Dear Friend,
Last month, Republicans and Democrats came together in true bipartisan fashion to demand accountability for the assassination attempt on President Trump. Though not as bipartisan (unfortunately!) with a number of Democrats boycotting, including the Vice President who failed to show, Congress hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an address to the Joint Session. Additionally, the House passed legislation I introduced after working with my colleagues to address water infrastructure needs across the country. H.R. 8812 — Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA), makes critical improvements to our nation’s water resource infrastructure.
Notably, as you all know, President Biden announced he would not be seeking reelection, instead endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination. For years many have raised concerns regarding President Biden’s cognitive and physical ability, but Washington elites and the national media ignored the calls, until now — and only until now because they had come to the conclusion he could not win.
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Holding Secret Service Leadership Accountable
Following the assassination attempt of former President Trump, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing examining the failures of Secret Service leadership. The bipartisan hearing ultimately resulted in the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.
The House of Representatives took further steps, passing H. Res. 1367, establishing a bipartisan task force to investigate the actions made by any agency, department, officer, or employee of federal and state governments related to the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. The task force will not preclude the investigations made by federal agencies, but will cast a broader net to better hold those responsible for the terrible security lapses accountable to the American people.
Combating the Biden Administration’s Disastrous Open Border Policies
House Republicans passed H. Res. 1371 — Strongly condemning the Biden Administration and its Border Czar, Kamala Harris’s, failure to secure the United States border. Since President and Vice President Harris took office, the Administration and Congressional Democrats have continued to push open border policies, including halting the construction of the border wall. These policies have emboldened dangerous drug cartels, filled our communities with deadly drugs killing Americans, and significantly delayed and derailed the efforts of those seeking to immigrate to the United States legally.
While in office, President Trump built 400 miles of border wall that Congress authorized more than a decade ago and worked to fully enforce our nation's immigration laws. With the support of myself and other Republicans in Congress, nearly $4.5 billion in new border wall funding was approved by the U.S. House and U.S. Senate during his time in office. On his first day, President Biden terminated every border policy former President Trump had in place to effectively carry out the laws passed by Congress and immediately stopped border wall construction.
Passage of Bipartisan Water Resources Development Act
The House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 to enact critical water infrastructure projects across the country. For a decade, this bipartisan legislation has been passed and signed into law every two years. As chairman of the Water Resources & Environment Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the agencies that implement the Clean Water Act, including the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, I am proud to have continued this tradition.
The Water Resources Development Act authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct projects to improve our ports and harbors, waterway navigation, flood and storm protection, and other facets of water infrastructure. These projects are locally driven but also provide regional and national benefits by enabling better movement of goods throughout the country and by improving the protection of communities from flooding. By investing in our nation’s water resources on a consistent basis, our nation’s global competitiveness supply chain is enhanced and our economy benefits. Provisions championed by Congressman Rouzer for North Caroline include: - Improving Flood Resiliency and Coastal Storm Risk Management by authorizing three flood risk management studies in Jackeys Creek, the Northeast Cape Fear River and Black River, and Highway 53 between I-40 and Highway 50 will allow the Corps to evaluate the most feasible ways to reduce flooding in these areas.
- Authorizing the National Coastal Mapping Program, which allows the Corps to map inland and coastal waterways nationwide to identify potential hazards leading to increased flood risk.
- Authorizing the University of North Carolina Wilmington to work with the U.S. Army Corps on academic allowing them to join efforts in studying flood mitigation, coastal resiliency, water resource ecology, water quality, aquatic ecosystem restoration, coastal restoration, and more.
- Adding the Town of Fairmont to North Carolina’s Environmental Infrastructure Program, opening the door for the Town to partner with the Corps to enhance their water main lines which are as old as the 1910s.
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On July 24th, I was honored to welcome to the House chamber Mark Goldhaber as my guest for the Joint Session of Congress hosting the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. Mark’s leadership working to combat antisemitism in our state was critical in passing the Shalom Act in both chambers of our state legislature, the NC General Assembly. With the Governor’s signature to make it state law, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism was codified.
Meanwhile the leading protestors supporting Hamas continue to show their hatred for America with their defiling of historical monuments, including defacing monuments at Union Station in Washington, DC while also taking down and burning the US flags and replacing them with Palestinian flags. Protestors that defile property should be arrested and put in jail. If they are not U.S. citizens, they should be deported.
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North Carolina is the nation’s number one producer of sweet potatoes. I had the pleasure of meeting with representatives from the American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute (ASPMI). Among other topics, we discussed the need to promote new markets for North Carolina sweet potatoes around the world.
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On July 25th in 1949, President Harry Truman signed the North Atlantic Treaty into law, setting the stage for the NATO alliance and establishing the United States as the preeminent world power. The North Atlantic Treaty brought together the Western powers to defend against the Soviet Union, a framework that still holds resolute.
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For this week's good news story, I'm highlighting the Coastal Buds “iCan Bike Wilmington, NC” as a local non-profit hosting a week-long camp helping children with disabilities learn to ride bikes. According to the WWAY News, "The week-long bike camp is teaching children — ages eight and older — to ride two-wheeled bikes. Thirty children with disabilities are said to join the fun and start biking. This is Coastal Buds’ first year hosting the event in Wilmington. Executive director Alicia Dubois-Fowler says — so far — the camp has been a great opportunity for those with disabilities. “The folks that we help sometimes need just that extra push and a little bit of extra training to figure out how to graduate to that two wheel bike, and it’s just a really great exercise outlet and a social outlet as well,” Fowler said. Fowler also shared that she hopes to bring this event back in the future.” (I hope so too!)
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“A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later.” — George S. Patton |
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