The Swamp
Legislative Leadership
Dear Friends,
I spent this week defending the people of Colorado’s Third Congressional District from government overreach by career politicians in D.C. Our beautiful District is unique, and I will continue to make sure that our voice is heard and respected.
Opposing Government Overreach
I opposed House Democrats every step of the way in their effort to centralize power in D.C. with H.R. 1, the so-called “For the People Act.” It really should have been called the “For the Swamp Act” since it allows politicians to fund their campaigns with federal money by creating a 600% matching grant for every dollar they raise. Instead of just hearing negative campaign ads during the election season, Democrats want the money to outweigh the message by bombarding voters all year long. This is just one more example of career politicians enriching themselves while bankrupting America.
In addition to expanding the length of the campaign season, H.R. 1 would also expand election day to become election months. It would create chaos by making the pandemic-style changes to the 2020 election permanent, nationalizing mail-in voting, and counting votes 45 days before and 10 days after election day.
Even though it is marketed as a measure to make our elections more secure, H.R. 1 would actually harm election security by banning voter ID laws, registering illegal aliens and felons to vote, prohibiting election officials from auditing results, and making it harder for poll watchers to ensure accountability.
Finally, I opposed H.R. 1 because it represents a massive threat to free speech. By empowering bureaucrats to prosecute Americans who post what fact-checkers deem “misinformation,” H.R. 1 forcefully stifles free speech. Additionally, it politicizes the IRS to attack conservative groups and dox individual donors who support causes that go against the cancel culture.
To read more about my principled stand against H.R. 1, read my article in The Blaze, If I were a Democrat.
Protecting our Men and Women in Uniform
I believe that our men and women in uniform represent the very best of America, so they deserve the very best that America has to offer. They deserve to have the tools and tactical training they need to fulfill their mission to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Unfortunately, Navy leadership is undermining this mission by introducing woke intersectional identity training into its programs by initiating a pledge to “acknowledge all lived experiences and intersectional identities of every sailor in the Navy.”
Intersectional philosophy divides people into warring victim groups, which weakens our military’s foundation of teamwork and unity. This distraction decreases our military’s readiness. To counter Russia, China, and terrorism, the military needs to project strength—not woke and divisive virtue signaling.
Representatives Louie Gohmert (TX-01), Ralph Norman (SC-05), and I wrote a letter to Acting Secretary of the Navy, Thomas W. Harker, asking him to halt the implementation of the intersectional pledge and restore the Navy’s focus on equipping our sailors with the best equipment and training needed to fulfill their mission.
Working Towards Bipartisan Solutions and Transparency
I introduced a resolution and sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi calling for Lieutenant General Russel Honoré, USA (Ret.) to be removed from the investigation of January 6th, 2021. The security failures at the Capitol need to be taken seriously and require a bi-partisan, transparent, and honest investigation. General Honoré is the wrong man for the job, as demonstrated by his vulgar Twitter page insulting legislators and the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police.
Rather than engaging in partisan rhetoric, I sat down with members of the National Guard to discuss Capitol security, and most importantly, thank them for their dedicated service. The National Guard has served faithfully, and now their mission is complete, the Capitol is secure, and it is past time for them to go home to their families. The People’s House needs to be reopened, and the fence should come down.