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For three years now, the American people have been forced to endure the efforts by Democrats and the liberal mainstream media to impeach President Trump and remove him from office in the face of his clear electoral victory in 2016. They have tried everything, from a needless Special Prosecutor investigation, which resulted in nothing, to an Adam Schiff-coached whistleblower who admitted he had no firsthand information and relied on news articles by that same liberal media. The farce produced just two articles of impeachment, neither of which...
You may not have known his name, but the most dangerous man in the Middle East has finally received justice for a lifetime of brutality. Before being taken out by an American airstrike, Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was a Major General in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and commander of its extra-military, clandestine Quds Force. He left his stain on this world by organizing, training and leading terrorist groups across the Middle East and beyond. The blood on his hands included that of at least 600 Americans and thousands more. Cons...
The national debt of our country now stands at a staggering $23 trillion. By failing to act, we are placing an unearned and undeserved burden on our children and grandchildren. That is why I voted no when Speaker Pelosi rammed the $1.4 trillion 2020 spending bills through Congress in December. We are spending too much money in the funding bills that Congress passes every year. But, these annual bills that get so much attention are just a part of the problem. Most Americans do not know that around 61 percent of federal spending is on autopilot....
At this time last year, I predicted that the upcoming year with a Democrat majority in the House would be much different. While most activity in the House centered around efforts to impeach our President, I did not let that stop me from fighting for you and our state. One of our most significant victories this year for Alabama was reforming the Medicare wage index formula. For three decades, hospitals in rural states like Alabama have been underpaid in Medicare reimbursements. Upon taking office, I began fighting for a fix. With the election...
This year Democrats finally did what they have wanted to do since November 2016 – move to impeach President Donald Trump. This plan was politically motivated from the beginning, and I decided to lead the fight against it. This initial investigation into Donald Trump should never have begun in the first place. During the Obama Presidency, partisan government officials abused their power and used a phony dossier paid for by Democrat political operatives to justify the investigation. How could they run a phony investigation into then-candidate T...
The first true test of the Legislative branch’s impeachment powers occurred over two centuries ago in 1805. Its parallels with the current impeachment process, and the important precedent it set for determining impeachable conduct, make it worth examining today. That long-ago impeachment battle was waged against Samuel Chase of Maryland, a justice of the United States Supreme Court. The episode is a stern warning against the use of the power of impeachment for political purposes. In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson resoundingly won r...
As the year draws to a close and we enter another holiday season, I’m reminded we have much to be thankful for. First, I’m thankful for those who answer the call to service at home and abroad. It’s easy to get bogged down in the never-ending news coverage of political squabbles, but the men and women of our military are doing extraordinary things to keep global threats at bay. Our country remains the freest nation in the world because of their sacrifices. Imagine for a moment living in the volatile Middle East, or in Hong Kong in an escal...
With all the allegations being made against President Trump, it’s important to examine some background and facts. First, let’s talk about what has been going on in Ukraine since the fall of the Soviet Union. Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries on earth. Like many former Soviet countries, oligarchs control almost all the political power. Corruption is so rampant that many American business people refuse to operate there. For nearly 30 years, Republican and Democrat Presidents have pressured Ukraine to reform without much success. Part o...
An abusive, unlawful practice of the English courts from the 15th to 17th centuries was so rampant and unfair that protections against it were written into our U.S. Constitution. This hated and feared practice took place in the Star Chamber. The creators of the Star Chamber described it as a tool to stamp out corruption and seek justice for those in English society who were so powerful that no ordinary court would ever find them guilty. In practice, it was used to punish political enemies without the constraints of the law or the prying eyes...
For weeks, Democrats have been holding secretive impeachment proceedings behind closed doors, out of sight of the American people. Chairman Adam Schiff of the House Select Committee on Intelligence has been interviewing witnesses in a restricted area deep beneath the Capitol in a small room called a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, known as a SCIF. The SCIF is specifically designed for classified briefings and other extremely sensitive committee business, not for non-classified witness interviews. It shouldn’t be this way. In t...
Recent developments in Syria highlight the need for the United States to revisit its broader Middle Eastern policy. Early last week, I joined a small meeting of House Republicans for an update on Syria from Secretary of Defense Mark Esper where he discussed a phone call from President Erdogan of Turkey to President Trump. During that call, Erdogan notified President Trump that after years of waiting at the Syrian border, Turkish troops would finally cross over. He assured that Turkey was not coming after our troops but targeting certain...
While Democrats recklessly intensify their partisan scheme to impeach President Trump, the Biden scandal has escalated to a level Congress can no longer responsibly ignore. As more details come out regarding Hunter Biden’s business dealings overseas, their connection with actions taken by his father, Joe Biden, in his official capacity as Vice President raise new questions that must be answered. For example, we have learned that Hunter Biden accompanied his father aboard Air Force Two to China six years ago. Ten days after the trip, Hunter B...
In the summer of 1973, as a student intern in Washington far from my home in Mobile, I got a firsthand view as the Senate held its Watergate hearings. For a young person, it was an amazing introduction to politics, and I was fascinated by what I saw. I followed the subsequent impeachment proceedings in 1974 carefully. Unfortunately, as the facts came out, it was clear President Nixon couldn’t continue in office. During the Clinton impeachment drama, I was a busy father, attorney, and part time state school board member. I could not pay as c...
