| The Statehood Power Play |
Dear Friends,
When it comes to Democrats in Washington, oftentimes nothing is as they claim – and that’s especially true when they’re talking about their radical policy proposals and the toxic “woke” culture that they aim to force onto the American people.
Today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed the next phase of her agenda through the U.S. House of Representatives: admitting the District of Columbia into the United States as the 51st state.
Democrats claim that this legislation – H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act – is entirely about voting representation for D.C. residents. As usual, there’s a whole lot more to unpack here.
H.R. 51 completely disregards both the wisdom and intent of our Founding Fathers. It’s also blatantly unconstitutional. If Democrats truly cared only about voting representation, there are far more workable alternatives that could win bipartisan support, but Democrats flatly rejected any compromise.
When you move past Democrats’ talking points, it quickly becomes obvious that this is a bold power play to shift the balance of power here in Congress.
A new state would, of course, mean two new seats in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats currently have a tenuous majority that relies on Vice President Kamala Harris to cast tie-breaking votes. Democrats know that D.C. is so overwhelmingly liberal that they would be all but guaranteed to control those seats.
That’s what this all comes down to… Just as Democrats want to expand the Supreme Court because they need more liberal justices, they want to expand the Senate with a new state to gain more liberal senators to cement their majority.
You can read more in my op-ed in Fox News here and watch my debate on the House Floor against H.R. 51 below.
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| Legislative Recap |
America’s southwest border is in chaos and our immigration enforcement is stretched to a breaking point. More than 172,000 migrants were apprehended in March alone. That’s the largest monthly surge in 20 years, and a 71 percent increase just from February!
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) now estimates they’ll encounter two million illegal immigrants by September.
You might assume – or at least hope – that Congressional Democrats are working to resolve this catastrophe (when they’re not warping our government with proposals like D.C. statehood).
Unfortunately, this week, House Democrats passed two pieces of legislation that actually make it more difficult to control immigration.
First is H.R. 1333, the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act – better known as the NO BAN Act. This legislation fundamentally weakens and restricts the President’s longstanding authority to stop foreign nationals from entering the United States if their entry is detrimental to our national interests. This is the same authority used by President Trump to block foreign travelers from China on January 31, 2020, a move that helped slow the spread of COVID-19 and saved American lives! It’s just commonsense that the President needs the ability to rapidly respond to block foreign travel into the United States if there’s a threat to the American people, and it is outrageous that Democrats are limiting this power in the middle of a global pandemic and a border crisis.
The second bill, H.R. 1573, the Access to Counsel Act, demonstrates once again that Democrats put the needs and interests of illegal aliens over those of taxpaying American citizens. Instead of providing desperately needed resources and manpower to secure the border, Democrats want to send in the lawyers. H.R. 1573 would provide access to legal counsel to all travelers referred to a secondary inspection at border ports of entry. This would massively slow down processing at the border, even for legal travel and trade, and stretches Customs and Border Protection even further. The Congressional Budget Office estimates H.R. 1573 would cost $825 million just over the next five years. Guess who foots the bill? The American people.
Despite opposition from myself and nearly every House Republican, both H.R. 1333 and H.R. 1573 passed the House on Wednesday. Democrats seem determined to ignore – or even exacerbate – the ongoing border crisis. Be assured that my fellow conservatives and I will continue to push them and demand that they take action to secure our border!
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| Congresswoman Maxine Waters |
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On Tuesday, Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy introduced a privileged resolution, H. Res. 331, to censure Congresswoman Maxine Waters over her call for rioters in Minneapolis to “get more confrontational” if jurors failed to convict Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. Hours later, Minnesota National Guardsmen were targeted in a drive-by shooting.
While the jury ultimately concluded that Chauvin was guilty, it’s unclear how much that decision was influenced by Rep. Waters’ rhetoric – or the fact that sensitive information about the jurors’ identity was beginning to become public. These jurors performed an important civic duty and this trial was an important moment for all Americans to see our justice system work exactly as it was meant to, and I was deeply frustrated that politicians may have disrupted the process and given cause for a possible appeal.
Congresswoman Waters is one of the most high-ranking Democrats in Washington, serving as the chairwoman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee and is a key ally of Speaker Pelosi. Over her 30 years in Congress, she has repeatedly used inflammatory, reckless, and even dangerous rhetoric without consequence.
Leader McCarthy’s resolution was an opportunity for all Members of Congress of both parties to condemn Rep. Waters’ recent statements. Unfortunately, Democrats immediately moved to “table” his resolution, a procedural move to essentially shelve it and avoid a direct vote on the matter. Every single House Democrat voted against allowing a vote on the resolution, thereby indirectly endorsing Rep. Waters’ incitement of violence.
The refusal by Democrats to hold their own accountable for her reckless language is ironic considering these are the same politicians who so vehemently pushed to impeach Donald Trump – and punish any Republicans who support him – following the tragic events on January 6. House Democrats have finally dropped the façade and revealed their habitual use of blatant falsehoods, inflammatory rhetoric, double standards, manipulation of facts, and exploitation of emotions.
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| Knocking it out of the Park |
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It’s National Park Week, a time to explore amazing places, discover stories of history and culture, and celebrate America's treasures. One such treasured site right here in Georgia’s 10th Congressional District is the Kettle Creek Battlefield located in Wilkes County.
The American Revolutionary War battle at Kettle Creek on February 14, 1779, was the first major victory for Patriot forces in Georgia and had a critical impact on the course of the war. The victory was reported in newspapers as far away as Boston, Philadelphia, and London. According to Patriot General Andrew Pickens, “It was the severest check and chastisement the Tories received in South Carolina or Georgia.” And George Washington agreed, stating, “The defeat broke the spirit of the Tories…and preserved quiet in the West.”
Earlier this year, I was pleased to announce that Kettle Creek Battlefield is now an affiliated area of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). While my office worked vigorously to achieve this special designation, it wouldn’t have happened without the dedication of Dr. Joe Harris. The 94-year-old retired botanist is the founding president of the Kettle Creek Battlefield Association. He is largely responsible for reigniting community interest in the site and securing several grants for the purchase of 236 acres of battleground territory.
For these priceless preservation efforts, it’s my honor to recognize Dr. Joe Harris as the Hice Headliner for the month of April. Thank you, Dr. Harris, for your research, your wisdom, your tenacity, and all of your heartfelt work!
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| Our Community Salutes |
Our Armed Forces are some of the most dedicated, hard working, and brave men and women in this country and I am honored to have been asked by Our Community Salutes of Atlanta to participate in the 1st Annual High School Enlistee Recognition Ceremony.
This ceremony will recognize those high school seniors who have chosen to enlist in the Armed Forces after high school. I’m incredibly proud of these students and their parents who have supported them throughout this process.
The ceremony will be held as a hybrid event on May 15 from 1 - 2 pm at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, GA. You can register to attend the event no later than April 30 at https://community.ocsusa.org/atlanta/.
Sincerely,
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