The Week in Review
Happy Friday!
I hope you had a wonderful week. I am grateful to serve you all in the 118th Congress. Read below to see what I’ve been working on this week.
Paying Respects to U.S. Marine and Chandler Resident Alec Langen on the House Floor
The House held a moment of silence to pay our respects to U.S. Marine Alec Langen of Chandler and four other American patriots.
These Marines were recently involved in a tragic helicopter accident near San Diego.
Let us pray for these selfless heroes and their loved ones.
For more information on this story, please click here.
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Celebrating 112 Years of Arizona's Statehood
This Wednesday marked Arizona’s 112th birthday. I am grateful to call this great state my home.
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Impeaching DHS Secretary Mayorkas
After nearly three years of deliberation and investigation, Speaker Mike Johnson brought the long-awaited impeachment articles against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the House floor. The resolution focused on two main articles. The first is Secretary Mayorkas’s willful and systematic refusal to comply with his obligations under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the second is Secretary Mayorkas’s breach of public trust.
In a 214-213 vote, the impeachment resolution finally passed in the House this week.
The architect of Biden’s Border Crisis has finally been held accountable. Secretary Mayorkas’s outright refusal to protect our nation from invasion is an egregious offense to the nation he was appointed to serve. His impeachment is long overdue.
Impeachment is a powerful check given to the legislative branch to ensure a balance of power among the three branches of government. James Iredell, a Founding Father from North Carolina and one of our nation’s first Supreme Court Justices, said that the “power of impeachment is given by this Constitution, to bring great offenders to punishment.” It is Congress’s constitutional duty to impeach bureaucrats who are derelict in their duties.
This historic vote marks the first time since 1873 that a cabinet member was impeached. House Republicans understand the gravity of this situation. Unlike the House Democrats’ sham, politically-motivated impeachments of President Trump, we have exercised proper procedure and have been meticulous throughout the entire impeachment process.
Every day Secretary Mayorkas remained in office, America became less safe. In the first three years alone of his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security, our nation was invaded by more than 10 million illegal aliens. Nearly 300 illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist were apprehended by Customs and Border Protection agents—and these are only the ones that were caught. Border agents also confiscated more than 2 million pounds of illicit drugs, 57.5 thousand pounds of which was fentanyl, in Fiscal Years 2021-2023. These unprecedented numbers threaten the lives of Americans, yet Secretary Mayorkas could never be bothered to address the crises.
This impeachment ought to serve as a reminder to the Biden Administration that anyone, elected or unelected, found to be in dereliction of their duties of serving and protecting the United States of America is subject to removal from public office. Make no mistake, should Joe Biden insert a similar type of official who wants to continue the Mayorkas policies, he or she will also be removed. This is not a one-and-done move.
As the first Member of Congress to file impeachment articles against Secretary Mayorkas, I am grateful to have been the leader of this initiative. I look forward to serving as an impeachment manager and making the case to the Senate for Secretary Mayorkas’s removal from public office.
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Click the image below to watch my explainer video on the vote:
![MayImpExpScreenshot_2.16.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/MayImpExpScreenshot_2.16.png)
Demanding Justice for the DC 5
I led a press conference along with Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) and Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) demanding justice for the “DC 5”— five children believed to be brutally murdered in a partial abortion procedure.
Last week, Congressman Roy and I sent a letter to Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith in response to a report that the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) has advised the Washington D.C. Medical Examiner to dispose of the remains of these five preborn children whose bodies were reportedly recovered from the Washington Surgi-Clinic.
Based on evidence collected at the time of recovery, these children may have been viable and likely suffered severely painful partial-birth abortion procedures. Murdering a child through a partial-birth abortion is a crime under federal law. Yet, for two years, both the MPD and DOJ have ignored this case. The House Judiciary Committee maintains jurisdiction over criminal law and federal law enforcement in the nation’s capital pursuant to House Rule X.
