The EPA’s new Waters of the U.S. regulation (WOTUS) was slated to go into effect August 28th.   Fortunately, the Sixth Circuit has issued a nationwide stay and temporarily blocked implementation of this new rule.  WOTUS is a disastrous policy that would allow the federal government to claim control over vast expanses of private and public land and water.  If implemented, this new regulation will be especially detrimental to farmers and ranchers.  WOTUS contradicts prior Supreme Court decisions by expanding agency control over 60% of our country’s streams and millions of acres of wetlands that were previously non-jurisdictional.  I have introduced legislation, inserted funding riders into appropriations bills, blocked a democrat amendment that tried to strip one of my WOTUS riders and voted at least five different times for legislation that has passed the House to block WOTUS.  In July 2015, I berated EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy about this new regulation.  In January 2016, the House and Senate passed legislation blocking WOTUS utilizing the Congressional Review Act and put a bill on President Obama's desk.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In May 2015, the House passed three Gosar amendments to protect Western water supplies and to increase water storage.  The Gosar-Newhouse amendment prevented any appropriations from being used to remove any federally-owned and operated dams.  Extremist environmental groups have been pushing for their removal in recent years.  These dams are critically important to provide water storage and irrigation for agriculture.  I also passed two other amendments transferring appropriations from DOE’s slush fund to the Corps of Engineers Construction and Investigations budget so that they can complete infrastructure programs that will provide clean water and expand water storage.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Last year, the Forest Service proposed a sweeping Groundwater Directive under the guise of eliminating future litigation.  That Directive only caused further confusion and potential litigation.  It has been universally recognized since a 1935 Supreme Court Case that the sole authority over groundwater resources belongs to individual states. Alarmingly, the attempted water grab by the USFS and its misguided groundwater directive was proposed without input from state or local leaders and without any meaningful outreach to water users themselves.  I fought the proposed groundwater directive from the beginning and in April, as a result of Congressional pressure from my colleagues and I, the Forest Service withdrew its overreaching proposed rule.  While this is good news, states, localities and private entities still face regulatory uncertainty under the shadow of the federal government.  CLICK HERE to read more.

American families, small businesses and farmers are hurting in the West and desperately need relief from crippling drought conditions.  Unfortunately, the Obama Administration has exacerbated that pain throughout Western states by putting the demands of extremist special interest groups ahead of hard-working American families.  This has had a dramatic impact: killing thousands of jobs, harming our food supply and leading to unemployment levels as high as 40% in some communities.  I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Western Water and American Food Security Act.  This bill increases water storage, modernizes the permitting process for water projects, assists with lowering food costs, and protects state water rights from federal water grabs. In July 2015, the House passed this legislation with my support.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Special interest groups have been pushing for President Obama to circumvent Congress and make a massive 1.7 million acre designation using the Antiquities Act for the Grand Canyon Watershed.  The intentions of these self-interest groups are clear: they want this designation to prevent energy development, timber harvesting, grazing, mining and different types of recreation on this massive swath of land.  A designation of this size would cause significant harm to our economy and kill thousands of local jobs. In November of 2015, I introduced H.R. 3946, the Protecting Local Communities from Executive Overreach Act, legislation which updates the 1906 Antiquities Act in order to protect property rights, water rights and jobs from presidential abuse of the Antiquities Act. H.R. 3946 is supported by all five Arizona House Republicans and blocks two misguided monument efforts in the Grand Canyon Watershed and the Sedona Verde Valley, both of which have significant local opposition. I have also passed two appropriations amendments through the House to block these unilateral land grabs.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I've introduced H.R 1107, the Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act, legislation which requires a cost estimate and a detailed list of major repairs for BOR facilities.  Such actions will allow for meaningful steps to be taken to address the maintenance backlog as well as ensure an abundant supply of clean water and power for future generations.  This bipartisan legislation passed the House Natural Resources Committee in October 2015.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I've also introduced H.R. 1869, the Environmental Compliance Cost Transparency Act.  This commonsense bill requires federal agencies active in the wholesale power business to disclose the costs of environmental compliance to their customers.  For far too long, the high cost of burdensome federal environmental policies has been hidden from the public. American energy consumers deserve to know how much environmental policies are costing them on their electrical bills.  The bill is endorsed by the Colorado River Energy Distributors Association, the Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association, the Arizona Westside Irrigation and Electrical Districts, and the Irrigation & Electrical Districts’ Association of Arizona. CLICK HERE to read more.

The Water Rights Protection Act prevents the federal government from taking privately held water rights without just compensation. This would protect a variety of water users including rural communities, businesses, recreation opportunities, farmers and ranchers as well as other individuals that rely on privately held water rights for their livelihood.  It does so by prohibiting federal agencies from extorting water rights through the use of permits, leases, and other land management arrangements, for which it would otherwise have to pay just compensation under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution.  I played an active role in assisting my good friend and colleague Scott Tipton in passing this legislation through the House, through the Resources Committee and Water and Power Subcommittee in the 113th Congress and am a cosponsor again this Congress.  This legislation is necessary as the Forest Service and BLM have been aggressively pursuing such takings for several years now.

In September 2011, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking and attempted to dramatically overhaul youth agriculture labor regulations.  This nonsensical proposal attempted to implement the most sweeping changes since the 1970s and could have prohibited our nation's youth from participating in 4-H programs and from working or doing basic functions on family farms.  This proposed regulation were so unreasonable that they attempted to prevent teenagers from using ladders higher than six feet tall, from performing any task involving pesticides regardless of pesticide toxicity, from operating power-driven equipment and even from bailing hay.  After much Congressional pressure from my colleagues and me, DOL announced that it was pulling the proposed rule.  This was a victory for commonsense and our country's ag producers.   

In the 113th Congress, the Tipton-Gosar Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act, H.R.687, passed Congress and was signed into public law.  This bill eliminated duplicative regulations that were stymieing development on irrigation canals.  Specifically, it allows Arizonans that operate existing irrigation canals and ditch systems--man-made canals and pipes-- to install hydropower generators.  To be clear: we are not talking about free-flowing rivers or streams.  These are man-made structures that have already gone through environmental review.  These canals do not contain endangered fish or wildlife.  This commonsense legislation  will create jobs in rural Arizona, increase our country’s renewable energy portfolio, and generate revenues for the federal treasury by cutting duplicative, bureaucratic red tape.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In the 113th Congress, I cosponsored the Citrus Disease Research and Development Trust Fund Act, H.R. 853, to combat citrus greening that is threatening the southern Arizona Citrus industry.  As I mentioned previously, Arizona is second only to California in lemon production and is one of only four states that produce citrus.  Citrus production is very important to Arizona's economy.

I have done everything in my power to fight the EPA’s efforts to shut down Navajo Generation Station —an action that would exponentially increase the cost of water for all of AZ farmers and kill rural jobs.  In the 112th Congress, the House passed my Navajo Generating Station amendment, limiting the authority of the EPA to issue regulations that threaten tribal jobs, Arizona’s water security, and the federal government’s legal obligations to Arizona tribes.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In the 112th Congress, I cosponsored and voted for the Grazing Improvement Act.  This bill improved and streamlined the process for renewing livestock grazing permits. It also extended the life of permits to provide more certainty and stability to the livestock grazing community.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I am an ardent supporter and cosponsor of H.R. 1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act, which serves as a repeal of the estate tax.  I have voted multiple times to repeal this unjust tax.  Mothers and fathers are taxed on their earnings and holdings while they are alive, and they should not have to worry about those holdings being taxed, yet again, when they die and aim to leave their children their belongings. This bipartisan legislation passed the House on April 16, 2015, by a vote 240-179. It is my hope that this legislation will be taken up by the Senate in a timely manner and signed into law by President Obama.

Frivolous lawsuits from extremist environmental groups and federal agency endangered species actions continue to hammer western states and stifle local conservation efforts.  To make matters worse, these listing decisions are usually based on secret science and pseudo-science, including studies that do not allow for peer-review of the underlying data. Even more troubling is the fact that attorneys have been making millions of dollars based on lawsuits associated with the Endangered Species Act and that the federal government doesn’t even know how much money has been paid out. In April 2014, the House passed four bills of which I was a cosponsor that make commonsense changes to increase transparency, save taxpayer money, ensure local involvement in species conservation and the designation process, limit the hourly rate attorneys can charge the taxpayers for Endangered Species Act lawsuits, and require the federal government to make available to Congress and the public any data it uses to determine which species to list as endangered.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act

In November 2015, the House passed the bipartisan Collins-Gosar bill requiring tracking and disclosure of attorney fees paid out from environmental lawsuits.  Prior to 1995, EAJA payments were approximately $3 million dollars annually.  Unfortunately, EAJA has operated in the dark for more than 20 years and payments have skyrocketed.  The Government Accountability Office recently confirmed that we don’t even know the totality of these costs as most federal agencies don’t even bother trying to compile this information.  H.R. 3279, the Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act, tracks how much money is paid out under EAJA, and more importantly, from which agencies.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Blocking the Sonoran Desert Tortoise Listing

In July 2015, the House passed the Gosar amendment to block the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from listing Sonoran Desert Tortoise (SDT) as an endangered or threatened species.  This listing would have tied up 15 million acres with new regulations and red tape, harming agriculture and grazing. Specifically, a listing would be detrimental for 273 different grazing allotments and jeopardize nearly six million acres used for livestock grazing. Fortunately, in October 2015 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the Sonoran desert tortoise will be removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) candidate list. CLICK HERE to read more.

The Mexican Wolf

In July 2016, the House passed the Gosar/Pearce amendment by a vote of 219-203 allowing for the responsible state management of the Mexican Wolf and successfully attached the amendment to the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2017. The Federal approach to managing the Mexican Wolf has been a lose/lose situation for everyone involved. The status quo has resulted in the Mexican Wolf lingering on the Endangered Species list for 40 years. States have proven better at species conservation and management than a bloated bureaucracy that only responds to frivolous lawsuits.” CLICK HERE to read more.

In June 2015, Congressman Pearce and I introduced H.R. 2910, the bipartisan Mexican Wolf Transparency and Accountability Act. This commonsense legislation seeks to ensure that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s (the Service’s) new rule issued on January 16, 2015—implementing new regulations for the nonessential experimental population of the Mexican wolf under Section 10(j) and listing the Mexican wolf as an endangered subspecies—has no force or effect. These actions are necessary to protect local communities and to rein in the Service for failing to comply with federal law before implementing this new directive.  This bill is endorsed by: National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Public Lands Council, Americans for Limited Government, Arizona Cattleman’s Association, Arizona Farm Bureau, Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association, Arizona Cattle Feeders' Association, Arizona Association of Conservation Districts   New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, Coconino County Farm Bureau and Cattle Growers Association, Yavapai Cattle Growers Association, Navajo/Apache Cattle Growers Association, Greenlee Cattle Growers Association, La Paz Stockmen’s Association, Mohave Livestock Association, Gila County Cattle Growers Association, Maricopa County Cattle Growers Association, Cochise /Graham Cattle Growers Association, Southern Arizona Cattlemen's Protective Association. CLICK HERE to read more.

