Dear Friend,

As a new year has begun, I wanted to take a moment to recap my first year in Congress and highlight some accomplishments that I am most excited about.

During my first term representing North Carolina’s 11th District, I’ve had the distinct privilege of introducing 16 bills and cosponsoring more than 160 pieces of legislation that would make life better for Western North Carolinians.

They range from helping the U.S. obtain a more precise number and location of illegal immigrants living here (Voter Population Accuracy Act) to prohibiting funding for sanctuary cities that block federal immigration enforcement (Cooperation with ICE Act).

Additional bills I introduced focused on specific issues in the 11th District, such as H.R. 6334, to help honor members of the U.S. Air Force who lost their lives in WNC; and H.R. 5835, to help expand mileage on the Appalachian Development Highway System and improve the construction of Corridor K in North Carolina.

The Unemployment Integrity Act is another bill that will benefit both employers and employees in our district and help put America’s workforce back on track.

We must also make sure that our nation’s veterans are given proper support as they transition back to civilian life, which is why I put forward the bipartisan Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act, to reduce red tape for our nation’s heroes and alleviate the country’s bottlenecked supply chain.

WNC, with its many lakes and rivers, must remain at the forefront of dam safety and the National Dam Safety Program Reauthorization Act that I sponsored would make sure of that.

Finally, H.R. 5473, the Promoting Resilient Buildings Act, is another bipartisan bill that I spearheaded to give more flexibility to homebuilders regarding building codes used during construction, which passed the House unanimously in December.

Lawlessness is destroying America

Stopping the fentanyl crisis, reducing crime and pushing back against the blatant invasion at our southern border are some of my top legislative priorities in Congress.

The lawlessness in our nation emboldened by this administration’s policies is harming lives and destroying our country. That’s why I’ve introduced and supported legislation to address unfettered illegal immigration and its harmful consequences.

From the numerous tours I’ve taken across all of Western North Carolina, including counties nestled down in the mountains that are a thousand miles away from the border, virtually every sheriff I have spoken to felt like they were protecting their county from the consequences of open borders.

Hard drugs have trickled into WNC at an alarming rate. This is a humanitarian crisis, with children losing their parents to overdoses, kids seeing their siblings incarcerated for dealing drugs, and everyday citizens getting hooked on drugs and dying from overdoses. It is essential that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) works with the House to stop the border crisis by taking up H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, in the Senate.

The lawlessness at our border goes hand in hand with crime surging in places like Asheville, and I will not rest until Western North Carolinians feel safe at home.

To help get federal, state and local officials on the same page, I hosted a summit this summer to start essential discussions on this topic, and will continue to find new ways to address the homelessness crisis, police staffing shortages and fentanyl in our mountains.

First in Constituent Services

Since day one, my team and I have dedicated ourselves to bringing constituents’ voices to the federal government. Transparency, accountability and accessibility will always be my priority, making sure that my office remains First in Constituent Services.

After not inheriting any constituent information or casework from my predecessor, my team has closed more than 1,700 constituent cases successfully, returned more than $2.8 million in federal dollars to NC-11, and responded to more than 64,000 calls, emails and letters since January 2023.

Further, our team has helped fulfill 403 passport requests, addressed more than 240 individual Social Security issues and completed 52 military records requests for our veterans.

To top it off, my office has given more than 150 U.S. Capitol tours, flown 110 flags for constituents, and presented six well-deserving veterans with their military medals.

Rest assured, this is only the beginning and I am eager to continue serving our beautiful district in a new capacity from my seat on the House Appropriations Committee.

In addition to sharing updates about my latest work in Congress, hearing your feedback is equally important to me so please stop by Carolina Cruiser mobile office hours to share your thoughts or get help with a federal agency, and follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @RepChuckEdwards for updates on upcoming town halls.

With my warmest regards,

Chuck Edwards
Member of Congress