Just Getting Started: Week One of the 118th Congress

The 118^th Congress is in full swing and in just one week with Republicans in the Majority, the House of Representatives has successfully delivered on many of our promises to the American people. The House passed several critical pieces of legislation that will significantly help Americans in Central Washington and allow me to better serve you -and we're just getting started.

The House passed the Rules Package which includes important changes from the previous Congress that enable all Members of Congress to better represent their districts by giving them more opportunity to participate in the legislative process. In the previous Congress, bills were pulled together in Speaker Pelosi's office with little to no input from Members on both sides of the aisle, and we were often expected to vote on bills we didn't even have time to read! Now, Members of Congress will be given a minimum of 72 hours to review legislation before voting on it, which will restore representation and proper order to Congress, allowing Members of Congress to better represent their constituents.

While the folks in Central Washington continue to struggle with record-high inflation, rising prices at the gas pump and grocery stores, and increasing energy costs, the Biden Administration weaponized the IRS to come after your pocketbooks and raise money for more reckless spending by allocating $80 billion to the IRS so they could hire 87,000 new IRS agents and increase audits on middle-class Americans and businesses. The Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act which passed through the House this week rescinds this inflationary funding and ensures the IRS is focused on helping hardworking taxpayers-not targeting them-and I am proud to have supported it.

This week, the House passed two bipartisan bills combatting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s threat to America. The first bill created a new Select Committee to investigate the CCP's long-term threat to the United States. As one of our nation's greatest adversaries, the CCP poses many threats to our resources, agricultural land, and democracy. I am proud to have supported the bipartisan Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, which will play a crucial role in holding the CCP accountable and protecting American sovereignty.

The second bill we passed targeting the CCP was the Protecting America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act. While families across Central Washington are struggling to pay high energy and gas prices, the Biden Administration has been exporting oil from our strategic reserve to China. It should not have to be stated: we should not be selling off our strategic reserves, and we certainly should not be exporting it to the CCP! This bill prohibits directly or indirectly selling oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the CCP. A strong energy sector is a strong national defense, and we cannot let this administration drain our SPR to record lows by selling barrels to one of our nation's adversaries. The bipartisan support of both bills targeting China highlights the overwhelming need to defend American sovereignty and leadership against one of our nation's greatest adversaries.

The 118^th Congress is working hard, and I am pleased with what we've been able to accomplish for the American people in just a few short weeks. I look forward to continuing to serve the great people of Central Washington in the 118^th Congress, focus on the issues that matter most to our District, and pass conservative solutions that encourage job creation and economic opportunity in Central Washington, and across the United States.