As I previously mentioned, I am an active member and leader within the House Freedom Caucus, an organization comprised of roughly 40 conservatives dedicated to changing Washington and holding Republican leadership accountable.  Since our founding in January 2015, the House Freedom Caucus, has fought to stop business-as-usual in Washington D.C.  As conservative stalwart Jim DeMint stated, "This small band of conservative House members had the audacity to challenge the status quo in Congress, and in the eyes of Washington's comfortable elites, that's a serious offense.  For years, Washington's chattering class has guarded the status quo on behalf of the Establishment.  But despite the howls of media outrage, the Freedom Caucus persevered and succeeded in making changes that brought in a new speaker of the House."

The House Freedom Caucus has been focused on fixing the process and returning to regular order.  As USA Today reported, "the Freedom Caucus featured a litany of complaints that only partially involved ideological differences between Caucus members and Boehner. It was basically a revolt of back-benchers — relatively junior members who happen to be conservatives because so many of them were elected since 2010 as anti-President Obama candidates — who called for the restoration of something called "regular order.'...'Regular order'...refers to the legislative process... — highly structured, participatory lawmaking that proceeds in an orderly manner from the introduction of a bill, through committee action, to its signing by the president. It is a transparent and inclusive process that engages the energies of all lawmakers, from the most junior to the leaders of the two major political parties."

Under Administrator McCarthy’s direction, the EPA enacted job-killing regulations that increased food prices and energy costs for hard-working American families.  Hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost as a result of these new mandates, which disproportionately impact the poor.  This should be concerning enough, but to make matters worse, these regulations were not based on science and were imposed through lies to Congress and the American people.  On numerous occasions, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy broke the law by lying to Congress in order to force misguided and overreaching regulations, which have no scientific basis, down our throats. We must hold D.C. bureaucrats accountable when they commit perjury or make false statements. Perjury before Congress is perjury to the American people and an affront to the core principles of our Republic. That is why I introduced articles of impeachment to remove Administrator McCarthy from office. Click HERE to read more.
 

As an employee of the federal government, Lois Lerner took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.  Her behavior, however, was directly contradictory to the Constitution.  As a former public servant, Mrs. Lerner has an obligation to give the American people answers as to why their government chose to target specific groups based on their political ideologies. The House Oversight and Reform Committee, on which I serve, subpoenaed Mrs. Lerner to provide those answers, but she refused to comply by asserting her right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment.  However, before pleading the Fifth, she declared her innocence, thereby waiving her right to remain silent.  She continued to refuse to testify, which is why the House voted with my support to hold her in contempt in May 2014.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In conducting an honest review of Holder’s legacy, one must address the racial tension he created. His incessant focus on these issues only worsened race relations in a country that, despite its shaky past, had made much progress in this area. Holder criticized several states for their voter ID laws, and even prosecuted Alabama for passing laws he claimed violated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act—laws that were intended to prevent illegals and non-citizens from voting. The list of egregious offenses during the Holder-era goes on and on: assault on the Second Amendment and Operation Choke Point, Fast and Furious, failure to prosecute members of the New Black Panther Party, the IRS scandal, spying on journalist James Rosen, tapping the phone records of the Associated Press, failing to enforce our immigration laws, encouraging state attorney generals not to enforce laws they philosophically disagree with, advising President Obama that he didn’t need to follow the law and notify Congress prior to the Bergdahl-Taliban swap, etc. Suffice it to say that no Attorney General—in fact, no cabinet member—has had a more scandal-plagued tenure. I led the charge against Attorney General Eric Holder and introduced a bill that garnered 142 cosponsors “expressing no confidence” in Holder.  Those sentiments were expressed when the House ultimately voted to hold Attorney General Holder in contempt of Congress.

I joined 18 other members of the House in introducing legislation that initiated articles of impeachment against John Koskinen, Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), for high crimes and misdemeanors. Under the direction of Commissioner John Koskinen, IRS officials led a coordinated effort to hide the truth about this rogue agency’s targeting of innocent Americans based on their political beliefs. On Koskinen’s watch, the IRS intentionally destroyed nearly 24,000 emails from Lois Lerner and failed to comply with a Congressional subpoena. To make matters worse, Commissioner Koskinen made a series of false and misleading statements, under oath, to Congress at multiple committee hearings on this matter. Koskinen told Congress that the IRS had turned over all Lerner’s emails and all requested information, yet, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration uncovered more than 1,000 emails that the IRS tried to hide. CLICK HERE to read more.

I introduced the bipartisan Coach-Only Airfare for Capitol Hill Act to prohibit members of Congress from using official funds known as Member Representational Allowance (MRA) to purchase first-class airline tickets while traveling for official Congressional duties. Currently, there exists a loophole that allows members of Congress to fly first-class at the expense of hardworking taxpayers. Members of Congress are public servants of the people and should not be considered a privileged status. As current regulations prevent men and women serving in the U.S. military from flying first-class, there is absolutely no reason why members of Congress should be given a special exemption not offered to our nation’s heroes. It’s time to end the double standard and rein in this abuse.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In July of 2014, the House of Representatives sent a strong message to the IRS and the Obama Administration, "Shape up or lose your funding."  The House passed an appropriations bill which cut funding to the IRS by over $1 billion and to its lowest level since 2003.  The House unanimously adopted one my amendments that cut funds for the IRS by $353 million as part of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of fiscal year 2015.  Another one of my successful amendments prohibited bonuses for senior executive service employees at the IRS for fiscal year 2015.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The House passed my amendment to prohibit $440 million dollars within the Department of Defense Appropriations Act from being disbursed to ISIS, Hamas, Iran, the Palestinian Authority and other Foreign Terrorist Organizations.  With our federal debt and foreign policy in shambles, it is long past time that Congress prevent federal dollars from going towards organizations and countries who actively work to harm the United States and its interests. Click HERE to read more.

The House passed my amendment to prohibit any funds from being used for the Obama Administration’s proposed Rapid Growth Area Transit Program.  With significant infrastructure needs, including road and bridge maintenance, proposing to spend $500 million on a new discretionary bus transit program was extremely wasteful. CLICK HERE to learn more about my successful effort that was signed into law and blocked one of President Obama’s terrible new proposals, keeping $500 million in the Highway Trust Fund.
 

President Obama’s AFFH regulation marked his most aggressive attempt to force his utopian ideology on American communities disguised under the banner of ‘fairness’. This new regulation wasn’t about fair housing, as housing discrimination based on race has been illegal for more than 40 years. American citizens should be free to choose where they would like to live and not be subject to big government neighborhood engineering.  Local zoning decisions have traditionally been, and should always be, made by local communities, not bureaucrats in Washington DC.  The House of Representatives voted twice to defund the AFFH rule by passing my amendments during consideration of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bills.  More information on those votes can be found HERE and HERE.  I also introduced the Local Zoning and Property Rights Protection Act to prohibit this new regulation.

I cosponsored the Firearms Manufacturers and Dealers Protection Act and the Financial Institution Customer Protection Act.  Each measure defended the Second Amendment and sought to make conducting or facilitating Operation Choke Point illegal. Operation Choke Point was an unconstitutional program created by the Obama Administration that put pressure on banks and payment processors to shut down industries that President Obama and the Attorney General didn’t like. In 2016, the full House of Representatives passed H.R. 766 and my commonsense amendment that improved this worthwhile legislation and increased transparency by requiring that financial institutions provide notice to customers if their account is ordered to be terminated by federal banking regulators. Click HERE to read more.

I was an original cosponsor of the First Amendment Defense Act.  This commonsense legislation sought to protect religious freedom for hard-working Americans and businesses by preventing discrimination by the federal government. Specifically, this bill would have ensured that the federal government cannot revoke a nonprofit entity’s tax-exempt status or prevent individuals and organizations from receiving a federal contract, grant or employment based on their fundamental beliefs.    

Unfortunately, the Obama Administration took unprecedented steps to bypass Congress and infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of U.S. citizens. His far-left proposals have been resoundingly debunked as foolish and would not have stopped any of the major shootings that took place during his tenure. Gun violence is committed by criminals; yet the focus of his executive order was on restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens. Whether it is blind ignorance or intentional deceit, President Obama’s actions sabotaged the safety of countless Americans in order to score political points with the far-left.

The Obama Administration was relentless in their pursuit of taking guns away from law-abiding Americans.  Republicans and Democrats, along with the American people, blocked President Obama's gun control proposals three different times. I have and will continue to actively fight any attempt by the federal government to undermine our Constitution and infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. I passed an amendment through the House reversing the ATF ban on 7N6 ammunition, therefore restoring Second Amendment rights and preserving access to affordable ammunition for sporting purposes. There is no easy answer to the problem of violence we face in our country, but inhibiting the ability of law-abiding citizens to exercise their Constitutional rights is nothing more than window dressing. When you limit an individual’s ability to lawfully purchase or carry firearms you are allowing only those with the intent to break the law to have weapons.  Click HERE to read more.

Several of my colleagues and I introduced the Separation of Powers Act. This commonsense legislation blocked all  unconstitutional gun grabs and executive actions that infringe on the Second Amendment. This House passed this legislation in 2016.

I cosponsored the Article I Consolidated Appropriations Amendments Act, legislation that utilized the power of the purse to block several unconstitutional Obama Administration policies. This bill defunded executive amnesty policies, blocked the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. Rule, prohibited funds for sanctuary cities, and defunded several other unconstitutional regulations.

I passed numerous legislative initiatives into law to prohibit funds for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s unconstitutional National Roadside Survey. This program was not only wasteful and ineffective, but it was an infringement on our Constitutional rights to privacy and the 4th Amendment civil liberties of American Citizens. The implementation of the survey used uniformed police officers to stop drivers and allow researchers to collect a passive alcohol sensor reading before the driver agreed to participate in the survey. Previous surveys have squandered almost $8 million dollars of taxpayer money and done nothing to make our communities safer. CLICK HERE to read more.

I previously voted for an amendment that passed the House that would prevent the collection of U.S. citizens’ metadata by the National Security Agency (NSA). While some in Congress desperately want to continue the NSA’s domestic spying, I vigorously defended the Fourth Amendment by voting to restrict the NSA’s ability to use taxpayer money to spy on American citizens. I am also a member of the Fourth Amendment Caucus which was founded "to protect the privacy and security of Americans in the digital age." CLICK HERE to read more. 

The Obama Administration's Waters of the U.S. regulation (WOTUS) was a job-killing, overreaching water grab being imposed by Washington bureaucrats. This unlawful regulation was a dream killer for future generations that resulted in significant job losses and considerable harm to our economy. WOTUS contradicted prior Supreme Court decisions by expanding agency control over 60% of our country’s streams and millions of acres of wetlands that were previously non-jurisdictional.  I fought this overreach from the beginning. In May 2014, I sent a letter calling for WOTUS to be withdrawn. I held a hearing in Phoenix in June 2014 where we heard testimony from 9 Arizona witnesses.  I introduced legislation, inserted funding riders into appropriations bills, blocked a democrat amendment that tried to strip one of my WOTUS riders and voted at least five different times for legislation that has passed the House to block WOTUS.  In July 2015, I berated EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and submitted revelatory evidence into the Congressional Record from senior Army Corps of Engineer employees which expressed serious legal and scientific deficiencies with the final draft of the WOTUS rule.  In January 2016, the House and Senate passed legislation blocking WOTUS utilizing the Congressional Review Act and put a bill on President Obama's desk that he vetoed.  CLICK HERE to read more.

When the Senate snuck a provision into a bill that would strip the rights of due process for American citizens, I stood in strong opposition. I firmly believe federal government’s constitutional duty to provide for the common defense is not mutually exclusive to upholding civil rights granted to American citizens via the U.S. Bill of Rights.  Section 1021 of H.R. 1540 authorized President Obama to detain people in definitely and did not distinguish between American citizens and non-citizens, or between persons caught domestically and abroad.  This language was vague and not drafted well and could be interpreted to suggest that American citizens could be detained indefinitely and not afforded the same rights as an American that had committed any other crime.CLICK HERE to read more. 

The Water Rights Protection Act seeks to prevent the federal government from taking privately held water rights without just compensation. This would protect a variety of water users including rural communities, businesses, recreation opportunities, farmers and ranchers as well as other individuals that rely on privately held water rights for their livelihood.  It does so by prohibiting federal agencies from extorting water rights through the use of permits, leases, and other land management arrangements, for which it would otherwise have to pay just compensation under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution.  I played an active role in assisting my good friend and colleague Scott Tipton in passing this legislation through the House, through the Resources Committee and Water and Power Subcommittee. This legislation is necessary as the Forest Service and BLM have been aggressively pursuing such takings for several years now.

I have proudly voted seven different times for important funding bills for our military in the form of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the Department of Defense Appropriations Act.  I have also voted to give our troops a much deserved pay increase at least seven different times.  The FY16 NDAA also allowed post commanders to permit members of our armed services to carry firearms on various military sites, required President Obama to lay out plan to destroy ISIS and prevented the retirement of the A-10.  Unfortunately, President Obama decided to play politics with our military and initially vetoed this legislation.  Click HERE to read more.

I have consistently supported efforts to freeze TRICARE fees, increase troop pay, and bolster mental health programs for our men and women in uniform.  To that end, I offered an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act to shift funds from DOD bureaucracy to mental health and suicide prevention efforts

A major component of national security is testing and training.  As the representative for Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District, I am particularly concerned with the operations and missions of our two military bases in Yuma—the Army Proving Grounds (YPG) and the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS).  YPG is one of the largest military installations in the country and is one of the premier sites for testing military equipment.  MCAS Yuma is an important aviation training base specializing in air-to-ground aviation training for U.S. and NATO forces.  These facilities are critical to our local economy and our nation’s national security.  I am committed to protecting their missions by providing both the bases and their personnel the resources necessary to help defend our country.

I have been fighting to prevent the retirement of the Search and Rescue unit at MCAS. I offered an appropriations amendment and secured appropriation's language to prevent divestiture of the Yuma Marine Corps Air Station Search and Rescue unit. In this year's defense bill that I supported, the House provided approximately $50 million dollars for the Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1) hanger in Yuma. This year's defense bill also provided important funding for additional f-35's, another important plane for the Yuma Marine Corps Air Station and Luke Air Force Base. I have also voted several times and consistently supported funding for Apache helicopters manufactured in Mesa. I voted several times to prevent divestiture of the A-10 and to protect more than 8,000 jobs associated with the plane in Arizona.

It is deeply troubling to see Americans being tortured abroad and murdered by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs).  Since the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), at least four Americans have been captured and killed by the group.  James Foley, Peter Kassig, and Steven Sotloff were all abducted, and were summarily executed in a brutal and despicable manner.  Kayla Mueller—a Prescott, Arizona native—was also captured and held by ISIS, only to be killed while in captivity.  These heinous crimes against American civilians are inexcusable and must not be tolerated.  

That is why I introduced H.R. 751, the Bringing Terrorists to Justice Act.  This bipartisan bill amends current law to require the Secretary of State to offer a cash reward through the Rewards for Justice Program to individuals who provide information leading to the arrest or conviction of any person responsible for the deaths of these four Americans.  In addition to military and diplomatic efforts, these cash rewards incentivize members of FTOs, or those oppressed by FTOs, to stand for what is right and help bring these cowards to justice.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I have passed multiple amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act in recent years in order to fully support Israel’s inherent right to self-defense and against regional aggression.  If we do not stand in support of Israel, we will witness the demise of our greatest ally in the Middle East due to lack of support and action from the White House. Now more than ever, Congress needs to continue to reaffirm its support for Israel’s security.  Click HERE to read more.  

I passed an amendment that would prohibit approximately $440 million dollars within the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for FY 15 from being disbursed to ISIS, Hamas, Iran, the Palestinian Authority and other Foreign Terrorist Organizations.  With our federal debt and foreign policy in shambles, it is long past time that this Congress prevents federal dollars going towards organizations and countries who actively work to harm the United States and our interests.  Click HERE to read more. 

I am a cosponsor of H.R. 3115, the Enhancing Safety at Military Installations Act.  This commonsense legislation seeks to repeal the outdated ban which prohibits military personnel from carrying firearms on bases and recruitment facilities.  The U.S. has had 19 attacks on U.S. domestic military facilities since the enactment of this misguided directive, resulting in 49 deaths and nearly 100 injuries.  It's time to get rid of the ban.

I voted for legislation that passed the House and condemned President Obama for breaking the law by not giving Congress 30 days notice before releasing dangerous terrorists from Guantanamo Bay.  On May 31, 2014, the Department of Defense (DOD) transferred five Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar in exchange for U.S. Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl.  The Government Accountability Office released a report on August 21, 2014, confirming that the DOD violated the law by releasing the Taliban 5 without providing 30 days notice to Congress.  Additionally, DOD violated the Antideficiency Act for using funds to make the transfer despite a specific prohibition in law. Click HERE to read more.

In response to the Army mandating new uniforms, I heard objections from many active-duty service members, veterans and constituents in my district.  These citizens claimed the old CWU model is in fact safer, cheaper and more efficient.  As a result, I passed an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act that was estimated to save more than $5 million by requiring the Army to move back to the CWU-27/P Army Aviation Flight Uniforms.  Click HERE to read more. 

In the 113th Congress, an Inspector General Report highlighted a disgraceful example of government waste. The report found that in 2010 the federal government spent more than $3 million dollars on patrol boats for the Afghan National Police that were never shipped to the landlocked Afghanistan.  According to the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the cost of each patrol boat was more than $265,000.  The Washington Post has reported that similar patrol boats can be purchased in the United States for approximately $50,000. My successful amendment passed the House and prohibited the Department of Defense from wasting more money on storage for these eight patrol boats which had already cost taxpayers more than $3 million.  Click HERE to read more.

In March 2015, I introduced bipartisan legislation, H.R. 2210, the Coach-Only Airfare for Capitol Hill Act, to prohibit members of Congress from using official funds known as Member Representational Allowance (MRA) to purchase first-class airline tickets while traveling for official Congressional duties.  Currently, there exists a loophole that allows members of Congress to fly first-class at the expense of hardworking taxpayers.  As current regulations prevent men and women serving in the U.S. military from flying first-class, there is absolutely no reason why members of Congress should be given a special exemption not offered to our nation’s heroes. It’s time to end the double standard and rein in this abuse.  CLICK HERE to read more.

As the co-chair of the House I-11 Caucus, I continue to push this Arizona priority forward and to expand the coalition of stakeholders and advocates.  I was instrumental in the initial authorization of the future I-11 corridor project by championing authorizing language included in MAP-21, the major transportation and infrastructure bill passed by Congress in 2012.  This was the critical first step of the major economic development project that will connect Phoenix and Las Vegas, the two largest cities in the nation not linked by an interstate highway. CLICK HERE to read more about this successful effort.

In March 2015, I introduced H.R. 1612, the Intermountain West Corridor Development Act of 2015.  This legislation extends the future I-11 beyond the Phoenix – Las Vegas region to connect shipping ports in Southern Arizona through Northern Nevada to existing major interstate networks in the Northwest. Extending I-11 and allowing it to become the main transportation corridor in the West will be an economic boon for our communities, creating jobs, allowing for an easier flow of goods and services and authorizing the construction of much needed infrastructure. A 2014 economic analysis found that I-11 and the Intermountain West Corridor will create at least 240,000 permanent jobs and generate $22 billion for our economy. The Intermountain West Corridor Development Act was signed into law in December 2015 after being included in H.R. 22.  CLICK HERE to read more to read more about this successful effort.

The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has been arbitrarily seeking to enact new boating restrictions on Lake Havasu and close areas to tubing, wake-boarding and water skiing activities. Prohibiting tubing, waterskiing and wake boarding in an area utilized by recreational enthusiasts for decades, two days before Memorial Day Weekend, without public comment and without merit is appalling.  Pursuing massive new unwarranted boating restrictions not based on science less than a year later is shameful.  I have been fighting these unnecessary restrictions since I first learned about them and have been leading the charge to keep Lake Havasu open for all users.  I spearheaded the effort to defeat the April 2016 proposed restrictions.  I passed an amendment through the House instructing the Service to reopen the area the agency shutdown in May 2015. Boaters visiting Lake Havasu support more than 2,000 jobs, generate more than $63 million for the city's economy and spend more than $150 million annually. CLICK HERE to read more

In the 112th Congress, I introduced bipartisan standalone legislation, the Grand Canyon Tourism Jobs Protection Act of 2012 (H.R.4198), to protect tourism jobs and preserve natural quiet at the Grand Canyon National Park. The provisions of H.R.4198 were ultimately codified into public law through H.R.4348, also known as MAP-21. The air tour and tourism industries at the Grand Canyon are critical to Arizona’s economy. In 2011, tourism at the Grand Canyon helped sustain more than 300,000 jobs. The air tour industry around this historic landmark supported 1,250 good-paying jobs in Arizona and Nevada during that same timeframe. This commonsense legislation has created good-paying jobs and boosted economic activity in an extremely rural area. In February 2014, the FAA announced 1,721 additional Grand Canyon flights per year utilizing quiet technology as a result of my commonsense legislation.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In February 2014, my Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act, H.R. 1345 was signed into law as part of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (H.R. 2642). My bill authorized important stewardship contracting, good neighbor authority as well as important insect and disease infestation designations.  This commonsense legislaiton will reduce government bureaucracy so that wildfire prevention projects can move forward quickly when the public is at risk.  CLICK HERE to read more.

