News from Congressman Andy Biggs

 

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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.

Congressman Mike Johnson Elected as 56th House Speaker

After ousting former-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) earlier in the month, the House of Representatives elected Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA) as its 56th Speaker of the House. 

I congratulate Mike on his unanimous selection as House Speaker. Mike and I came into Congress together in 2017. I’ve gotten to know him quite well over the years. Mike is intelligent, respectful, and a listener. He is a true conservative and a constitutional scholar. Mike has a good grasp of how this place works. 

House Republicans are united behind Speaker Mike Johnson. Since his election by Congress, Speaker Johnson has immediately gotten the House back to work. I look forward to working with him to bring real change to Washington and fight for the American people.

Supporting Israel Amid Hamas Terrorism

I voted for H.Res.771--legislation that calls for the United States to stand with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House within hours of Speaker Johnson’s election. It does the following:

• Reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense. 
• Condemns Hamas’s brutal war against Israel. 
• Calls on Hamas to immediately cease these violent attacks and safely release all living hostages and return the bodies of deceased hostages. 
• Urges full enforcement of the U.S. sanctions against Iran to prevent Iran’s funding of terrorist groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. 
• Mourns the lives of over 900 Israelis and 32 Americans killed and over 2,600 others wounded in Hamas’ unprovoked attack on Israel. 
• States the U.S. stands ready to assist Israel with emergency resupply and other security, diplomatic, and intelligence support.

The atrocities committed by Hamas are vile beyond comprehension. They are savages with no regard for human life. I strongly condemn the latest Hamas terrorist attacks and support Israel’s right to self defense. My thoughts and prayers are with the innocent Israeli and American victims and their families.

America stands with Israel and we must work together to eliminate these barbaric terror cells.

Check out my office’s resource graphic below: 

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Activity

 

The House Oversight & Accountability Committee’s Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs held a hearing titled, “Faith Under Fire: An Examination of Global Religious Persecution.”

My colleagues and I discussed with subject matter experts how the Biden Administration has largely ignored religious persecution globally. We also discussed how the Biden Administration’s foreign policy failures have emboldened hostile groups around the globe, which is causing an increase in attacks against religious and ethnic minorities.

During my 5 minutes of questioning, I pushed back on the Left's attempt to mischaracterize the Trump Administration's travel ban as a "religious travel ban." This is a vile lie. The travel ban of 2019 was based on the Obama Administration's review of potential "countries of concern," and was enacted to address national security concerns. The Supreme Court determined that the ban was neutral with respect to religion in a decision that upheld the ban.

Click the image below to watch some of my hearing remarks: 

 

Helping Pass the House's Annual Water and Energy Bill

I voted for H.R. 4394, The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, an annual appropriations bill which provides funding to support the U.S. nuclear arsenal, promote domestic energy production, and prioritize critical water storage and management programs.  

This bill spends $7.5 billion less than the Biden White House’s FY24 request and makes many climate change and environmental justice-related cuts. Additionally, it combats many of the Biden Administration’s energy regulatory policies that could impact everyday appliances including gas stoves. 

This is the fifth of 12 annual appropriations bills to pass the House. We still have much work to do before the Continuing Resolution (CR) expires November 17. But with Speaker Johnson at the helm now, I am cautiously optimistic that we can fund the federal government in a more fiscally responsible way. 

Congressional Border Security Meeting w/ Border Patrol Union's Art Del Cueto

National Border Patrol Council’s Art Del Cueto spoke to the Congressional Border Security Caucus about the necessity for Congress to act on Biden’s border crisis. 

Republicans in Congress should continue to pass border-related legislation, such as H.R.2, to better support Border Patrol and border security needs.  

I thank Art for speaking to our caucus. He is an expert and a close friend of mine. 

Meeting with the Arizona Sonoran Copper Company, Inc.

I met with members from the Arizona Sonoran Copper Company. They provided project updates on the Cactus Mine, projected to open in 2026. It will provide a significant number of jobs and economic activity for the area. Importantly, the project has a little to no federal nexus, which means the project isn't subject to NEPA requirements. 

Demand for critical minerals like copper is projected to outstrip supply in the coming years, and it's vital that the United States is able to source minerals through domestic supply chains. Domestic copper production is vital to support U.S. national security priorities, in addition to providing material for energy production and distribution, and for consumer electronic devices. 

I appreciate them stopping by my Washington office and I look forward to seeing their project completion! 

Congratulating CMC Steel

Congratulations to CMC Steel on dedicating their new AZ2 mill. At a time when expanding American manufacturing is so vital, I’m grateful that AZ-05 is now home to two of the most advanced steel mills in the world. Thank you to CMC for investing in the East Valley!

Legislation and Letters

Bills Cosponsored

• H.Con.Res. 74 - Expressing support for the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family and urging that the United States rejoin this historic declaration (Rep. Banks) 
• H.R. 6040 - Protecting Our Kids from Harmful Research Act (Rep. Boebert)  
• H.R. 6057 - Iran Nuclear Verification Act (Rep. McClain) 
• H.R. 6074 - State Border Defense Act (Rep. Burlison) 
• H.R. 6096 - Allied Burden Sharing Report Act of 2023 (Rep. Mooney)  

Letters Cosigned

• Letter to Ranking Member Raskin requesting that he apologize to the American people for lying about the Biden Family’s business schemes (Rep. Comer)

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.

Top Media Appearances of the Week

I joined Fox Business with Liz MacDonald to discuss why the IRS should be defunded. Click the image below to watch some of the segment. 

 

I joined Newsmax with Katrina Szish and Bob Brooks to react to Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) pleading guilty to a misdemeanor resulting from him pulling a Capitol fire alarm amid official legislative business. Click the image below to hear some of the segment. 

 

I joined One America News’s Dan Ball to discuss why Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) is an upgrade as our next House Speaker and what he can do to achieve immediate success in the position. Click the image below to watch some of the segment. 

What’s the Biggs Idea Podcast w/ Congressman Bob Good (R-VA)

Congressman Bob Good (R-VA) joined the What’s the Biggs Idea? podcast yesterday. Congressman Good is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and represents Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District. Congressman Good and I discussed how Congressman Mike Johnson will succeed as the House’s newest Speaker as well as the Hamas war against Israel. 

We’ll be posting more episodes soon. You can view previous episodes here. 

Click the image below to watch a recap of the podcast: