As the 118th Congress draws to a close, I am filled with immense gratitude for the opportunity to serve the people of Eastern North Carolina. Unprecedented challenges have marked this past year, and I am grateful for your steadfast perseverance and encouragement as we navigated these obstacles together. My commitment has always been and will always be to serve you and our beautiful community’s interests to the best of my ability.
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National Defense Authorization Act of 2024
This legislation authorizes $886.3 billion for national defense discretionary programs, an increase of $23 billion over FY23 funding levels. It robustly funds and modernizes our armed forces to prepare us against threats abroad, improves the quality of life for service members, and combats the Biden Administration’s woke agenda that has devastated our recruitment numbers. While personally, I wish more could have been done to remove more of the woke agenda, this is just the beginning of attacking this nonsense. Leadership changes will be needed.
Global instability under President Biden has made the world a much more dangerous place and we must fund our warfighters to the fullest. This legislation does just that and provides an across-the-board 5.2% pay raise for all troops, makes much-needed reforms to assist military spouses, and saves taxpayers $40 billion by cutting inefficient programs, obsolete weapon systems, and Pentagon bureaucracy.
Third District Victories | By the Numbers:
$51.3 MILLION for 2nd Radio BN Complex, Phase 2.
$66.27 MILLION for the 10th Marines Maintenance and Operations Complex, Camp Lejeune.
$32.89 MILLION for Amphibious Combat Vehicle Shelters, Camp Lejeune.
$45 MILLION for a Corrosion Repair Facility Replacement, Camp Lejeune.
$70 MILLION for a Marine Raider Battalion Operations Facility, Camp Lejeune.
$19.529 MILLION for an Aircraft Maintenance Hanger, Cherry Point.
$45 MILLION for a 2D LAAD Maintenance and Operations Facility, Cherry Point.
$35.15 MILLION for a Maintenance Facility & Marine Air Group HQS, Cherry Point.
Total for NC-03 Military Construction Initiatives in FY2024: $365.139 MILLION.
Campus Free Speech Roundtable
Last week, I organized my 3rd annual Campus Free Speech Roundtable event in collaboration with my colleagues, Chairwoman Virginia Foxx and Congressman Burgess Owens. We invited stakeholders, students, and lawmakers to come together and reflect on the challenges faced by students on college campuses. There was a great stir in Congress last week about Pro-Hamas hate speech calling for the genocide of Jews and so our Roundtable was very timely.
I was impressed by the diverse groups that participated in the event and their passion for promoting freedom of expression. It is essential our students are protected to learn in an environment where they feel comfortable to freely express their opinions and beliefs without fear of punishment from authority. They should be taught ‘how to think’ not ‘what to think’.
The DETERRENT Act
A recent report revealed that foreign regimes have contributed $13 billion to at least 200 college institutions without reporting it to the Department of Education. This poses a serious threat as foreign adversaries, particularly China, are infiltrating American campuses to influence and manipulate the minds of students with dangerous political propaganda. These colleges and universities play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of leaders.
To address this issue, I introduced the Protecting Endowments from Our Adversaries Act earlier this Congress, which aims to eliminate Chinese entities that pose a threat to U.S. national security from investment portfolios. Last week, I voted to pass a similar act that enforces stricter reporting guidelines for donations and lays out clear consequences for institutions that fail to comply.
Doctors Caucus Meeting with Director of ARPA-H
As co-chair of our GOP Doctor’s Caucus, I had a productive and thought-provoking conversation with Renee Wegrzyn, Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) during last week’s meeting. We delved into establishing the clear mission, goals, guard rails and purpose of the agency.
During the conversation, I emphasized the importance of prioritizing solid, translational science over projects driven by ideology. Political influence must NOT be a factor in matters related to healthcare. I have dedicated my life to medicine, and it deeply saddens me to see it weaponized for political gain. Agencies must understand their role in oversight and focus on data-driven research.
Meeting with Association Des Industries d’Haiti
Many of you may not know that I served as a medical missionary in Haiti intermittently for over 10 years and talk with the workers there very often. I have a great love for the people of Haiti and am heartbroken at the conditions there. I met with the Association Des Industries d’Haiti (ADIH) to discuss the renewal of the HOPE-HELP Act which bolsters economic opportunities, ensures strengthened security and expands trade opportunities between our nations. As a result, it reduces the need for us to rely on our adversaries for supplies. I believe this legislation is critical to the prosperity and stability of the Caribbean.
Impeachment Inquiry into Biden
For several months, the House Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means Committees have worked diligently and judiciously to uncover the misdeeds and corruption of President Biden. However, with the White House and key witnesses refusing to participate in this process, a formal inquiry has become necessary to expand the investigatory and litigatory power of the committees.
As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, I have been deeply involved in building the case against President Biden through closed-door meetings and testimony from whistleblowers. Under its expanded authority, I remain confident that the committee will continue to follow where the facts lead.
Preserving Seniors' Access
to Physicians Act
I have introduced bipartisan legislation that seeks to prevent the implementation of the full Medicare physician fee schedule cuts on January 1, 2024. My aim with the Preserving Seniors’ Access to Physicians Act was to focus on a plan of action that would protect and reward physicians for their diligent work in serving their patients.
Our doctors are essential workers, and we rely on them to keep their practices running. This act ensures Medicare patients have access to the care they need while also allowing physicians to receive necessary reimbursement for their services.
The Field of Medicine is Sick Op-Ed
As a physician of over 30 years, I must express my deep concern regarding the cuts to reimbursements for physicians who see patients with Medicare. The increased injection of woke political ideology into medical schools is disgraceful. These careless policies are detrimental to the quality and access of available healthcare services in America.
The discriminatory policies employed by medical schools to achieve diversity are not only unfair but will also affect the quality of education and training that future doctors receive. The medical field benefits from a portfolio of professionals with different backgrounds and experiences; however, encouraging applicants to conform to specific ideologies defeats diversity of thought. Our future generations will see a negative impact on the caliber of treatment from the compliance of admissions standards for medical schools.
As a professional in the medical field, I am committed to fighting back against these policies, and I urge the government and medical school admissions offices to have the courage to take necessary action to protect the quality of healthcare services in America.
Read my latest Op-Ed here