There are very few types of laws Congress can pass that facilitate the creation of wealth and energy security.  I have championed one such initiative: the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act.  After years of legislative hearings and executive branch hurdles, Senator McCain and I were finally able to get this bill over the finish line and signed into law in December of 2014.  This bipartisan legislation facilitates a land exchange between the federal government and private industry so that it may mine copper, one of Arizona’s most valuable and abundant resources.  Even modest economic estimates project that the land exchange facilitated by this act will lead to 3,700 jobs and will have a total economic impact to the State of Arizona to the tune of $61.4 billion over the life of the mine.  Once the operation is running, the mine will provide 25% of the United States’ copper supply and will be the largest copper mine in North America.  CLICK HERE to read more about the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act.

In November 2013, the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) arbitrarily changed the priorities for the five different propagation program categories and announced their intent to close propagation programs and possibly hatcheries throughout the nation in fiscal year 2015.  The USFWS also terminated the rainbow trout stocking program at the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery in Arizona threatening 1,700 jobs and $75 million in associated economic output.  Rather than producing trout that help drive Arizona’s economy, the Fish and Wildlife Service wanted to focus on producing humpback chubs and razorback suckers. I had to hammer a few bureaucrats, pass a bill through Committee and have several Arizona witnesses testify at a hearing in order to resume this important program. CLICK HERE to read more.

The House has voted 11 different times since I’ve been in Congress to approve the Keystone Pipeline.  The State Department found back in January of 2014 for the second time that the pipeline would have NO significant impact on climate change.  Conservative estimates from the State Department at that time also projected that the Keystone XL Pipeline would support more than 42,000 jobs.  Moreover, it has bipartisan support - even labor unions support it.  The ONLY thing holding this up is politics. Unfortunately, President Obama, for no good reason, vetoed this legislation. CLICK HERE to read more.

I am an original cosponsor of the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act.  This commonsense legislation will create hundreds of thousands of jobs by reducing U.S. dependence on foreign minerals from countries like China.  The bill streamlines the regulatory review process and eliminates unnecessary red tape that is blocking job creation. CLICK HERE to read more.

In the 113th Congress, I voted for and the House passed H.R. 4899.  The bipartisan Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act would create an estimated 1.2 million jobs, lower gas prices for hard-working American families and generate more than a billion for our economy.

In the 113th Congress, I introduced the Travel and Resource Access Including Local Stakeholders (TRAILS) Act to protect approximately 40,000 jobs and $4 billion for Arizona’s economy that is associated with off highway vehicle (OHV) recreation.  The BLM in Arizona has been in the process of developing a Travel management Plan for parts of Southwestern Arizona, named the La Posa Travel Management Plan.  Previous media reports indicated the BLM was looking at closing as many as 51 percent of all trails with this management plan.  My legislation requires the agency to work with local communities to ensure this important industry is protected and these jobs are preserved. CLICK HERE to read more.

In Arizona, the EPA’s “War on Coal” could force the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) to close its doors, which will mean the permanent loss of nearly a 1,000 good-paying jobs. The Navajo Generating Station provides an affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy source to power critical water supplies to cities, industries, farms, and tribal communities encompassing nearly 80% of Arizona's population.  As a result, closure of the plant will also cause water prices to spike significantly. CLICK HERE to read more about my efforts to protect NGS.

In the 113th Congress, I cosponsored and voted for Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act.  This commonsense legislation which passed the House streamlines the permitting process and would allow our country to export more liquefied natural gas.  The American Petroleum Institute estimates that by 2035 “LNG exports could contribute as much as $10 to $31 billion per state to the economies of natural gas-producing states…Natural gas-producing states could see employment gains as high as 60,000 to 155,000 jobs…Non-natural-gas-producing states will also benefit…[and] see economic gains as high as $2.6 to $5.0 billion per state.  CLICK HERE to read more.

 In the 113th Congress, I voted for and the House passed H.R. 2728, the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act.  This legislation would protect American jobs and energy production by preventing the Obama Administration’s ability to impose duplicative federal regulations for hydraulic fracturing.  An economic analysis found that these overreaching new federal regulations will cost our economy approximately $350 million annually and would jeopardize nearly 1.7 million American jobs.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I am a cosponsor and voted for passage of the Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act.  This commonsense legislation prevents duplicative regulations and allows states that have traditionally managed coal ash programs to continue to create and manage these operations.  Allowing states to continue to manage coal combustion residuals programs will assist with sustaining an estimated 316,000 jobs. 

I was a cosponsor of three pieces of legislation that seek to repeal the antiquated oil export ban.  This outdated policy was enacted in the 1970s when oil scarcity was an issue.  Repealing the oil export ban will lower gas prices and foster significant economic growth for our economy. The Energy Equipment and Infrastructure Alliance estimates that lifting the crude oil export ban will create nearly 8,500 new jobs in Arizona by 2018.  A study by IHS energy found that "lifting the ban would create an estimated 1 million American jobs in nearly all 50 states within a matter of years, and it would add $170 billion annually to our GDP." The House passed H.R. 702 with my support in October 2015 and also passed an amendment with my support in December 2015 to life the crude oil export ban. Legislation lifting the ban was finally signed into law at the end of 2015.

In the 113th Congress, the House passed H.R. 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act.  Conservative estimates indicated that this legislation would create more than 68,000 direct jobs & nearly 140,000 indirect jobs.  I authored title II of this legislation.  This important bill also sought to adopt a forward-thinking, active management strategy that combats dangerous wildfires before they get started. CLICK HERE to read more.

In the 113th Congress, I voted for and the House passed H.R. 4718. This bipartisan legislation was estimated to create 212,000 jobs.  The bill would increase certainty for employers by increasing access to capital and allowing for the immediate 50% deduction of the costs associated with new equipment purchases and certain property improvements.  This legislation would create jobs, increase wages and foster economic growth.

In the 113th Congress, I voted in favor of the Federal Lands Jobs and Energy Security Act.  This legislation would expand onshore American energy production on federal lands and create tens of thousands of new American jobs by streamlining government red-tape and regulations.  The House of Representatives passed this bill with a bipartisan vote of 228-192.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In the 113th Congress, I voted for and the House passed H.R. 4, the Jobs for America Act.  This bipartisan legislation would have created hundreds of thousands of jobs.  This bill also contained commonsense policies that would improve forest health, allow for the hiring of more veterans, repeal burdensome policies associated with Obamacare, allow for increased development of our natural resources and provide tax relief to American families as well as small businesses. 

In December 2015, I voted for the bipartisan PATH Act. This legislation prevented tax increases for millions of businesses and hard-working American families. The Path Act made permanent several important tax provisions including: the R&D tax credit, section 179 small business expensing, the state and local sales deduction and 15-year recovery for restaurant and leasehold improvements.  A study by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Foundation found that permanent Section 179 small business expensing will "increase economic output by almost $19 billion and create nearly 200,000 jobs over the next 10 years."    

In January 2015, I introduced H.R. 924, the Responsibility in Federal Contracting Act, legislation which requires the calculation of wages for public works projects to be based on actual statistics calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  For far too long, wages for public works projects have been determined by an outdated and flawed formula that sacrifices accuracy, jobs and billions of federal tax dollars. The current calculation dates back to the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act and is riddled with fraud and abuse as evidenced by multiple Inspector General (IG) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports.  A 2008 Department of Labor Inspector General (IG) report found that “one or more errors existed in 100 percent of the wage reports.”  Research conducted by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that upwards of $13 billion could be wasted over 10 years if Davis-Bacon is left unreformed.  Another reputable economic analysis projected that reforming the current method would have saved the federal government nearly $11 billion in 2011 alone.  My commonsense legislation will cut waste, create jobs and save billions.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Federal regulations affect almost everything we do.  Some regulations are necessary - they protect consumers, public health, the environment, and many other things.  But many regulations constitute an array of unnecessary, burdensome, expensive, and sometimes even counterproductive regulations.  Federal bureaucrats are running wild—developing far more regulations than necessary, often “solutions in search of a problem”—and it has cost our country dearly.

A study from the Heritage Foundation found that regulatory costs have increased $80 billion annually since President Obama took office.  Information from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service reports that the Obama Administration has enacted nearly 22,000 new rules and regulations.  A different study released by the Competitive Enterprise Institute found that Federal government regulations cost our economy $1.88 trillion in 2014 alone.  

Our Founding Fathers intended for the federal government to be a small part of our everyday lives.  The sooner we restore our independent spirit and encourage individual initiative, the sooner our economy will grow. To get there, Congress needs to reassert itself, override job-killing bureaucrats, and implement a whole-scale repeal of unnecessary and wasteful regulations.

Prohibiting Executive Overreach and National Monument Designations

Special interest groups have been pushing for the President Obama to circumvent Congress and make a massive 1.7 million acre designation using the Antiquities Act for the Grand Canyon Watershed.  The intentions of these self-interest groups are clear: they want this designation to prevent energy development, timber harvesting, grazing, mining and different types of recreation on this massive swath of land.  A designation of this size would cause significant harm to our economy and kill thousands of local jobs. In November of 2015, I introduced H.R. 3946, the Protecting Local Communities from Executive Overreach Act, legislation which updates the 1906 Antiquities Act in order to protect property rights, water rights and jobs from presidential abuse of the Antiquities Act. H.R. 3946 is supported by all five Arizona House Republicans and blocks two misguided monument efforts in the Grand Canyon Watershed and the Sedona Verde Valley, both of which have significant local opposition. I have also passed two appropriations amendments through the House to block these unilateral land grabs.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Blocking the EPA's Harmful WOTUS Regulation

The EPA’s new Waters of the U.S. regulation (WOTUS) was slated to go into effect August 28th.   Fortunately, the Sixth Circuit has issued a nationwide stay and temporarily blocked implementation of this new rule.  This job-killing, overreaching water grab being imposed by Washington bureaucrats is a dream killer for future generations that will result in significant job losses and in considerable harm to our economy.   WOTUS contradicts prior Supreme Court decisions by expanding agency control over 60% of our country’s streams and millions of acres of wetlands that were previously non-jurisdictional.  I have been fighting this overreach since the beginning. In May 2014, I sent a letter calling for WOTUS to be withdrawn.  I held a hearing in Phoenix in June 2014 where we heard testimony from 9 Arizona witnesses.  I have introduced legislation, inserted funding riders into appropriations bills, blocked a democrat amendment that tried to strip one of my WOTUS riders and voted at least five different times for legislation that has passed the House to block WOTUS.  In July 2015, I berated EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and submitted revelatory evidence into the Congressional Record from senior Army Corps of Engineer employees which expressed serious legal and scientific deficiencies with the final draft of the WOTUS rule.  In January 2016, the House and Senate passed legislation blocking WOTUS utilizing the Congressional Review Act and put a bill on President Obama's desk.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Fighting back against Obama's War on Coal

