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Dear Brett,
Welcome back to my West Texas Wrap-Up. Please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for regular updates on how I am serving the people of West Texas!
Delivering for Our Servicemembers
Last week, the House passed H.R. 8580, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which includes over $30 million to support the B-21 coming to Dyess Air Force Base!
This legislation clearly outlines our commitment to our servicemembers - both as they defend our nation on active duty and when they return home. It upholds our veteran's constitutional rights, cuts woke and wasteful spending by defunding Critical Race Theory and DEI, and refocuses America's military from an implosion of extreme far-Left ideology toward a laser focus lethality in defense against foreign adversaries such as China.
I'm especially proud to continue delivering critical investments for Dyess Air Force Base. This funding will equip and support our Dyess airmen, the tip of the spear of our air arsenal, to ensure safety and success in their most important mission - to provide for the common defense.
Remembering D-Day
80 years ago, Allied forces launched what would become the largest amphibious invasion in military history.
All told, 2,501 Americans were killed on D-Day, with thousands more perishing in the ensuring Battle of Normandy.
This is just one example of the price paid for freedom. Without the sacrifice of these brave men, the world would look very different today.
Remember them.
Biden's "Border Security" Executive Order
Last week, President Biden announced a new executive order for border security that is nothing more than posturing and political window dressing in an election year.
The executive order is filled with loopholes to prevent any real enforcement (Border Patrol agents have called it a "cover your ass waste of time"), but the order utilizes pre-existing authority from Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to try to limit asylum between ports of entry at the border.
The problem?
Biden has intentionally refused to use this authority for his entire presidency. On his first day as President, he issued a litany of executive orders repealing Trump's effective border policies issued using 212(f) authority.
Biden using 212(f) now - after claiming he didn't have the authority to secure the border -is an acknowledgement of his inexcusable and deliberate efforts to leave our southern border wide open. He hopes this new announcement will make you think he's suddenly tough on the border, when in reality he has no intention of securing it.
The American people are too smart to fall for it.
Proud to Champion Limited Government
I am proud to have earned the Defender of Limited Government Award from the Institute for Legislative Analysis for being one of the Top 100 Members of Congress most aligned with the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
Now, more than ever, I am certain we need:
Less Washington & More West Texas
Less Government & More Community
Less Top-Down Solutions & More Bottom-Up Leadership
Supporting Our Troops
Today, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The first and most important job of the federal government is to protect our citizens, defend our freedom, and provide for a common defense. That’s why I was proud to support this legislation, which ensures our troops have the resources and tools they need to safely and effectively do their jobs and protect the American people. Furthermore, it fully funds Dyess Air Force Base, supports the development of the B-21, and ensures the brave airmen who serve at Dyess have everything they need to deter our enemies and defend our allies.
Among other provisions, the House-passed NDAA includes:
- A 19.5% pay raise for junior servicemembers and 4.5% pay raise for all other servicemembers;
- Over $30 million for military construction projects at Dyess Air Force Base to support the B-21 bedgown; and
- Provisions to ban critical race theory in the military and gut DEI at the Department of Defense.
This year's NDAA also incorporates four of my amendments, including two honoring 19-year-old Lubbock native Private Second Class Caleb "Smitty" Smither, who died on active duty at Fort Bragg, North Carolina:
- To direct the Army to report to Congress on the implementation and enforcement of the "Smitty Check" protocol that was developed in response to Caleb Smither's death, requiring the Army to thoroughly monitor service members following an injury;
- To require the Department of Defense (DoD) to disclose on medical records whether a service member received care from a DoD doctor or a civilian doctor;
- To require DoD to brief Congress on attempted base breaches since 2021; and
- In May, two Jordanian nationals illegally in the country attempted to breach Marine Corps Base Quantico.
- Additionally, in May, Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas was breached twice, first by a 17-year-old Mexican National and then by a suspected human trafficker.
- To bar any DoD funds from being used to operate aircraft to transport Palestinian refugees to the United States.
Click HERE to watch my recent floor speech on my amendments honoring Caleb Smither.
International Criminal Court Sanctions
In May, I led several of my colleagues condemning the International Criminal Court (ICC) and demanding retribution for their infringement on the sovereign right of the democratic country of Israel to defend itself against terrorist attacks.
This month, I ushered through the House of Representatives legislation to impose sanctions on ICC officials to hold them accountable. Any attempt from the ICC to arrest the Prime Minister of Israel for defending his country makes the ICC complicit in the murder, rape, and violence waged on innocent Israeli civilians at the hands of Hamas.
I'm proud to have helped lead the effort, alongside my colleagues like Congressman Chip Roy, to ensure the United States stands up for Israel's inherent right of self-defense and immediately sanction these radical ICC officials.
On Social Media
In the News
It is an honor and privilege to represent you in Congress. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to our fellow West Texans and encourage them to sign up here for this update.
Your friend and fellow West Texan,
Jodey C. Arrington
Member of Congress
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