With her announcement that the House will finally move toward impeachment, Nancy Pelosi has set in motion what the Democrats have wanted to do since Election Night of 2016. They will seek to remove President Trump at all costs. It is frustrating for me that Washington is focused on these partisan impeachment proceedings when there is so much we could get done for the American people. For example, the President’s trade deal has bipartisan support but has not moved forward in the House. Of course, the border security crisis continues as well. Las...
The first year of Democratic control of the House of Representatives is almost up, and we have nothing to show for it. For the first several months, perhaps some of this lack of results was understandable. After a decade in the minority, Democrats were anxious to vote on issues they prioritized. In other words, they could hold some political show votes to please their base before moving on to serious efforts at governance. Nine months later, it is clear this initial aimlessness was not just a case of backlogged priorities. House Democrats...
Labor Day is a wonderful time to celebrate Alabama’s exceptional working men and women. From Tennessee River Valley engineers to Black Belt farmers and Gulf Coast shipbuilders, our workers are powering an economic boom that has reduced unemployment and raised wages. President Trump and his commitment towards prioritizing and empowering American workers continue to pay dividends in our state. Commonsense pro-growth strategies like slashing unnecessary regulations and reducing taxes are keeping more money in the wallets of employee and e...
Israel means so much to our nation. The American people have no better friend. As the only democracy in the volatile Middle East, Israel is one of our greatest partners on the global stage. And Israel, particularly Jerusalem, holds a close personal significance to many Americans of different faiths. Israel is a very special place to my wife and me. Four years ago, Rebecca and I traveled together to the Holy Land in a visit that affected us deeply. On this transformational trip, we renewed our baptismal covenant in the River Jordan. From the...
The recent violence in our country – and the passionate debates it has sparked – have led me to reflect on the emotional state of our country and the battle being waged between good and evil. I thought back to comments I gave earlier this year at a naturalization ceremony. These new citizens were gifted with the opportunity to forge for themselves a new American identity, complete with all its blessings, possibilities, and responsibilities. That morning at the U.S.S. Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, I spoke of the American belief in self-gover...
One of the first actions I took after being elected in 2013 was to visit all the hospitals in Southwest Alabama. Big and small, rural and urban, I visited them all. And I spoke directly with doctors and hospital leadership about issues they and their communities faced. I did this because the importance of hospitals to the communities they serve is so great. When industries look at potential locations to build or expand, they look for things like quality of life, education, and available healthcare. Areas without hospitals are often at a...
The border agents, military and law enforcement personnel at our southern border are doing their best in difficult circumstances to combat both illegal immigration and attacks from Democrats and the national media. Today I’ll discuss the second half of my recent border visit. After inspecting several points of entry and other spots along the border, our delegation traveled to Fort Bliss outside of El Paso to the Joint Task Force Crisis Response. Many of the active duty soldiers here are working to free up border patrol agents to patrol the b...
The detrimental effects of the humanitarian and national security crisis on our border extend all the way to Alabama communities. That’s why I’ve made it a priority to address our immigration policies. One of the most obvious ways our insecure border harms our communities is the drug trade. Our porous border is perhaps the most significant contributing factor to the ongoing opioid crisis—the worst drug epidemic in modern American history. In 2017, over 47,000 lives were claimed by opioids. That’s more than those from car accidents and firearm...
Protecting the safety of the American people is our must fundamental duty in Congress. In a city where few things receive bipartisan support, providing for the national defense has remained an area of compromise. For 58 straight years, the House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Last month, the Senate did its job. By a vote of 86 to 8, it passed a bipartisan defense authorization bill. In the House, things were to play out differently. If you’ve followed anything going on in Washington the p...
For Americans from coast to coast, Independence Day is a celebration of our nation’s birthday with friends and family. The day also offers an opportunity for reflection. In Washington, President Trump held a “Salute to America” celebration on the National Mall in honor of our troops. The patriotic spectacle, featuring military bands, aircraft flyovers and fireworks, was highlighted by a speech in which President Trump praised our “truly extraordinary heritage” and recounted our unique American story. “It is the epic tale of a great nation whos...
For months, Speaker Pelosi and my Democratic friends have denied a crisis on the border exists. Nothing to see here! But the American people, our border agents, video footage, and even the liberal media insisted otherwise and called for action. The public pressure was immense. Now, in a development as stunning as it is sudden, Democrats have dramatically shifted gears, speaking out against the housing of illegal immigrants in detention and the need for immediate action to improve conditions. This comes after Democrats refused for months to...
Last week the Supreme Court ruled on an important case with significant implications for the future of religious expression in our republic. The case, American Legion v. American Humanist Association, was brought by a nonprofit atheist organization seeking to remove an almost 100-year-old monument in Maryland’s Prince George’s County. The 40-foot granite and cement cross, called the Bladensburg Peace Cross, was built on public land and paid for by local families, businesses and the American Legion in 1925. It has stood in memory of local res...