The EPA's “Clean Power Plan” rule seeks to dramatically reduce carbon emissions from power plants.  American families are projected to lose almost $600 billion in disposable income as a result of EPA’s new proposed regulation.  An economic analysis also found that this overreaching Washington mandate will kill 226,000 jobs annually and cost our economy $50 billion each year.  All of this economic harm and destruction for our economies will only result in a 1.8% reduction of global carbon-dioxide emissions by the year 2030.  I have cosponsored legislation and twice voted for bills that passed the House to block this overreach.  I also requested a funding rider that was inserted into a House appropriations bill and offered an amendment to formally withdraw this new mandate. In December, the House successfully passed S.J.Res.23 and S.J.Res.24 with my support and triggered the Congressional Review Act to effectively block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) arbitrary regulations for new and existing power plants. Unfortunately, President Obama used a pocket veto days before Christmas in order to veto these critical pieces of legislation.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In January 2016, the House passed legislation of which I am a cosponsor, H.R. 1644, the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act (STREAM Act).  A 2012 Economic Impact Study found that the Obama Administration’s announced Stream Protection Rule could potentially sterilize between 30% and 43% of recoverable reserves which will have devastating effects for both surface and underground coal mines.  The study also found that the associated decline in annual coal production as a result of this rule will have a direct impact on our economy and employment, potentially killing between 133,441 and 273,227 mining-related jobs, and having an associated economic impact of $18 to $25 billion annually.  This important legislation will save mining jobs throughout the country and put an end to the Obama Administration’s secret science justification for Obama’s war on coal.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Blocking the EPA's Unrealistic New Ozone Standards

I recently introduced legislation that will block the EPA’s new ozone regulation published in the Federal Register October 26, 2015. H.J.Res.74 utilizes the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reject this overreach has 82 cosponsors. Most states are just beginning to adopt the 2008 ozone standards as the EPA didn’t announce implementation guidance and a final rule until March 6, 2015. Rather than allowing time for those standards to be implemented, the EPA moved the goal posts and is unilaterally seeking to dramatically lower the ozone standard to 70 parts per billion.  The EPA has reported that 358 counties throughout the country will be immediately noncompliant, and Senator Inhofe has reported that an additional 1,500 counties likely will not meet this new mandate. Nearly 700 stakeholders throughout the country have called on Congress to stop the overreaching new ozone rule that many believe is “the most expensive regulation in history.” On June 12, a witness from the EPA contradicted the need for this new mandate when she testified June 12 before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and stated, “Nationally, since 1980, average ozone levels have fallen by a third.”

Arizona’s Generation and Transmission Cooperatives strongly supports my bill stating, “The revised ozone standards, if fully implemented, would be the most expensive mandate in our nation’s history. The impact on many rural communities would be particularly profound… Rural communities served by AEPCO, where in some areas up to a third of the population we serve live at or below the federal poverty level, already face economic hardship. Job losses in every sector of the local economy have been staggering, and most communities where people receive our power have yet to recover. The cost of this proposal to the rural Arizona worker is real and immediate, while the benefits are unverified and uncertain. We thank you for your leadership in blocking the implementation of the new ozone standard, which threatens the livelihood of rural communities throughout the U.S. and Arizona.

I am proud to be an original cosponsor the A-PLUS Act, H.R. 3541.  The A-PLUS Act is the first step in getting the federal government out of education.  Education is a state issue, and school boards and local communities know what is best for our students.  This legislation restores state and local control in education educations matters and keeps more taxpayer dollars in the classroom.  A-Plus increases transparency and redirects accountability to parents and taxpayers. This legislation also significantly decreases government bureaucracy.  In July 2015, I voted for an amendment to H.R. 5 that sought to implement the A-Plus Act and give states the ability to opt-out of programs within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  This amendment was supported by Heritage Action and the National Taxpayers Union.  Unfortunately, the amendment failed 195-235.

I am a strong supporter of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. SRS payments provide critical funding for more than 700 rural school districts and communities throughout the country.  Historically, twenty-five percent of all timber harvest revenues went to counties with significant National Forest Lands within their borders to be used for education, roads and to offset property tax losses.  Unfortunately, timber harvests are down 80% over the last 30 years, making SRS payments critically important until a point in time when the federal government allows for active management to take place within our nation’s forests.  40 other House colleagues and I led an effort calling on House leadership to allocate full-funding for SRS for fiscal year 2015. Click HERE to read more.

I vehemently oppose national standards like Common core.  One size does not fit all when it comes to education matters and our nation’s youth.  Adopting national standards leads to national tests, which in turn lead to the establishment of a national curriculum and teachers simply “teaching to the test.”  When it comes to running federal programs, the federal government gets an ‘F,’ making national standards a recipe for disaster.  Involvement by the federal government in education only disrupts the fundamental relationship between students, parents, and teachers.  Bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. don't know the educational needs of students in Buckeye, Yuma, Prescott, or Kingman.  I am a cosponsor of H. Res.476, legislation that strongly denounces President Obama’s attempt to coerce states into adopting Common Core.  On March 26, 2015, I submitted a funding rider request with 33 of my colleagues urging the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies to prohibit any funds in fiscal year 2016 from being used to fund Common Core.  Click HERE to read more.

As I mentioned previously, American high school students currently rank 36th in math and 28th in science when compared to other countries throughout the world.  We have high-paying jobs in America that are going unfilled because we don’t have the skilled workers necessary to fill these positions. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, “A 2011 survey of manufacturers found that as many as 600,000 jobs remain unfilled because there is a lack of qualified candidates for technical positions requiring STEM skills—primarily production positions (e.g., machinists, operators, craftworkers, distributors, and technicians).”  I have supported and led a number of initiatives to counteract this problem and firmly believe pursuing strategies to revitalize our communities with a STEM-based economy should be one of our highest priorities.

In February 2015, I voted for and the House passed the Stem Education Act. This commonsense legislation reduced regulatory costs for researchers, added computer science to STEM, accelerated technology transfers and significantly bolstered STEM education. In May 2015, I voted for and the House passed the America Competes Act. This bill also added computer science to STEM and prioritized resources for math, science, biology, engineering, physics and chemistry.  In October 2015, I supported a competitive grant application submitted by Arizona SciTech for the National Science Foundation’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning program.  This award would greatly benefit rural communities and advance STEM education throughout Arizona.

I am an ardent proponent of school choice. Parents should be the ultimate guardians of their children’s educational future. School choice is a great way to keep that decision-making power in the hands of parents. Urban areas in particular face challenges with failing schools, and in many neighborhoods—particularly low-income minority neighborhoods—parents have no choice but to send their children to a failing school.  We need an improved system that allows parents to move their children out of failing schools and provides young adults the opportunity to go into the workforce or higher education system prepared for the challenges ahead.  In order for students to succeed, it is critical that our schools provide a specialized learning experience that is unique to the diverse communities that exist throughout the country.  Click HERE to read more.

Arizona leads the nation in incorporating this philosophy and has more than 500 different charter schools throughout the state.  Charters schools provide parents with more options for improving their children’s livelihoods and allow teachers to utilize more innovation in the classroom. Having said that, many challenges still exist as nationwide there are more than 1 million students on charter school waitlists. Millions of parents want to see these programs expanded and are demanding more opportunities for effective, stimulating educational experiences for their children.  Click HERE to read more.

I have twice voted for legislation that has been signed into law that reauthorized the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which offers students living in low performing school districts a chance to receive a quality education.  The program provides $20 million in school choice scholarships, $20 million to expand charter schools, and $20 million for improvement measures inside public schools.  Since the program’s inception in 2003, parents have raved about the programs’ success.  In 2014, 89 percent of students participating in the program graduated from high school, while only 58 percent of DC public school students graduated. Click HERE to read more.

Past Interior Appropriations bills have included language which prevents funding to be used to establish new charter schools at Bureau funded schools.  I have led multiple efforts to correct this injustice and in the 112th Congress, the House passed my amendment removing the ban on new charter schools on Indian Reservations.  Charter schools should be an available choice to those tribes that want them.  If a tribe chooses not to opt for a charter school approach, then that is its decision, but federal law should not prohibit this practice.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In June 2015, the House passed my amendment that cut the EPA’s budget by $61,304,000 and redirected $50,304,000 to the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).  The funds that weren’t transferred went towards deficit reduction.  While BIE has made efforts to improve on its delivery of this mission, several recent studies have raised concern regarding student achievement at BIE schools compared to Indian students in public schools.  Currently, more than one-third of Bureau funded facilities are in substandard or poor condition.  A sizeable volume of research, including investigations by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), have established direct correlation between facility conditions and poor student outcomes within the BIE.  BIE schools face much more extensive operational costs than most public schools due to the fact that many are located in remote areas far from utility and infrastructure services traditionally provided by municipalities.  This amendment assists with supporting the trust responsibility by helping to provide high quality education for Native American students in an environment that is safe, healthy and conducive for learning.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In recent years, certain states have circumvented the intent of federal immigration law by manipulating in-state requirements and allowing aliens not in lawful immigration status to receive in-state tuition benefits.  It defies commonsense that illegal immigrants should receive in-state tuition for a large and prestigious university in California, while American citizens in Arizona have to pay out-of-state tuition to attend the same university. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, “the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA, P.L. 104-208, Sec. 505) [already] bars states from providing ‘postsecondary education benefits’ to unlawfully present aliens based on their residence in the state unless all U.S. citizens or nationals are eligible for such benefits, regardless of their state of residence.”  Creative loopholes, such as allowing illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates because they happened to graduate from an in-state high school, violate the intent of this law.  My bill closes the loophole that allows illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In 2015, the VA suspended enrollment at Yavapai College in Prescott for over 30 students in the school’s Airline Operations and Helicopter Operations concentrations due to alleged compliance issues.  In response, Sen. John McCain and I contacted the Director of Education Service in the Veterans Benefit Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs opposing this action and demanding answers.  The decision to suspend the aviation program at Yavapai College may have unfairly put some veteran students on the chopping block.  There are veterans who were accepted to this program and uprooted their lives to move to Prescott under the assumption that they were going to pursue an aviation degree.  If there are veterans being punished through no fault of their own, then it is the responsibility of the VA to clearly justify its rationale and explain how this decision serves the best interests of our nation’s heroes.  It is my desire that we do all that we reasonably can to provide quality educational benefits and training programs for our veterans and I will continue to do everything I can on this matter for our veterans.  CLICK HERE to read more.

As you may know, the ESEA first became law in 1965 and established a role for the federal government in every school in the United States.  Since that time, the ESEA has been updated ten times.  Despite its good intentions, NCLB has had disastrous results.  Billions of dollars and thousands of regulations later, very little improvement in education has occurred as a result of this expansion of federal power.  There is a growing consensus that this “test and punish” program has not improved education nationwide.  In addition to being costly, it has erected barriers to effective teaching and learning in schools across the United States.  All of this must change if America is to remain the world’s leader.

In July 2015, I voted for H.R. 5, the Student Success Act that passed the House.  This legislation replaced NCLB and stopped the Obama Administration from implementing Common Core through executive fiat.  The House bill also reduced the role of the federal government in education, restored control of education to state and local governments, eliminated 65 inefficient and duplicative programs, and empowered educators and parents.  The legislation also allowed a vote on three conservative amendments, all of which I supported.  The Walker-DeSantis Amendment allowed states to opt-out of the federal education programs.  The Salmon Amendment allowed parents to opt their students out of Common Core and other federal testing requirements.  The Rokita-Grothman Amendment reduced the length of authorization time in the bill from six years to four years.

