The safety, strength, and prosperity of the nation are of the utmost importance – and House Republicans will always make this our highest priority. This week, the House passed, H.R. 8595, the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. This legislation is one of twelve annual appropriations bills that congress is charged with completing. In total, this legislation provides a total discretionary allocation of $47.32 billion which is almost a $3 billion cut to the Fiscal Year 2026 level that was enacted previously. It supports President Trump’s vision to refocus and realign foreign policy to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

Here are a few provisions that are part of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act:

• Eliminates contributions to multilateral organizations that are antithetical to American values and are wasteful.
• Codifies President Trump’s executive orders to ensure no wasteful spending on DEI or woke programs, climate change mandates, or radical gender ideologies.
• Protects life by maintaining all long-standing pro-life protections.
• Enhances oversight and transparency requirements to ensure American taxpayer funds are not used ineffectively or obtained fraudulently.

I was proud to vote in favor of H.R. 8595 and to stand for the America First Agenda that President Trump and Republicans in Congress continue to champion. What’s more, I’m proud to have led this legislation through the Rules Committee and deliver it to the House floor for a full vote.

 Teacher In Congress

This week, I was proud to host Jeff Crisp of Hibriten High School in Caldwell County and Banner Griffin of Surry Central High School for my annual Teacher in Congress internship program in Washington. This internship program consists of:

• An introduction to the legislative process.
• Briefings with House committee staff.
• The opportunity to attend congressional hearings, mark-ups, and floor debates.
• Tours of the U.S. Capitol, Library of Congress and area museums.

It was a pleasure to spend time with Jeff and Banner and to learn about their passions as educators, and how they’ll use this experience to help teach their students.   

North Carolina’s Newest Ranking

In case you missed it, North Carolina was recently ranked second in the top states for business in 2026 by CNBC. This is the sixth consecutive year that the Tar Heel State has been ranked in the top three states for business across the United States. Further, it was the sixth consecutive year that the state was ranked within the top two states for business in the nation. Per CNBC, the ranking is based on 130 separate metrics within ten categories of competitiveness. Such categories include workforce, quality of life, cost of living, education, and economy to name a few. Without question, our state continues to be a model for the rest of the nation to follow and I commend our leaders in the North Carolina state legislature for their tireless efforts to ensure North Carolina remains the greatest state in the union to live, work and play in.

To learn more about the full ranking, click here.  

Quote of The Week

"Only the strong are free, and peace comes only through strength."

-Ronald Reagan

Have a blessed weekend,