Email from Rep. McCaul

Securing the Nation's Air, Land, and Sea

This week, I was honored to speak with Secretary Kristi Noem at a Homeland Security Committee hearing titled, "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland."

In my remarks, I told her the hearing reminded me of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." While Democrats complained and cast blame, my Republican colleagues and I commended the administration for their hard work to reverse the Biden administration's border crisis.

It's the federal government's job to secure our nation's air, land, and sea — a job the Biden administration abdicated, which is why I served as an impeachment manager against Secretary Mayorkas.

Thankfully, the Trump administration has fully secured our land. In fact, I see this as "the best of times" for our southern border. In my 22 years in Congress — including several years chairing the homeland committee — I've never seen the border so secure.

And now, with their strikes in the Caribbean, the administration is working to secure our sea. I'm thankful the president is using his Article II powers of self defense to protect Americans and deter cartels from bringing more poison into our communities.

Lastly, as chairman of the special events task force, I've been laser-focused on securing our air from the growing threat posed by drones. According to the NFL, there has been a 4,000% increase in drone sightings at stadiums in the past five years, and I'm determined to ensure our state and local authorities are equipped to combat those threats at our upcoming events like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics.

Watch my full exchange with Secretary Noem below.

Click to watch

Funding Our Military, Advancing Peace Through Strength

Funding our military, ensuring our warfighters are ready to win against any adversary, and taking care of our servicemembers are some of Congress’ core duties. This year’s National Defense Authorization Act — which the House passed this week — accomplishes those goals and delivers on the president’s peace through strength agenda.

In addition to improving our servicemembers’ pay and quality of life, the bill delivers new capabilities to our warfighters at a faster pace, revitalizes our defense industrial base to improve readiness and boost our economy, and funds the president's Golden Dome, which will protect Americans from modern threats like hypersonic missiles for years to come. I was proud to vote for this bill and ensure our nation is prepared to face — and overcome — the challenges of the 21st century.

I was also proud the bill includes several priorities I've been fighting for, including:

Strengthening the Development Finance Corporation, which helps American companies build projects overseas to boost America's strategic influence and counter China across the globe;
Restricting U.S. money from flowing into industries that support China's military and surveillance state;
Passing my AUKUS Improvement Act to bolster the U.S.-U.K.-Australia security pact that deters China's malign activity in the Indo-Pacific;
Launching a State Department initiative to identify, track and locate the 20,000 abducted Ukrainian children and to hold Russia accountable; and
Empowering state and local authorities to address the threat of drones at mass gatherings — one of my top priorities as chairman of the special events task force.

To read more about my wins in the NDAA, click here.

A Special Evening at the White House

I was honored to attend the White House Christmas Ball last night alongside many friends and colleagues. It was a wonderful evening celebrating our nation and the Christmas season, and I was especially grateful to share it with my beautiful wife, Linda. We are wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!