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The Week in Review
Happy Friday!
I hope everyone had a great week. Read below to see what I’ve been working on this week!
Ending Biden's Dangerous Catch and Release Policies
Yesterday, I introduced H.R. 8951, the Ending Catch and Release Act of 2022. This legislation amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to prohibit the Biden Administration from continuing to release illegal aliens into the country.
President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security has long abused our immigration system and its actions are facilitating a catastrophic border crisis. The Biden Administration has ended the successful policies of the Trump Administration that secured our border.
Instead of building on those successful policies, the Biden Administration chose to reinstate failed catch and release policies that ignore the statutory requirement that illegal aliens be detained while their asylum claims are pending. Catch and release is incentivizing historic levels of illegal immigration, stretching Border Patrol resources thin, and making our communities unsafe. My legislation restores integrity in our immigration system by explicitly prohibiting DHS from paroling or otherwise releasing illegal aliens into the country.
DHS can either detain the illegal aliens or require them to remain outside the United States while their claim is pending. We must maintain operational control of the southern border and this legislation gets us closer to that.
Co-sponsors include: Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Andy Harris M.D. (R-MD), W. Gregory Steube (R-FL), Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep. Mary E. Miller (R-IL), Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA), Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), and Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI).
The legislation can be read here.
The Daily Caller covered my legislation here.
Holding Hunter Biden Accountable for Shady International Business Dealings
In a House Oversight and Reform Committee markup this week, I supported H. Res. 1243—a resolution that requests President Biden to provide information to the House of Representatives regarding his family’s international business arrangements.
President Biden told the American people that he never discussed his family’s international business dealings. That was a lie. When it was revealed that the Biden family’s business dealings had generated at least 150 suspicious activity reports with their banks, President Biden’s Treasury Department changed long-standing policy to withhold these reports from congressional oversight. This reversal raises serious questions about the motives behind the change, including whether it intended to protect Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family.
This committee has expansive oversight authorities and intends to fully investigate all of the Biden family’s business ties to foreign governments who do not have the best interest of Americans in mind. We must not allow the wealthy and well-connected to be above the law. Click below to watch some of my remarks.
Addressing Unaccompanied Children Lost by the Biden Administration
In a House Judiciary Committee markup this week, I supported H. Res. 1343—a resolution that requests the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to unaccompanied alien children at the southern border.
Earlier this year HHS revealed to me that it has lost track of nearly 20,000 unaccompanied children since the Biden Administration assumed the Oval Office. This is largely in response to the Biden Administration’s failed immigration policies that encourage fraudulent family units to cross the southern border illegally and human smugglers to drop off unaccompanied children at the border. The Biden Administration has yet to implement enhanced biometric technologies to determine the veracity of family units or provide a framework to address this humanitarian crisis.
Unfortunately, Committee Democrats refused to support our efforts to get needed information from the Biden Administration. Click below to watch some of my remarks.
Arizona Chamber of Commerce Fly-In
On Wednesday, I spoke to the Arizona Chamber of Commerce on the most important issues facing Arizona businesses today, including water challenges, the border crisis, and workforce shortages.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn more from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and to discuss solutions to resolve these crises.
Holding the Biden Administration's Feet to the Fire on Failed Immigration Policies
Yesterday, I attended the Federation for American Immigration’s annual Hold Their Feet to the Fire event where more than 70 radio hosts gathered in Washington D.C. to bring more awareness to the Biden Administration’s failed immigration policies.
My Republican colleagues and I participated in dozens of interviews with radio hosts across the country and set the record right about what’s happening at the southern border.
I have introduced several bills to help address the border crisis. These include:
H.R.8951, Ending Catch and Release Act
H.R.1901, Stopping Border Surges Act
H.R.58, Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act
H.R.45, Grant’s Law
U.S. Service Academy Nomination
If you or someone you know is interested in attending a U.S. service academy, I can help. As a member of Congress, I can nominate individuals to attend each of the service academies, including:
U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY; the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, MD; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY.
Click here to apply or to find more information.
Letters and Legislation
Bills cosponsored
H.J.Res. 97 - Disapproving of the rule submitted by the Department of Homeland Security relating to "Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility".
Bills cosigned
Letter to Secretary Mayorkas urging him to withdraw the department’s recently announced public charge rule.
Letter to White House National Economic Director Brian Deese demanding answers about how the Biden Administration is working to combat inflation.
Letter demanding the DOJ investigate ties between John Podesta, the Biden Administration’s new Senior Advisor for Clean Energy, Innovation, and Implementation, and the CCP.
Letter to President Biden opposing any effort to use the Antiquities Act or other Executive Branch authorities to unilaterally impose restrictions on hundreds of thousands of acres in Colorado.
My America First Contract
America has had enough of the disastrous leftist policies of the Biden Administration. Our nation is in desperate need of a new action plan for Republicans to follow in January.
My America First Contract is an outline to reduce inflation and strengthen the economy, secure our border, restore transparency and parental choice in education, reduce violent crime and preserve the rule of law, restore election integrity, break up Big Tech, put America First in foreign, energy, and trade policies, and reinstate good government practices.
In addition to achieving these 8 goals, the plan calls on conducting enhanced oversight and using available leverages to stop the abuse of power from President Biden in 2023. I will introduce legislation supporting each area of the plan within the first 100 days of the next Congressional term and will work with my colleagues to bring that legislation up for consideration in the House.
The full contract may be read here.
What's the BIGGS Idea Podcast w/ National Border Patrol Council's Art Del Cueto
This week, National Border Patrol Council spokesperson Art Del Cueto joined me on my podcast “What’s the BIGGS Idea?”.
Art is President of Local 2544 in the Tucson Sector, Vice President of the national council, and has been with the Border Patrol since 2003. We discussed Vice President Kamala Harris’ reckless comments saying that the border is ‘secure,’ the latest border encounter totals, and much more.
We’ll be posting more episodes soon. Check out our social media pages for updates.
Click below to view the podcast. Or visit my website to watch previous episodes.
Top Media Appearances of the Week
I joined Fox Business’ Stuart Varney to discuss Arizona busing illegal aliens to sanctuary cities and solutions to diminish Mexican cartel power.
I joined KNST-AM (Tucson, AZ)’s Garret Lewis to discuss House Democrats’ latest efforts to allow illegal aliens to vote and the state of the border. Click below to hear some of the segment.
I joined One America News Network’s Addison Smith to discuss the fentanyl epidemic facing America as well as my America First Contract. Click below to watch some of the segment.
Top Op-Ed of the Week
This week, The Washington Times published my column on how the Biden Administration is willfully eroding our southern border and consequently facilitating the disintegration of the American state.
I discuss what I observed during my latest border trip with Members of Congress and what America must do to preserve its territorial integrity.
The piece may be read here.
Top Tweets of the Week
Constituent Victories of the Week
My office helped a constituent named Carlito with the naturalization process after he experienced abnormal delays. We are thrilled to see him become an American citizen.
My office also presented the Congressional Gold Medal to a World War II veteran named Thomas. This is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation. I thank Thomas for his tremendous service and sacrifice to this country.
Please contact my district office at (480) 699-8239 to inquire more about my constituent services. We are always happy to help!
Definition of the Week
In an interview conducted with 60 Minutes this week, President Biden stated that the COVID-19 pandemic is ‘over.’ Despite saying that the pandemic is over, President Biden and his Administration recently asked Congress for more than $22 billion in COVID-19 relief funding and is maintaining vaccine mandates for thousands of military and health care professionals.
Inspired by President Biden’s words, here’s the definition of the week:
Over: Not over.
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