of states. Click the image below to hear more about my support for the bill:

Letters and Legislation

Bills Sponsored:

• H.R. 5931 - HSAs for Heroes Act
• H.R. 5932 - Claims Legitimacy and Evaluation Accountability Nationwide for VA (CLEAN VA) Act
• H.R. 5933 - Veterans’ Cremation Certainty Act of 2025

Bills Cosponsored:

• H.R. 6225 - Pausing on Admissions Until Security is Ensured (PAUSE) Act (Rep. Roy)
• H.Res. 888 - Censuring and condemning Delegate Stacey Plaskett and removing her from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for conduct that reflects discreditably on the House of Representatives for colluding with convicted felony sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a congressional hearing (Rep. Norman)
• H.R. 563 - No Retaining Every Gun In a System That Restricts Your Rights Act (Rep. Cloud)

Letters Led:

• Letter to Administrator Oz urging the acceptance of Arizona’s application for the Rural Health Transformation Program
• Letter to DHS Secretary Noem urging DHS to deny Zohran Mamdani a federal security clearance

Letters Cosigned: 

• Letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Makary on Mifepristone Chemical Abortion Safety Review (Reps. Harshbarger and Chris Smith) 

Apply to Intern in My
Washington, D.C. Office

I am excited to share that applications are open for spring internships in my D.C. office! If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about congressional work while aiding my team in a variety of tasks, please visit my intern portal to submit your application and review other important details.

Top Media Appearances of the Week

I joined Fox News with Harris Faulkner to discuss the Democrats’ completely unnecessary shutdown. Click the image below to watch part of the segment:

I joined Just the News, No Noise with John Solomon and Amanda Head to discuss reopening the federal government and the ongoing investigations into Jack Smith and the Biden Autopen Administration. Click the image below to listen to the segment:

I joined OAN with Matt Gaetz to discuss Congress’s responsibility to pass critical funding bills—like those funding DOD and DHS—before the end of the year. Click the image below to watch part of the segment:

Tweet of the Week

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.