Dear Friend,
The 119th Congress is well underway, and I’m excited to continue serving the people of Western North Carolina from my seats on the House Appropriations and Budget committees.
In addition to serving on the Appropriations Committee’s Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, I am honored to have been appointed to the role of vice chairman of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Subcommittee.
Under a unified government, the new majority has a rare opportunity to reverse America’s spiraling debt and create a safer and stronger future for our nation. I’m eager to work with my colleagues to make real changes that will better the lives of the American people, continue to bring federal resources to aid in WNC’s recovery, and fix how Washington works.
The people of WNC are not forgotten
It was a privilege to welcome U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to our mountains and accompany him to see the devastation brought by Hurricane Helene as well as our efforts to clean up and rebuild.
During his time in Haywood County, we surveyed the damage at I-40 near the Tenessee line, and it was confirmed that I-40 is set to partially reopen on March with one lane available in each direction.
The people of Western North Carolina continue to be reminded that we are not forgotten, and I appreciate Secretary Duffy for his attention to helping our mountain folk rebuild.
Fixing a broken agency
It’s an honor to be named by President Trump to the FEMA task force to fix how this broken agency works.
After being on the ground throughout the Hurricane Helene response, it’s clear that an overhaul of FEMA is necessary to more effectively and efficiently respond to natural disasters.
I’ll be lending the insights I’ve gained so that our nation will be fully prepared to prevent and respond to future disasters, and to save lives.
Protecting U.S. communities from the fentanyl and border crisis
In the House, we have voted on and passed multiple bills - including the HALT Fentanyl Act and the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act - to make our communities safe again by combatting the fentanyl and border crises wrought by the previous administration’s open border policies.
The temporary order designating fentanyl-related substances (FRS) as a Schedule I drug is set to expire soon. If this designation expires and is not made permanent, these substances will become street-legal, taking away law enforcement’s authority to seize fentanyl and allowing drug traffickers to continue funneling deadly drugs into our country.
I voted in support of the HALT Fentanyl Act to permanently classify FRS as Schedule I drugs as defined by the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I drugs have high potential for abuse with no accepted medical uses, and this bill would make sure that law enforcement has the resources to keep these drugs off our streets and allow for further research of FRS.
In addition to the fentanyl epidemic, many Americans have paid the price for illegal immigrants breaking our laws and engaging in high-speed chases to avoid detention. The Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act would make it a criminal offense to operate a vehicle within 100 miles of the southern border while fleeing from Border Patrol agents or any law enforcement officer assisting Border Patrol, including jail time and being prohibited from ever receiving legal status in the U.S.
Streamlining the FEMA application process for disaster victims
After Helene hit Western North Carolina, I saw how complicated and difficult the disaster recovery assistance applications were. Many folks had to apply to multiple agencies, including FEMA, the SBA and USDA, for disaster assistance, each of which had its own extensive applications.
That’s why I introduced the Disaster Survivors Fairness Act, which would streamline FEMA’s application process and improve coordination among federal agencies to more effectively aid disaster victims.
This bill would direct the FEMA administrator to develop a universal application for federal disaster assistance to be used across agencies and authorizes information sharing across these agencies. This is an important step toward making sure we are prioritizing the people and not the bureaucracy after disaster strikes.
With my warmest regards,
WASHINGTON DC OFFICE
1505 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6401 HENDERSONVILLE DISTRICT OFFICE
200 North Grove Street, Suite 121
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Phone: (828) 435-7310