Unfortunately, the House bill was substantively different than the final version that came back from the Senate in December. After a conference committee reconciled H.R. 5 with the Senate’s Every Child Achieves Act, I could no longer support the legislation. 63 other members joined me in opposition to this flawed legislation that was supported by the unions. The conference report gutted many of the conservative reforms in the bill that would have returned control of education to state and local governments. President Obama and many liberal organizations praised the bill because it maintained much of the federal government involvement in education.

During 2015, I was able to get nine of my legislative initiatives signed into public law and passed 27 amendments through the House. My WAPA Report language will bring transparency to this massive bureaucracy. Retention of one of my riders prohibits funds for an unconstitutional National Roadside Survey. Retention of another of my riders will save taxpayer money and prohibit wasteful spending on Scrims.

In June of 2015, the House passed my amendment to prohibit any funds from being used for the Federal Transit Administration’s proposed Rapid Growth Area Transit Program.  With significant infrastructure needs, including road and bridge maintenance, now is not the time to be spending $500 million on a new discretionary bus transit program.  CLICK HERE to learn more about my successful effort that was signed into law and blocked one of President Obama’s terrible new proposals, keeping $500 million in the Highway Trust Fund.

In June 2015, the House passed my amendment that cut the EPA budget by $61,304,000. Over the past 6 years, the EPA, at the behest of the Obama Administration, has taken unprecedented actions to defy the rule of law and enact far-left, extremist policies by executive fiat. In response, I am more than happy to remind this out-of-control, rogue agency about our Constitution and system of checks and balances which includes ‘the power of the purse’ granted to the House of Representatives. Click HERE to read more.

Another one of my amendments passed into law will save taxpayer money and prohibits funds from being used on Government Travel Charge Card expenses for gaming, or entertainment that includes topless or nude entertainers.  "A recent Defense inspector general report found that civilian and military employees between 2013 and 2014 used government charge cards to make more than $1 million in purchases at casinos and to pay for adult entertainment."  CLICK HERE to read more.

In June 2015, I passed an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016 which cut funds from the Department of Justice's General Legal Account, specifically targeting the Deputy Attorney General's office until the Attorney General fully enforces current federal criminal immigration laws.  In recent years, DOJ has instructed U.S. Attorney’s Offices in some states not to prosecute persons that violate certain criminal immigration laws and to terminate worthwhile enforcement programs like Operation Streamline.  In order to change the rampant culture of corruption within this rogue agency, I cut funds for DOJ employees who have failed to enforce our immigration laws.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In June 2015, I passed two amendments through the House and cut $10 million from ATF's budget.  My first successful amendment cut $5 million from ATF bureaucrats and redirected those resources to Veterans Treatment Courts.  My second successful amendment cut $5 million from ATF bureaucrats and redirected those resources amendment to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, restoring PDMP funding to the original House-approved levels from last year.  PDMP has proven to be an effective tool in reducing the growth of prescription drug abuse which has contributed to addiction, health deterioration and even untimely death for far too many across our country.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In May 2015, I introduced the bipartisan No Welfare for Weed Act.  A Fox31 Denver investigation from February of last year revealed tens of thousands of dollars have been pulled out of ATM’s using welfare EBT cards and been used to purchase marijuana.  Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell stated in a letter to Senator Sessions that the federal government does not have the authority to prevent states from allowing welfare recipients to purchase marijuana with welfare benefits.  H.R. 2331, the Bipartisan No Welfare for Weed Act, provides a mechanism and prohibits marijuana from being purchased with SNAP and TANF welfare benefits.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In March 2015, I introduced bipartisan legislation, H.R. 2210, the Coach-Only Airfare for Capitol Hill Act, to prohibit members of Congress from using official funds known as Member Representational Allowance (MRA) to purchase first-class airline tickets while traveling for official Congressional duties.  Currently, there exists a loophole that allows members of Congress to fly first-class at the expense of hardworking taxpayers.  Members of Congress are public servants of the people and should not be considered a privileged status.  As current regulations prevent men and women serving in the U.S. military from flying first-class, there is absolutely no reason why members of Congress should be given a special exemption not offered to our nation’s heroes. It’s time to end the double standard and rein in this abuse.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In the 113th Congress, I had more success than any other member of Congress, with six bills signed into law by the president, 12 other of my legislative efforts becoming law, 24 of my amendments passing the House, and positively affecting almost one billion dollars in federal spending. Most of my successful amendments targeted wasteful spending and government overreach. I successfully passed amendments that cut $345.6 million for the IRS budget and prohibited bonuses for IRS executives, blocked funds from going towards an unconditional roadside survey, and blocked Obama's request for $29 million for a new, duplicative climate change program.

In the 2014 appropriations season, I had more success than any other member of Congress, passing 21 of 27 amendments (78%) and positively affecting approximately $911,565,856 in spending.  My amendments accounted for more than 10% of the total amendments passed by the House during the appropriations season.  I have been relentless in such pursuits and have sought to restore fiscal responsibility as well as commonsense to a bloated federal government that has lost its way. I will continue to cut wasteful federal spending wherever I can. The American people and taxpayers deserve nothing less.

In June of 2014, the House passed my amendment to prohibit approximately $440 million dollars within the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2015 from being disbursed to ISIS, Hamas, Iran, the Palestinian Authority and other Foreign Terrorist Organizations.  With our federal debt and foreign policy in shambles, it is long past time that Congress prevent federal dollars from going towards organizations and countries who actively work to harm the United States and its interests. Click HERE to read more.

In July of 2014, the House of Representatives sent a strong message to the IRS and the Administration, "Shape up or lose your funding."  The House passed an appropriations bill which cut funding to the IRS by over $1 billion and to its lowest level since 2003.  The House unanimously adopted one my amendments that cut funds for the IRS by $353 million as part of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of fiscal year 2015.  Another one of my successful amendments prohibited bonuses for senior executive service employees at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for fiscal year 2015.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In July 2014, the House passed my amendment and blocked Obama's request for $29 million for a new, duplicative climate change program.  The non-partisan Congressional Research Service estimates the Administration has spent almost $77 billion from FY2008 through FY2013 studying and trying to develop global climate change regulations.  This amendment was about restoring fiscal responsibility and efficiency to federal spending as well as preventing duplication.  CLICK HERE to learn more about my successful effort that was signed into law and blocked Obama’s $29 million and $18.7 million requests for a new climate change program.

In July 2014, the House passed two of my amendments to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2015 to save taxpayers money.  My first successful amendment saved $3.1 million and prevented a budget increase for the United States Botanic Garden.  My second successful amendment that was signed into law prevented printing of life-size photographs of building facades on scrims that conceal scaffolding erected to repair public buildings in the United States Capitol Complex.  The Architect of the Capitol wasted a bunch of taxpayer money on this practice during renovations of the Supreme Court and justified this lavish practice by asserting that this practice is "used extensively in Europe."  The only reason there is not a wasteful scrim concealing the scaffolding of the Capitol right now is because of my language in law blocking this practice.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In June 2014, I first pushed a legislative effort to prohibit funds for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Roadside Survey. This program was not only wasteful and ineffective, but it was an infringement on our Constitutional rights to privacy and the 4th Amendment civil liberties of American Citizens.  The implementation of the survey used uniformed police officers to stop drivers and allow researchers to collect a passive alcohol sensor reading before the driver agreed to participate in the survey. Previous surveys have squandered almost $8 million dollars of taxpayer money and done nothing to make our communities safer. CLICK HERE to learn more this successful legislative effort that was signed into federal law in both the 2014 and 2015 end-of-the-year spending bills.

In response to the Army mandating new uniforms, I heard objections from many active-duty service members, veterans and constituents in my district.  These citizens claimed the old CWU model is in fact safer, cheaper and more efficient.  As a result, I passed an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act that was estimated to save more than $5 million by requiring the Army to move back to the CWU-27/P Army Aviation Flight Uniforms.  Click HERE to read more. 

In the 113th Congress, an Inspector General Report highlighted a disgraceful example of government waste. The report found that in 2010 the federal government spent more than $3 million dollars on patrol boats for the Afghan National Police that were never shipped to the landlocked Afghanistan.  According to the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the cost of each patrol boat was more than $265,000.  The Washington Post has reported that similar patrol boats can be purchased in the United States for approximately $50,000. My successful amendment passed the House and prohibited the Department of Defense from wasting more money on storage for these eight patrol boats which had already cost taxpayers more than $3 million.  Click HERE to read more.

I passed an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Act that prohibited more than $440 million in aid from going to the governments of Iran and Syria, in addition to the Palestinian Authority/Hamas coalition, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and all other foreign terrorist organizations. 

I passed an amendment by a bipartisan vote of 236-182 to block funds for "Sanctuary City" policies.

I introduced H.R. 4856, which prevents gang members and violent criminal aliens from receiving amnesty.

I joined several of my colleagues in introducing H.R. 5816, the Resettlement Accountability National Security Prioritization Act. This legislation puts an immediate moratorium on refugees from Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq until Congress approves a new screening mechanism put forth by the administration.

During the 113th Congress, I introduced H.R. 1922, the Foreign Assistance Under Limitation and Transparency (FAULT) Act.  This legislation sought to prohibit foreign assistance to Iran, North Korea, Syria, Egypt, and Pakistan.  American taxpayers should not be footing the bill to send foreign aid to countries that undermine our national interests and threaten the safety of important allies like Israel.

• Voted for H.R. 5471, the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act
• Voted for H.R. 4038, the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act
• Voted for H.R. 4314, Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act
• Voted for H.R. 4820, Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act
• Voted for H.R. 5631, the Iran Accountability Act
• Voted for H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act
• Cosponsor of H.R. 300, the Smart Border Act
• Cosponsor of H.R. 4034, the Secure Fence Restoration Act
• Cosponsor of H.R. 3314, the Refugee Resettlement National Security Act

• Cosponsor of H.R. 4078, the Give States a Chance Act
• Cosponsor of H.R. 4032, the State’s Right of Refugee Refusal Act

The United States already takes in more immigrants than any other country on the planet. Allowing tens of thousands of refugees to enter our country further strains our out-of-control deficit spending. Even more troubling, leaders from the FBI, National Counterterrorism Center and the Department of Homeland Security have said they do not have the necessary on-the-ground intelligence to thoroughly vet refugees.  Until there is a certification process in place that we can trust to prevent terrorist threats in America, the administration’s refugee program should be paused.

My colleagues and I are trying to stop these transfers in Congress. I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 3314, the Refugee Resettlement National Security Act, legislation that puts an immediate moratorium on the refugee resettlement program and prevent these potentially dangerous individuals from entering our borders. I also joined several of my colleagues in introducing H.R. 5816, the Resettlement Accountability National Security Prioritization Act. This legislation is a more targeted approach that puts an immediate moratorium on refugees from Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq until Congress approves a new screening mechanism put forth by the administration. Finally, I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 4078, the Give States a Chance Act and H.R. 4032, the State’s Right of Refugee Refusal Act. These bills seek to allow governors to refuse placement of refugees.  