All life is precious, and any violator of the Partial-Birth Abortion Act must be held accountable. The MPD and DOJ’s investigation was insufficient and inadequate. The DOJ’s effort to dispose of these bodies without conducting an investigation is malpractice. These bodies must be preserved. I applaud Congressman Roy, PAAU, and many other pro-life groups for spearheading this effort with me to protect life.
Americans deserve to know what happened to these five innocent children and the rogue actors involved must be brought to justice. On February 9, 2024, the D.C. Medical Examiner honored the request to preserve the remains for the time being — a step in the right direction.
The letter may be read here.
![dc5pc_1.JPG Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/dc5pc_1.JPG)
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Click the image below to see some of my remarks from the press conference:
![DC5_Screenshot_2.16.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/DC5_Screenshot_2.16.png)
House Judiciary Committee Activity
I chaired a Crime and Federal Surveillance Subcommittee hearing titled “Oversight of the US Marshals Service.” The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is the federal law enforcement agency responsible for the protection of federal judges and courthouses, apprehending fugitives, transporting prisoners in federal custody, maintaining the Witness Security Program, and more.
In this hearing, we examined Attorney General Merrick Garland’s order for the USMS to not arrest anti-life protestors at the residences of all nine Supreme Court Justices. We also investigated USMS's involvement in registering prisoners to vote in elections.
The Biden Administration has weaponized another federal agency to implement its radical agenda. The USMS must be scrutinized more. Click the image below to watch some of my remarks from the hearing:
![judiopensing_statement_2.16.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/judiopensing_statement_2.16.png)
House Oversight & Accountability Committee Activity
The House Oversight & Accountability’s Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs held a hearing titled “The Consequences of Catch and Release at the Border.”
In this hearing, we discussed how the Biden Administration isn’t detaining most illegal aliens caught crossing our southern border. These “catch and release” policies present numerous national security risks as cartel criminals, gang members, and members and affiliates of foreign terrorist organizations are walking freely into our nation and cannot be tracked down.
We examined solutions to address these policy failures and I remain hopeful that we can end this practice once and for all.
Click the image below to see some of my remarks from the hearing:
![oversight_2.16_screenshot.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/oversight_2.16_screenshot.png)
Protecting Americans’ Privacy Rights
The House Freedom Caucus joined me in a press conference calling to end warrantless government surveillance of Americans. The intelligence community continues to abuse Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Section 702 of FISA authorizes the federal government to intercept electronic communications of non-U.S. persons who are located outside of the United States. However, the communications of Americans are often swept up when monitoring foreign persons, are kept by intelligence agencies, and can be later accessed without a warrant.
Congress faces an April 19 deadline to reauthorize Section 702 of FISA before it expires. In December, the House Judiciary Committee advanced my major legislation—the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act (The Protect Liberty Act)—to reform FISA 702 but it still needs to be voted on the House floor. The Protect Liberty Act reauthorizes the 702 program, but makes significant reforms by requiring the government to get a warrant before searching for information on Americans, reduces the number of FBI personnel who can conduct these searches, reforms the FISA court, and closes a loophole that allows the federal government to purchase American’s data.
House Leadership was expected to bring legislation with elements of the Protect Liberty Act to the House floor for a vote this week, but they ultimately decided to punt the vote until further notice.
In response to this decision, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Congressman Warren Davidson (R-OH), Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA), and I released a joint statement requesting that House Leadership allow Members to vote on key reforms to protect Americans privacy.
House Republicans and Democrats have patiently waited for a floor vote on this legislation. Every day that passes without a vote means that thousands of warrantless and invasive searches will continue on innocent Americans.
Our only request to Speaker Johnson is to let us vote on these two reforms to protect the privacy rights of Americans.
The House must act before the April 19 deadline, and it is vitally important for the House to take an up or down vote on the reforms outlined in the Protect Liberty Act.
