[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 110 (Tuesday, July 2, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E690-E691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               NEWSLETTER FROM CONGRESSMAN CHUCK EDWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CHUCK EDWARDS

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 2, 2024

  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following 
newsletter to give an update to my constituents on issues surrounding 
military readiness, national security, and the appropriations process.

       Dear Friend:
       The United States is facing unprecedented threats from 
     those who want to do us harm, so the House is prioritizing 
     policies that strengthen our nation's security and borders.
       The House recently passed H.R. 8070, the Servicemembers 
     Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense 
     Authorization Act for FY25, which is focused on improving our 
     servicemembers' lives while restoring our military's focus on 
     warfighting.
       I'm excited to share that this bill also included three of 
     my amendments.
       The fist requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to 
     complete a survey of the 15 counties in North Carolina's 11th 
     District as potential locations for future defense 
     facilities. Western North Carolina's topography is much like 
     that of many of our adversaries, including China's, and would 
     be advantageous for military training.
       Another of my amendments requires the DOD to submit an 
     annual report to the General Services Administration about 
     office space occupancy data so that taxpayer dollars are not 
     being thrown away on unused office space by the federal 
     government.
       The third amendment would revoke the security clearances of 
     retired or active members of the armed forces or Defense 
     Department civilian employees who support or participate in 
     demonstrations in support of a designated foreign terrorist 
     organization. It should be a no-brainer that someone who 
     supports a terrorist organization should not have access to 
     classified security information.
       This year's NDAA took an important step in getting our 
     military away from wokeness and back to its mission of 
     protecting and defending America, and I was glad to support 
     it.


                Open borders put American lives at risk.

       Protecting the long-term success of our nation and 
     Americans require defending our border.
       Since President Biden has taken office, there have been 
     more than 9.6 million illegal immigrant encounters 
     nationwide, with more than 7.9 million of them just at our 
     southern border.
       Over the past three years, the left's failed border 
     policies have made every community in America a border 
     community, and the president's latest executive order does 
     nothing to actually address the crisis at out southern 
     border.
       Recent news of Americans murdered by illegal immigrants 
     makes it clear that we must secure our borders to keep our 
     citizens safe. We cannot protect Americans if we don't secure 
     our border. That's why I helped pass the strongest border 
     security bill in history, H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, 
     which would put an end to this administration's border crisis 
     that is putting Americans' lives at risk.


                    Appropriations season is upon us

       The House Appropriations Committee continues to fulfill our 
     Article I responsibility by moving 12 bills that fund the 
     federal government through the committee and the House floor 
     in regular order with robust debate on spending.
       A common theme that marks these appropriations bills is a 
     strong commitment to fiscal responsibility and American 
     values.
       One of the funding bills I helped pass as a member of the 
     Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee is 
     nearly 20 percent less than the president's budget request 
     and nearly 10 percent less than the spending level in FY24. 
     Notably, this bill prioritizes agencies and programs that 
     combat terrorism financing, maintain the integrity of our 
     financial markets, spur small business growth, support the 
     judicial branch and target opioid abuse.
       After the Appropriations Committee's passage of the 
     Defense, Homeland Security, and State, Foreign Operations, 
     and Related Programs appropriations bills, the House also 
     advanced these bills, putting our nation a step closer to 
     increasing the safety and security of the American people.
       Some of the highlights in these bills that strengthen our 
     national security include the following:
       The Defense bill refocuses the DOD on its core mission 
     preparing combat-ready military forces to deter war and 
     safeguard our national security. The measure includes 
     targeting funding to counter China and related adversaries, 
     supporting innovation to develop modernized weapons and 
     capabilities, and supporting our servicemembers and their 
     families, including giving a pay raise to all military 
     personnel.
       It also reduces waste by cutting $18 billion from the 
     president's budget request and eliminating the use of 
     taxpayer dollars that would have gone to fund the radical 
     left's woke agenda.
       The Homeland Security bill takes steps toward securing our 
     southern border and makes sure that the Department of 
     Homeland Security upholds federal law. The measure includes 
     providing $600 million for constructing the southern border 
     wall, sustained finding for 22,000 Border Patrol agents, and 
     prohibits the transportation of illegal immigrants into the 
     interior of the United States for purposes other than 
     enforcement.
       The State and Foreign Operations bill prioritizes agencies 
     and programs that protect our national security while 
     safeguarding our global economic interests, supporting our 
     allies, targeting our enemies and promoting freedom and 
     democracy abroad in a fiscally responsible manner, cutting 
     overall funding by 11 percent.
       The measure includes about S2 billion for U.S. national 
     security interests in the Indo-Pacific and to counter 
     influence by our adversaries, and more than $3 billion for 
     Israel to defend itself against terrorist attacks. The bill 
     also stops funding for the United Nations' regular budget, 
     terminates more than 18 unnecessary programs and eliminates 
     33 special envoys and special representatives at the 
     Department of State.
       This administration's America Last foreign policy approach 
     has weakened the United States' standing on the world stage, 
     emboldened our adversaries such as China, Iran and Russia, 
     abandoned our allies and placed American servicemembers' 
     lives at risk.
       As the House Appropriations Committee continues to work 
     through our process of funding the government, you can follow 
     along on Facebook or X for ongoing updates.


           If Congress does not do our job, we do not go home

       Every year since 1996, Congress has failed to pass our 
     annual spending bills on time, and yet once August rolls 
     around, Congress goes home, despite work still left to be 
     done in DC. We cannot continue putting funding our federal 
     government on the backburner.
       The Constitution gives the power of the purse in Congress, 
     yet we cannot seem to get our single most important job done 
     in a timely manner.
       I'm introducing the Do Our Job Act because if our work is 
     not done, we should not go home. The American people cannot 
     afford Congress not funding our government on time. The way 
     Congress runs is broken, and this bill is one of the ways 
     that I'm waking to fix how Washington works.


                          Standing up for life

       The second anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark 
     Dobbs decision is a celebratory reminder that the 
     Constitution does not grant a right to abortion. This ruling 
     was a major step toward protecting unborn life. I'll continue 
     to stand up for the most vulnerable through legislative 
     actions and advocating for expecting mothers and families so 
     that they feel empowered to choose life.


             Coming to WNC soon: New Army Reserve facility

       The Department of the Army is funding a $32 million project 
     in Asheville for the construction of a U.S. Army Reserve 
     center, vehicle maintenance facility and organizational 
     storage building in the Asheville vicinity, to be completed 
     by June 2026.
       I'm pleased that the Department of the Army has agreed with 
     the approach taken by my House-passed National Defense 
     Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment, which requires the 
     Department of Defense to complete a survey of the 15 counties 
     in North Carolina's 11th District as potential locations for 
     future defense facilities and report to Congress on its 
     findings.

[[Page E691]]

       The new construction will not only benefit our Army 
     reservists, but it is also an opportunity for military 
     leaders to explore additional avenues for WNC to uniquely 
     contribute to doing our part to support our military and 
     reservists.


                ``Unplugged'' Town Hall in Yancey County

       Mark your calendars for Tuesday, July 16 to join my next 
     in-person town hall in Yancey County. The town hall will take 
     place from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Yancey County Courthouse, 
     110 Town Sq., Burnsville, NC.
       I'm looking forward to sharing an update about the latest 
     legislative opportunities and challenges in Congress and 
     answering questions about the issues that matter to you.
           With my warmest regards,
                                                    Chuck Edwards,
     Member of Congress.

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