The nation and the world are reeling from the rioting and violence that occurred on January 6th in the United States Capitol. As law enforcement works to bring accountability and swift justice to the perpetrators involved that day, Congress must leave no stone unturned in its quest to examine this event. This tragedy must never happen again.
Joe Biden is the President-Elect. Period. I echo Leader McCarthy’s appeal to President Trump to call Joe Biden and acknowledge him on that basis. Many of my colleagues pointed to the process on January 6th as the day of “ultimate significance” – in the words of the late Justice Ginsburg. Unfortunately, those words now carry increasing weight and infamy. Truly, the election process is over, and we need to unify.
As Congress, the American people, and the nation seek justice, the current calls for a “snap” impeachment and unprecedented, supra-Constitutional remedies must cease. We cannot abridge the safeguards that are explicitly used to enshrine justice in the name of justice itself. Speaker Pelosi’s march towards this “snap” process would abridge House rules, all known precedents, principles of due process and rights to a trial, and could possibly run afoul of the Constitution.
If my Democrat colleagues are focused on moving the country forward, they should work with Republicans to find appropriate remedies that don’t jeopardize that aim. President-Elect Biden will be sworn in on January 20th, and we must ensure a smooth and orderly transition of power. Another round of impeachment moves the needle further away from that outcome.
I Will Never Stop Defending Life
The sanctity of life must be respected, and any institutions or organizations that conduct operations contrary to the preservation and defense of life must be excluded from subsidized funding by taxpayers for abortion services.
In 1970, when the Title X Family Planning Program was created, Congress issued a strong rebuke against abortion providers by not allowing funding under the title to be used for programs where abortion is considered a method of family planning. Since then, the original intent behind the law has been quashed repeatedly. Title X funds have been contributed to employee salaries, facility costs, and medical supplies for abortion providers. This must be corrected immediately.
The Protect Life Rule was an important step to end this exploitation of the law, and the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act will make sure taxpayer dollars don’t subsidize abortion providers under any future Administrations. I’m proud to introduce this legislation and have 84 cosponsors joining me in defending life.
New Scam Alert
There’s no doubt that 2020 was fraught with scams that have defrauded countless North Carolinians across the state. You’ve likely seen my weekly scam updates, and I can assure you that these updates will continue this year. You deserve information on how to protect yourselves and your families from these rogue actors, and I will always keep you up to date.
This week let’s focus on a new threat: fraudulent telephone calls from scammers claiming to be CDC officials. As the COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed, many North Carolinians have received telephone calls from scammers asking for donations to help fund the distribution and administration of vaccines. They’ve even gone so far as to change their caller ID to display “Centers for Disease Control” to mislead those they call. Further, scammers will go on to ask if you would be willing to pay to receive a vaccine.
Here’s the truth: the vaccine is free to everyone and it is funded by taxpayer dollars. In some instances, healthcare providers may charge an administrative fee for a vaccine, but it should be reimbursed by both private and public insurance companies. Online pharmacies are NOT reliable sources for receiving a vaccine.
I urge you to visit the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services website to find out what the planned phases are for vaccine distribution and other important information.
Have a blessed weekend.
Sincerely,
