Dear Friend,

With a House speaker elected and a presidential election certified, we look ahead to the inauguration that will pave the way to a new era for the American people and better position us to fix how Washington works.

I was proud to cast my vote for Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House for the 119th Congress, and to concur with the certification of the presidential election.

Speaker Johnson has a good working relationship with President Trump to be able to pursue and deliver an America First agenda.

It was essential to swiftly elect a speaker to kick off the 119th Congress so we can get to work for the American people.

Western North Carolinians have struggled over the past four years under high prices, less-safe communities, disastrous open-border policies, and crippling regulations.

As we begin this new Congress, I’m eager to move policies forward that benefit the hardworking families in our mountains, especially as we rebuild from Helene.

Only American citizens should be represented in Congress

The first bill that I re-introduced in the 119th Congress is the Equal Representation Act, which would prohibit illegal immigrants from influencing Americans’ congressional representation.

Citizens across our mountains and nation are demanding that we protect our nation’s sovereignty and secure our borders.

This bill addresses one of the many consequences of the Biden administration’s open border policies, which allowed millions of illegal immigrants to pour into the U.S., increasing the country’s non-citizen population.

Mass illegal immigration has unfairly skewed political presentation in the U.S. House and Electoral College by including illegal immigrants in the total population count that determines how many representatives a state receives, or is apportioned.

This is diluting the voices of U.S. citizens in the political process. The Equal Representation Act will address these problems by asking a very simple, commonsense question on the U.S. Census, “Are you a citizen of the United States?” so that non-citizens are not counted toward congressional district and Electoral College apportionment.

Americans deserve fair and equal representation in their federal government, something that will not be possible until we eliminate the influence of noncitizens in our electoral process.

$16 billion headed to WNC for disaster recovery

Upon returning to Washington after Hurricane Helene, it was my top priority as a member of the House Appropriations Committee to craft a supplemental disaster funding bill to aid in WNC’s recovery.

As the sole co-sponsor of the the American Relief Act – also known as the disaster supplemental – I fought for and secured nearly $16 billion to come directly to Western North Carolina for disaster recovery. It’s customary that the chairman of the committee be the lead sponsor of a disaster supplemental bill, and the committee only rarely names a co-sponsor for such bills.

As a lifelong resident of Western North Carolina, I’m grateful that House leaders – including Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, sought my unique understanding of the challenges WNC residents are facing in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. I am grateful for their strong support for our mountains, for their leeway in letting me craft this legislation, and for passing this historic disaster supplemental bill.

Welcoming Mitchell and Avery County

We are excited to welcome Mitchell and Avery counties to North Carolina’s 11th congressional district. The Carolina Cruiser has already made four stops in these counties, and members of my team were glad to meet some new faces and hear what’s on the minds of our newest constituents.

It is a privilege and honor to serve each and every one of you, and my team and I are looking forward to getting to know you, whether at Carolina Cruiser mobile office hours or at one-on-one Chat With Chuck meetings.

If you’re experiencing issues with FEMA after Hurricane Helene, you can call my office at 223-FIX-FEMA for assistance.

You can also stay informed on NC-11 news and legislative updates by subscribing to my newsletter here.

Announcing Senior Caseworker Madeline Lehman

Congratulations to Madeline Lehman, who has been promoted to senior caseworker in my district office.

Madeline has been a part of my team since my first day in office. Her strong work ethic and can-do attitude have allowed her to advance from the position of staff assistant to caseworker, and now to senior caseworker, in little more than two years. She also did this while simultaneously obtaining her master’s degree in public administration.

Madeline has diligently worked to take my office’s case management to a new level and it’s this kind of strong performance that has led my office to have the reputation far and wide as “First in Constituent Services.”

With my warmest regards,

Chuck Edwards
Member of Congress