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Click the image below to see some of my remarks from the press conference:
![hfcpc_screenshot.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/hfcpc_screenshot.png)
Speaking on Warrantless Surveillance and Biden’s Border Crisis on the House Floor
I led a special order on the House floor to speak on the Biden Administration’s warrantless government surveillance on Americans and refusal to secure our southern border.
Click the image below to see some of my remarks:
![spord_fisa_2.16_screenshot.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/spord_fisa_2.16_screenshot.png)
Attending the 2024 AAU Taekwondo - Arizona State Championship
My office attended the 2024 AAU Taekwondo - Arizona State Championship where students from across the state—aged 5-17 years old—competed for Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals. It was an honor presenting over a dozen students with Congressional Recognition certificates for their outstanding achievements in the sport of Taekwondo.
![kd_pic.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/kd_pic.png)
Community Outreach
Team Biggs has been busy checking in with our municipal partners to learn more about their local goals for 2024 and to share with them the major concerns you have brought to me, like rising crime, inflation, and border security. Thank you to our friends with Mesa, Queen Creek, and Chandler for such informative events, and to Asst. Chief Rankin with the Mesa Police Department for a valuable public safety briefing on Mesa’s real-time crime center and recent teen violence.
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Team Biggs attended the International Franchise Association (IFA)’s opportunities for franchising roundtable. Participants included local owners, businesses, community leaders, and elected officials. We discussed how franchising benefits Arizonans and how to limit government overreach on this industry.
![Chandler_Franchising.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/Chandler_Franchising.png)
Team Biggs additionally participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of a new McDonald's franchise in San Tan Valley. We welcomed them to the district and thank them for their contributions to our local economy.
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Veterans Corner: 10 Days Left to Submit Paperwork for PEB
Veterans of the United States Navy and Marine Corps whose final Physical Evaluation Board (PED) occurred between September 12, 2016, and June 11, 2018, who did not receive a medical retirement through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES), may be entitled to another PEB.
If impacted Veterans desire further review of their PEB findings, they must submit a blank of Election of Options (EOO) to the Class Action Review Board (CARB)/PEB by email or U.S. mail before 26, 2024.
For more information, please click here.
Legislation & Letters
Amendments Sponsored:
- Amendment to H.R. 7320 - Prohibiting warrantless searches of Americans’ communications in the FISA 702 database
Bills Cosponsored:
- H.R. 7109 - Equal Representation Act (Rep. Edwards)
- H.R. 987 - Prime Minister Golda Meir Commemorative Coin Act (Rep. Wasserman Schultz)
- H.R. 7365 - To provide PreCheck to certain severely injured or disabled veterans, and for other purposes (Rep. Gosar)
- H.R. 7366 – Subterranean Border Defense Act (Rep. Bice)
Letters Cosigned:
- Letter to President Biden re Special Counsel report on Biden’s cognitive health (Rep. Jackson)
Alien Invasion Border Documentary
Check out my border documentary titled Alien Invasion. The 30-minute documentary features footage from private ranches along the border, the Darien Gap in Panama, and interviews with members of Congress, Border Patrol, local and state law enforcement, and much more. It addresses how President Biden’s border crisis began, its consequences, and solutions to address the crisis.
The border documentary may be watched here.
![Graphic_1.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/Graphic_1.png)
Top Media Appearances of the Week
I joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss the testimony from Tony Bobulinksi, a former Hunter Biden business associate. Click the image below to watch some of the segment:
![Fox_Biz_2.13_Th.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/Fox_Biz_2.13_Th.png)
I joined Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla to discuss the threats of terrorist activity from illegal aliens who have invaded our country. Click the image below to listen to some of the segment:
![Failla_Screenshot_2.16.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/Failla_Screenshot_2.16.png)
I joined Jesse Kelly on First TV to discuss the House’s impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and next steps. Click the image below to watch some of the segment:
![First_TV_2.15_TH.png Image](https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/Customers/AZ05AB/First_TV_2.15_TH.png)
Tweet of the Week
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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.
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