The Republican Party in the U.S. House of Representatives faces a historic crossroads, and our decisions in the upcoming weeks will determine the future for our conference, our movement, and the country we leave for the next generation.
As a conservative who has fought for our values and principles for two decades in Arizona, I understand how vital it is to hold the line against a radical, left-wing agenda that threatens to fundamentally transform our nation. I also realize the importance of strategically fighting—especially when our party only controls one chamber in the legislative branch and a Democrat is in the White House.
The events of the past month, leading to the ouster of now former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, have not put our party in the best position to defend our nation against the onslaught of opposition by House and Senate Democrats and federal bureaucrats under the Biden Administration. I’ve made it very clear to my colleagues and to my constituents that I did not believe any effort to remove the Speaker was in our party’s or our nation’s best interests. Such action left a gaping hole in our ability to negotiate critical funding bills and advance critical legislation to solve the border crisis, among other significant issues.
The past is the past, though, and while I would have liked for my colleagues to handle things differently, McCarthy has been removed and will no longer be serving as Speaker. We must now come together as Republicans, uniting behind one leadership team to defeat the most radical and corrupt administration this nation may have ever experienced. So much is at stake for the future country my grandchildren will inherit based on the decisions we are about to make in the coming days.
First, Congress must hold the Biden Administration accountable to the rule of law at the border. We have experienced the lawlessness at the border for years, but nothing could have prepared us for what we have encountered under this president. Biden has shamefully empowered the cartels to wreak havoc at the border, rendering federal, state, and local law enforcement absolutely helpless. Meanwhile, thousands of Americans are dying because of the relentless supply of fentanyl pouring across the border, and countless terrorists, gang members, and hardened criminals may likely be slipping past our agents into communities across our country. The border crisis is historically bad now and will likely get catastrophically worse if Republicans don’t unite to force President Biden to secure the border and enforce the law.
Second, Congress must stand against the Biden Administration’s attack on the future of our nation’s energy independence. Since the president took the oath of office in January 2021, Americans have seen a dramatic cost-of-living increase due to the reimagined energy policies of the Biden-led federal government. The attack on the limitless potential of American energy independence doesn’t stop with rising costs; the Biden Administration has even attempted to take away products that people like and want, like gas stoves and gasoline-powered cars. Biden and the Democrats want the federal government to tell us what we can use and drive.
Third, Congress should tackle our out-of-control spending and make tough decisions when it comes to cutting bloated government waste and reining in our national debt, which is over $33 trillion. Ironically enough, news broke recently that the interest rates on the federal government’s debt are increasing, raising even more serious concerns about the sustainability of this fiscal monstrosity. Our children and grandchildren will have to pay the price for our unwillingness to put aside political calculations and differences and do what is right for their future. We cannot leave this issue for a future year, another Congress, or the next generation to resolve.
Fourth and finally, we must hold the president accountable to justice if, in fact, he broke laws at any point in his career in government, specifically looking at his alleged business relationship with his son, Hunter Biden. Congress must get to the bottom of the facts surrounding how Joe Biden may have illegally used his position as Vice President of the United States to benefit his family financially and to influence any actions of foreign governments or actors. While we must be intentional about our pursuit of honest answers, we should not allow any delays on the part of the Bidens or anyone in the federal government who might be uninterested in a single standard of justice. If laws were broken by President Biden, we must also be willing to carry out our constitutional duties by impeaching him and referring this matter to the U.S. Senate for conviction and removal from office.
We cannot do any of this without a Speaker of the House. House Republicans have a tough road ahead of us in the aftermath of a historic and misguided removal of our Speaker. This is too important of a time, though, to point fingers or to delay any longer on our mission to save Americans from the radical agenda being enacted by congressional and White House Democrats. Americans deserve a Republican Party that is ready to fight together and to stop Democrats’ advances. I am up for this challenge, and I will do everything within my power to ensure that my party meets the moment we were elected for.