This past week, Congress returned to Washington after ending the Democrat-led government shutdown, the longest in history. With much work to be done before the end of the year, the House passed bills to roll-back several Biden-era regulations to unleash American energy dominance and bring down costs to Americans, and rein in DC crime.
I also introduced legislation promoting North Carolina’s leadership in biotechnology by strengthening domestic biopharmaceutical manufacturing and applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announced Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule to provide clear environmental regulations for farmers, landowners, home builders, and job creators. You can read more about this past week in Washington below. (It’s a little long but we’ve had a lot going on!)
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, it's a time to reflect on our many blessings. Below you will find President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation of 1789. Enjoy! Let’s all be gratitude for the people, special moments, and experiences that bring meaning and joy to our lives.
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Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
Go: Washington
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This week, the House passed several measures to ensure American is energy independent and our energy sector is equipped to power our country and the world.
House Republicans passed three pieces of legislation under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal Biden-era policies stifling American Energy. S.J. Res. 80 passed the House and head to President Trump’s desk, repealing the Biden-era policy closing nearly half of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska to oil and gas leasing, which harmed American energy security and economic growth. The House also passed H.J. Res. 131, to nullify Biden’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule restricting oil and gas leasing in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska, and H.J. Res. 130, to end the BLM rule preventing future coal leasing and blocking access to 48 billion short-tons of coal in Wyoming.
The House also passed two pieces of legislation to facilitate greater energy production methods across the U.S. to bring energy costs down for Americans. H.R. 1949 – Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act lifts restrictions on the import and export of natural gas, facilitating American energy dominance and lowering costs for consumers, and H.R. 3109 – REFINER Act supports American energy production by requiring the National Petroleum Council to issue a report on increasing energy refining capacity in the United States.
Americans deserve affordable energy made right here at home. House Republicans continue to deliver on our promises to unleash American Energy and drive costs down. The results are clear, with gas prices at a four-year low, we are restoring American energy affordability and unleashing our energy dominance!
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House Republicans also voted to restore the powers of Washington D.C.’s law enforcement to uphold law and order and give Americans a safe and beautiful capital city.
H.R. 5107 - the CLEAN DC Act combats crime in Washington by repealing provisions of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Law 24-345), which established restrictions and undue additional requirements on the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. These policies included prohibiting officers from viewing body-cam footage when writing initial reports of an incident, stripping the D.C. police union of the right to collectively bargain over disciplinary matters, and requiring a jury to consider if an officer consulted with mental health, behavioral health, or social workers before the use of deadly force.
H.R. 5214 – District of Columbia Cash Bail Reform Act stops progressive judges from releasing dangerous criminals the city by ending cash bail for violent offenders and requires cash bail or bail bonds for defendants charged with threatening public safety, destruction of property, and certain other crimes.
In March, President Trump signed an executive order, Making the District Of Columbia Safe And Beautiful, in which he stated, “Washington, D.C. is the only city that belongs to all Americans and that all Americans can claim as theirs. As the capital city of the greatest Nation in the history of the world, it should showcase beautiful, clean, and safe public spaces.” This legislation takes the necessary steps to fulfill this promise to all Americans.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced their proposed rule clarifying the definition of "waters of the United States" and fully implementing the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency.
President Trump and Administrator Zeldin have set the stage for greatness here at home. Farmers, landowners, home builders, and job creators have been waiting for a clear, lawful, and practical WOTUS definition. This announcement delivers it. Common sense will once again be applied to the Clean Water Act and agency interpretation of what defines a navigable water in our country. The Biden WOTUS rule resulted in routine projects, even simple drainage issues, turned into regulatory nightmares. That approach trampled on private property rights, sidelined the role of the states, and ran counter to the Supreme Court’s crystal-clear ruling in Sackett.
The proposal follows the Supreme Court decision in Sackett and delivers on the Trump Administration's commitment to protect America's waters while providing the regulatory certainty needed to support our nation’s farmers who feed and fuel the world and advance EPA’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative.
When finalized, the rule will cut red tape and provide predictability, consistency, and clarity for American industry, energy producers, the technology sector, farmers, ranchers, developers, businesses, and landowners for permitting under the Clean Water Act.