With overwhelming bipartisan support, the House passed the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act with my support. This legislation requires all 38 participating countries to provide counterterrorism information and other critical intelligence while denying Visa Waiver Program status for those who have traveled to terrorist hotbeds, like Iraq and Syria. This is a common sense step that can be done immediately to stop the flow of potential terrorists entering the United States.

The Paris Agreement was entered without Congressional approval and would not have any significant on the climate, costing the United States approximately $25,000,000,000 and 2,700,000 jobs by 2025. In 2017, President Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. This past November was our first opportunity to withdraw officially. I co-sponsored H. Res. 676 that would submit official resignation of the Paris Agreement.

I co-sponsored a bill to terminate the designation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally. The Haqqani Network is an extremely dangerous insurgent group with significant ties to the Taliban operating out of Pakistan. This bill is designed to make sure the president and Congress take steps to eliminate Pakistan’s assistance with this terrorist organization.

In February 2019, a suicide bomber killed 40 Indians in the Pulwama District, near Kashmir. The terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammad is based in Pakistan. I co-sponsored H. Res. 261 condemning this attack, honoring the 40 Indian paramilitary force members who lost their lives. This resolution also recognizes the threat Jaish-e-Mohammad poses to the region and calls on the Pakistani government to end its support of these internationally recognized terrorist organizations.

Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, stated “It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations, and to extend its power to the entire planet.” Sayyid Qutb, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in the mid-20th century, wanted to extend Sharia law throughout the entire globe. Many groups connected to the Muslim Brotherhood are terrorist organizations and the top Muslim countries consider the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. All these reasons and more are why the United States should classify the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. In May 2019, I co-sponsored H. Res. 2412 requesting the Secretary of State to make this classification in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. 

As our strongest ally in the Middle East, it is in the vital interest of the United States to stand together with Israel against a rising tide of extremism.  Our two nations must show the courage necessary to thwart terrorist organizations like ISIS and to make the hard choices necessary to ensure peace.  I am a member of the bipartisan United States Israel Allies Caucus.  I am also an ardent supporter of Israel, and I have taken numerous actions to support this country during my time in Congress.  I have voted in favor of all legislation and amendments that have come to the House floor that would protect and support Israel. 

Most recently, I co-sponsored a bill that opposes the BDS Movement. The Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement, as our bill states, promotes principles of collective guilt, mass punishment, and group isolation, which are destructive of prospects for progress towards peace and a two-state solution. H. Res. 246 urges Israelis and Palestinians to return to direct negotiations. The anti-Semitic BDS movement has also made its way into our schools, as foreign funds and biased teaching is influencing our young professionals rather than providing them with an honest representation of the world. In February, I sent a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to investigate the use of Title VI funding by the University of Arizona's Center for Middle Eastern Studies to promote pro-BDS teachings. The University of Arizona, and all Arizona institutions for higher education, are the crown jewel of our state and shape the next generation of American private and public leaders. Using government funds to fund this biased teaching does not comply with government rules and hurts the reputations of our institutions, and I continue to push for oversight to protect this esteemed tradition. 

I have also fought against any attacks on the sovereignty of Israel coming from within our own government. When House Democrats penned a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatening to cut off funding to Israel should it take action in the West Bank, I joined a counter letter pushing back on the politicized and false information expressed in the Democratic letter. This letter recognized the strong friendship existing between our nations, clearly highlighted continuous efforts by Israel to make peace in the West Bank, and the fact that Palestine has met these diplomatic overtures with violence. I continue to fight in Congress to make sure our foreign interests remain in supporting and deepening our relations with Israel while also pushing back on anti-Israel sentiments within our own government. 

I have led and supported multiple measures to strengthen our ties with Israel through both military and economic partnerships.  These efforts include: Passing multiple amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act in support of Israel’s inherent right to self-defense against regional aggression; H.Res.485, expressing solidarity with the people of Israel in the wake of terrorist attacks and condemning the Palestinian Authority for inciting violence; H.Res.551, recognizing the importance of the US-Israel economic relationship and encouraging new areas of cooperation;H.Res.729, expressing support for a new Memorandum of Understanding on military assistance to Israel.  These are just a handful of examples in which I have stood with the Israeli people.  Rest assured that as your Congressman, I will continue to support Israel and seek peace through strength.

I have been a consistent supporter of sanctions against Iran, one of the greatest threats to Israel.  Sanctions are a crucial tool to limit the power of Iran and the terrorist organizations that it supports, including Hamas and Hezbollah.  I voted in favor of increased sanctions each time they were brought before the House and these sanctions crippled the Iranian economy and crushed their currency, the rial.  Perhaps the strongest of those bills was H.R. 850, the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act, from the 113th Congress.  That bill increased terrorism and human rights sanctions, economic and financial sanctions, and promoted divestment from Iranian companies.

Recently, I co-sponsored H.Res. 374, Condemning Iranian state-sponsored terrorism and expressing support for the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear republic of Iran. This resolution calls on European allies to help hold Iran accountable and stands with peaceful Iranian protestors who are holding Iran’s corrupt and oppressive regime accountable.

I fought adamantly against the disastrous Iran Deal, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rightfully called a “historic mistake.”  The deal lifts sanctions almost immediately rather than tying them to verifiable progress; it does not allow for a sufficient inspections regime; fails to curb Iran’s ballistic missile program; and allows Iran to keep its advanced centrifuges.  Further, the arms embargo will become porous in the near term and will be completely lifted in five years—all while freeing up hundreds of millions of dollars to the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.  We also learned that the U.S. flew $400 million in ransom money to Iran as part of the hostage negotiation.  Each of these provisions makes this so called ‘deal’ unacceptable.  For these reasons, I was proud to join the House in voting against approval of the proposed Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, by a vote of 269-162; voting in favor of restricting President Obama from lifting current sanctions against Iran, by a vote of 247-186; and voting 245-186 to find that the Obama broke the law by not disclosing multiple side agreements.  CLICK HERE to read more.

We had a big win back in October of 2016 when the Fish and Wildlife Service held a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of the new water intake system and that operations of the rainbow trout stocking program will resume at the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery.

In November 2013, the Fish and Wildlife Service tried to terminate this program and threatened 1,700 jobs and $75 million in associated economic output in Mohave County. I fought for you to reverse this terrible bureaucratic decision and we were successful. 

The loss of the trout stocking program would have had a devastating economic effect on local communities. In fact, the state’s sport fishing industry relies on the national hatchery system for more than 97 percent of sport fish stocked in Arizona. Click HERE to read more. 

Another big victory came in Lake Havasu City, where we were able to lead a grassroots effort to keep Lake Havasu open for all users. 

When the Fish and Wildlife Service attempted to close down significant areas on Lake Havasu to motorized boating activities, I led the charge to get the agency to withdraw its 2016 proposal and passed an amendment through the House to reopen the part of the reservoir that was shut down for no good reason in 2015. Click HERE to read more. 

• I am the founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional I-11 Caucus. My I-11 Intermountain West Corridor Development Act was signed into law in December of 2015. I-11 and the Intermountain West Corridor will generate $22 billion for our economy and create at least 240,000 permanent jobs. Click Here to read more.
• My Southeast Arizona Land Exchange Act that was signed into law will create approximately 3,700 new jobs, generate $60 billion for Arizona’s economy and provide 25% of the United States’ copper supply. Click Here to read more.
• I successfully passed legislation into law that will resolve a non-controversial legal hurdle allowing for the pursuit of new economic development projects within the City of Flagstaff. Click Here to read more. 
• My Grand Canyon Tourism Jobs Protection Act that was signed into law has helped create jobs and allowed for 1,721 additional Grand Canyon flights per year utilizing quiet technology. Click Here to read more.My Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act that was signed into law has assisted with preventing dangerous wildfires in Arizona by reauthorizing stewardship contracting and good neighbor authority. Click Here to read more.
• When the Fish and Wildlife Service over-inflated the costs of repairing a broken water supply line by millions of dollars so it could terminate the rainbow trout stocking program at the Willow Beach Fish Hatchery, I acted to save the program and preserve 1,700 jobs and $75 million in associated economic output. Click Here to read more.
• My La Paz County Land Conveyance Act directed the Secretary of the Interior to convey 5,935 acres of Federal Land to La Paz County to use this land for economic development opportunities. This legislation reduced the federal footprint in a county where only about 5% of the land is private. More HERE.
• My Cottonwood Land Exchange Act. authorized the U.S. Forest Service to exchange, at the request of Yavapai County, 80 acres of federal lands in the Coconino National Forest for 369 acres of lands owned by the county. The County intends to maximize use of Windmill Park to better serve the residents of Yavapai County, the City of Cottonwood and the community of Cornville. More HERE.
• My Black Mountain Range and Bullhead City Land Exchange Act authorized Bullhead City to donate the 1,100 acre mountainous property currently owned by the City to the Bureau of Land Management in exchange for 345.2 acres of land in Bullhead City, known as Section 12, a highly sought property within city limits along the Colorado River. This law will allow for new economic opportunities for Bullhead City. More HERE.
• My the Embry-Riddle Tri-City Land Exchange Completion Act supported the continued growth and development of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the local community by removing the outdated reversionary clause from a 16-acre parcel of land. More HERE.
• When the BLM was considering merging its Arizona and New Mexico field offices, I acted to prevent that merger and keep those jobs in Arizona benefiting our economy as well as natural resource and agriculture users in the process. Click Here to read more.
• When the Fish and Wildlife Service attempted to close down significant areas on Lake Havasu to motorized boating activities, I led the charge to get the agency to withdraw its 2016 proposal and passed an amendment through the House to reopen the part of the reservoir that was shut down for no good reason in 2015. Click Here to read more.
• When the ICE Detention facility in Florence was considering releasing an illegal immigrant with drug resistant tuberculosis into the Pinal County Community, I led the effort to prevent this occurrence. Click Here to read more.
• I passed the Grand Canyon Bison Management Act through the House as part of H.R. 2406, allowing for the responsible management of more than 800 invasive “beefalo” that have invaded the Grand Canyon and are trampling the park. Click Here to read more.
• In order to facilitate trade and benefit communities like Yuma, I pressed the Department of Homeland Security to provide adequate staffing at Arizona ports and for our state to receive its fair share of 2,000 new Customs and Border Protection officers. Click Here to read more.
• To address increasing burro populations that are threatening public safety in Bullhead City, Lake Havasu City, Yuma, Oatman and other parts of Arizona, I worked with the Appropriations Committee to direct the BLM “to work cooperatively with States and other partners to control wild horse and burro herds.” Click Here to read more.
• I have continually led the charge to ensure full-funding for our counties through the PILT program, a program that provides compensation for massive swaths of federal lands within county borders. My colleagues and I were able to get the House to provide full-funding in this year’s Interior Appropriations bill. Click Here to read more.
• As a result of the Fish and Wildlife’s failed management of the Mexican wolf, that has caused the wolf to linger on the endangered species list for nearly 40 years, I passed an amendment that will allow for the responsible state management of the population. Click Here to read more.
• I passed an amendment blocking Obama from unilaterally designating the proposed Grand Canyon Watershed, Sedona and expanded Sonoran Desert Monuments. Click Here to read more.
• I successfully passed an amendment that cut wasteful spending and redirected $70 million to wildfire prevention programs. Click Here to read more.
• I passed an amendment providing $2,000,000 for Quagga and Zebra Mussel containment, prevention, and enforcement. Click Here to read more.