Key proposed revisions include: - Defining key terms like “relatively permanent,” “continuous surface connection,” and “tributary” to appropriately delineate the scope of WOTUS consistent with the Clean Water Act and Supreme Court precedent
- Establishing that jurisdictional tributaries must connect to traditional navigable waters either directly or through other features that provide predictable and consistent flow
- Reaffirming that wetlands must be indistinguishable from jurisdictional waters through a continuous surface connection, which means that they must touch a jurisdictional water and hold surface water for a requisite duration year after year
- Strengthening state and tribal decision-making authority by providing clear regulatory guidelines while recognizing their expertise in local land and water resources
- Preserving and clarifying exclusions for certain ditches, prior converted cropland, and waste treatment systems; Adding a new exclusion for groundwater; and
- Incorporating locally familiar terminology, such as "wet season," to help determine whether a water body qualifies as WOTUS
- In addition, the limitation to wetlands that have surface water at least during the wet season and abut a jurisdictional water will further limit the scope of permafrost wetlands that are considered to have a continuous surface connection under the proposed rule. These proposed changes are intended to provide clarity and consistency to the continuous surface connection definition.
Background:
In the 118th Congress, as Chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I fought back against the Biden Administration’s flawed WOTUS Rule and its reckless impact on the American economy: - On February 2, 2023, I introduced a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) on the Biden Administration’s flawed and burdensome “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule.
- On March 9, 2023, the House of Representatives approved the resolution with bipartisan support in a vote of 227-198.
- On March 29, 2023, the Senate also passed the resolution of disapproval in bipartisan fashion in a 53-43 vote.
- On April 6, 2023, President Biden vetoed the resolution of disapproval, siding with far-left environmental activists over everyday Americans, as well as majorities in both Houses of Congress.
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I joined Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06) in introducing H.R. 6089 - Biomanufacturing Excellence Act of 2025 to promote U.S. leadership in biotechnology and strengthen domestic biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) warned that without rapid and significant investment, the U.S. will fall behind its global competitors, specifically China. China’s share of global pharmaceutical output has surged from about 5% in 2002 to nearly 25% in 2019. This legislation reinvests in domestic biopharmaceutical manufacturing, reducing dependence on unreliable foreign supply chains, expanding access to cutting-edge medicines, and supporting high-quality American jobs.
Biotechnology is rapidly reshaping national defense, health security, and our economy’s resilience. As home to one of the strongest biotech and biomanufacturing ecosystems in the country, North Carolina has demonstrated how innovation can strengthen America’s ability to develop and produce life-saving medicines. The Biomanufacturing Excellence Act reaffirms our commitment to expanding that capacity here at home. By supporting public-private collaboration and growing our domestic manufacturing base, this legislation ensures the United States can remain competitive, reduce reliance on foreign supply chains, and equip the next generation of biotechnology leaders to drive our nation forward.
The Biomanufacturing Excellence Act would establish a public-private center dedicated to advancing biopharmaceutical manufacturing, a key recommendation from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) report.
Specifically, the bill would: - Unite industry professionals with academic researchers to conduct collaborative research on new technology for scaling biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Host a facility that replicates industrial manufacturing conditions and complies with FDA Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations, where innovators would develop and test new manufacturing processes.
- Identify challenges and opportunities for scaling biopharmaceutical manufacturing, especially for products important to U.S. national security, public health, and economic security.
- Train tomorrow’s biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce by partnering with educational, industry, and community leaders to bolster biotechnology talent.
The bill is endorsed by the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), NCLifeSci and NCBiotech, and the American Alliance for Biomanufacturing.
Companion legislation is led in the U.S. Senate by Senators Chris Coons (D-Del) and Ted Budd (R-NC). The full text of the bill is available here and a one-pager on the bill is available here.
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This past week, with my full support, the House passed H.R. 4405 – the Epstein Files Transparency Act by a vote of 427 to 1, requiring the Department of Justice (DOJ) to publicly disclose all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in its possession relating to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Following the House vote, the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent and President Trump signed the bill into law.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform also has an ongoing investigation focused on the federal government's mismanagement of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases, the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death, and strategies to combat sex-trafficking rings moving forward. The investigation has successfully issued subpoenas, which have the force of law, to the DOJ, the Epstein estate, and former officials, including Bill and Hillary Clinton. The Committee has released over 30,000 pages of documents provided by the DOJ, and committee members have met directly with survivors of Epstein’s crimes to hear their stories firsthand. |
For this week’s good news story, I’m highlighting the recent recognition of Wilmington, along with Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Wrightsville Beach, in Good Housekeeping’s 2026 Travel Awards as one of the nation’s top beach destinations.
The magazine praised the area’s coastal cuisine, outdoor recreation, and family-friendly atmosphere, noting that these qualities continue to attract travelers seeking authentic North Carolina experiences. During their visit, editors also toured the Battleship North Carolina, which they said provided “a great sense of the area’s history.”
This honor underscores how Wilmington continues to shine as a premier destination for both residents and visitors. You can get the complete story here.
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Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 |
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