• I passed a House amendment blocking funds for sanctuary city policies 236-182. Click Here to read more.
• I inserted an appropriations rider this fiscal year ensuring no funds for Obama’s executive amnesty orders. Click Here to read more.
• After it was revealed that veterans were being forwarded to voicemail and not receiving an adequate response when contacting a suicide hotline, I passed a bipartisan provision through the House that will ensure veterans receive an immediate response from a trained professional when calling the Veterans Crisis Line. Click Here to read more.
• When the Secret Service broke the law and leaked private information about OGR Chairman Jason Chaffetz, I led a bipartisan effort that resulted in 42 employees being fired or suspended. Click Here to read more.
• When the IRS targeted conservative groups, I passed an amendment into law that cut the agency’s budget by $350 million. Click Here to read more.
• When the Department of Transportation was violating our Fourth Amendment Rights, I passed an amendment into public law in multiple years that prohibited funds for the administration’s unconstitutional roadside survey. Click Here to read more.
• I introduced legislation and passed two amendments through the House to block Obama’s regulation that aimed to take over the local zoning process and allow Washington bureaucrats to dictate where we live. Click Here to read more.
• After an Inspector General report revealed that more than 5,000 transactions and more $1 million had been squandered, I passed an amendment into public law that prohibited Government Travel Charge Cards from being used at strip clubs and for gambling. Click Here to read more.
• I passed an amendment that prevented $440 million from going to terrorist organizations ISIS, the Hamas/Palestinian authority coalition and other FTO’s. I also passed an amendment previously that  prohibited funds from going to the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran. Click Here to read more.I passed an amendment that successfully prevented President Obama’s proposed $500 million raid of the Highway Trust Fund, preserving important federal funding for roads and bridge in the process. Click Here to read more.I spearheaded the effort to defeat the Obama Administration's unconstitutional WOTUS rule, a proposed regulation that attempted to expand agency control over millions of acres of water and land. This unlawful new mandate caused significant harm to farmers, energy companies, small businesses and other job creators throughout the nation. I held a hearing, introduced legislation, defeated a Democrat amendment and successfully inserted appropriations riders utilizing the power of the purse to block WOTUS. Click Here to read more.
• I passed two amendments that cut the EPA's budget by more than $130 million. Click Here to read more.
• When the EPA and USGS attempted to expand jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act through unlawful guidance, I passed an amendment to defund this agency document. Click Here to read more.I passed an amendment prohibiting funds for the “Social Cost of Carbon”. Click Here to read more.
• My Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act increased transparency, consolidated multiple reports and required the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to do a thorough inventory of its assets as well as prioritize major repairs necessary at the agency’s facilities. More HERE.

During 2015, I was able to get eight of my legislative initiatives signed into public law and passed 27 amendments through the House. I also held 45 town halls and public meetings, completed 940 constituent requests for assistance with government agencies, and sent over 49,000 letters to constituents.  

My Intermountain West Corridor Development Act of 2015 was included in the Transportation bill and signed into law. This legislation extends the future I-11 beyond the Phoenix – Las Vegas region. Extending I-11 and allowing it to become the main transportation corridor in the West will be an economic boon for our communities, creating jobs, allowing for an easier flow of goods and services and authorizing the construction of much needed infrastructure. My WAPA Report language aimed at bringing transparency to this massive bureaucracy. 

Retention of one of my riders prohibited funds for an unconstitutional National Roadside Survey. I was able to secure important resources for the Lower Santa Cruz Feasibility Study. Retention of another of my riders saved taxpayer money and prohibit wasteful spending on Scrims. Another one of my amendments adopted into law blocked Obama's $500 million request for a wasteful new bus program and leaves those dollars in the Highway Trust Fund to be spent on roads and bridges. Another one of my amendments passed into law saved taxpayer money and prohibited funds from being used on Government Travel Charge Card expenses for gaming, or entertainment that includes topless or nude entertainers. Finally, I was able to secure an increase for SCAAP, an important grant program that reimburses states and local governments for the cost of incarcerating illegal immigrants convicted of crimes. 

In the 113th Congress, I had more success than any other member of Congress, with six bills signed into law by Obama, 12 other of my legislative efforts becoming law, 25 of my amendments passing the House, and positively affecting almost one billion dollars in federal spending. Most of my successful amendments targeted wasteful spending and government overreach. I successfully passed amendments that cut $345.6 million for the IRS budget and prohibited bonuses for IRS executives, blocked funds from going towards an unconditional roadside survey, and blocked Obama's request for $29 million for a new, duplicative climate change program.

Short Summary: Six bills signed into law. 12 amendments/additional legislative efforts became law. Six bills passed the full House. Six bills passed full Committee. Passed 25 amendments/legislative efforts through the House. Cut nearly $1 billion in spending with own initiatives in House Appropriations bills. Positively affected at least 217,400 jobs with own initiatives.

1.       H.R. 687—Southeast Arizona Land Exchange (Included in H.R. 3979) READ MORE

2.       H.R. 1216—Designating the Prescott Vet Center for Dr. Cam McKinley READ MORE

3.       H.R. 1345—Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act (Included in H.R. 2642) READ MORE

4.       H.R. 3027—Designating the Post Office in Prescott for Sen. Barry Goldwater READ MORE

5.       H.R. 4924—Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act READ MORE

6.       H.R. 862—Coconino National Forest Land Conveyance Act (Gosar-Kirkpatrick bill) READ MORE

1.       Unconstitutional Roadside Survey Rider— Prohibits funds for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Roadside Survey READ MORE

2.       Scrim Rider— Prohibits funds for life-size photographs of building facades on scrims  READ MORE

3.       Climate Model Development and Validation Program Rider—Prohibits funds for “new initiatives” on climate model development and validation READ MORE

4.       Portrait Rider—Prohibits funds government-wide to paint official portraits. READ MORE

5.       Cut $345.6 million for the IRS. Gosar amendment that passed House cut $353 million READ MORE

6.       Cut $8 million from Department of Justice bureaucrats and transferred that money to bolster Prescription Drug Monitoring activities READ MORE

7.       Full funding for the PILT program in fiscal year 2015 READ MORE

8.       Sufficient funding for the Combating Terrorism Tech Support Program READ MORE

9.       Sufficient funding  for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) READ MORE

10.     Secured $1.6 million for the Rio de Flag flood control project READ MORE

11.     Secured $100,000 for the Lower Santa Cruz River Watershed Project READ MORE

12.     Court confirms Gosar amendment to protect 2nd amendment on Corps of Engineers' land READ MORE

1.       H.R. 687—Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act READ MORE

2.       H.R. 1345—Catostrophic Wildfire Prevention Act (Included in H.R. 1526) READ MORE

3.       H.R. 3027—Designating the Post Office in Prescott for Sen. Barry Goldwater READ MORE

4.       H.R. 4924—Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act READ MORE

5.       H.R. 5026—Fish Hatchery Protection Act (Natural Resources and Administration has pledged to restart rainbow trout program) READ MORE

6.       H.R. 862—Coconino National Forest Land Conveyance Act (Gosar-Kirkpatrick bill) READ MORE

1.       H.AMDT.296—Chu Memo READ MORE

2.       H.AMDT.633—Prohibits Unofficial Record Systems at VA READ MORE

3.       H.AMDT.635—Redirects funds to Vet IT Services READ MORE

4.       H.AMDT.644—Reduces funds to House Botanic Garden READ MORE

5.       H.AMDT.716—Redirects funds from DOJ Legal Activities to Prescription Drug Mon. Program READ MORE

6.       H.AMDT.721—Redirects funds from ATF to Vet Treatment Courts READ MORE

7.       H.AMDT.726—Redirects funds to Byrne-JAG program READ MORE

8.       H.AMDT.813—Prohibiting implementation of HUD’s AFFH proposed rule READ MORE

9.       H.AMDT.814—Prohibits funds for NHTSA Roadside Survey READ MORE

10.     H.AMDT.850—Redirects funds from USDA CFO to USDA OIG (*bill pulled*) READ MORE

11.     H.AMDT.852—Redirects funds from USDA-OGC to Spending Reduction (*bill pulled*) READ MORE

12.     H.AMDT.921—Prohibits funds to pay for storage of certain unused patrol boats READ MORE

13.     H.AMDT.925—Prohibits funds to procure A2CU uniforms READ MORE

14.     H.AMDT.944—Prohibits funds to PA, Iran, Syria, ISIS, and Hamas READ MORE

15.     H.AMDT.1045—Prohibits DOE’s Climate Model Development Program READ MORE

16.     H.AMDT.1046—Prohibits funds for high-efficiency toilets READ MORE

17.     H.AMDT.1061—Cuts funds for IRS READ MORE

18.     H.AMDT.1064—Redirects funds from to US Courts from GSA Rental Money READ MORE

19.     H.AMDT.1068—Redirects funds from SBA salaries & expenses to entrepreneurial development READ MORE

20.     H.AMDT.1079—Prohibits funds to pay bonuses to IRS employees READ MORE

21.     H.AMDT.1146—Forces EPA to make scientific info used to propose their rules available online READ MORE

22.     En Bloc Amendment to NDAA (2014)—Expressing Congress’ Support for Israel’s Right to Self-Defense READ MORE

23.     En Bloc Amendment to NDAA (2014)—All Resources Projects Must Comply with INRMP, Not Just On-Installation Projects READ MORE

24.     Leg Branch Approps Request— Prohibits funds for life-size photographs of building facades on scrims  READ MORE

25.     En Bloc Amendment to NDAA (2013) —Expressing Congress’ Support for Israel’s Right to Self-Defense READ MORE

On October 26, 2015, I spearheaded a bipartisan letter signed by 30 members of Congress to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson and Secret Service Director Joseph P. Clancy demanding that corrective action be taken against all Secret Service employees who broke the law by improperly accessing and leaking private information about House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz. In November 2015, Secret Service Director Joseph P. Clancy testified at a joint hearing that 42 Secret Service employees will be disciplined for their actions relating to the information breach of Chariman Chaffetz personal information. Director Clancey stated that each of these agents will receive three to 12 day suspensions, and that some could even possibly be fired.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform also watches over other activities within the executive branch, including misguided and dangerous programs such as Operation Fast and Furious.  Operation Fast and Furious was part of the Southwest Border Initiative conducted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the ATF.  It facilitated the exchange and transportation of firearms into Mexico and into the hands of felons and drug cartels.  This operation resulted in thousands of high powered firearms flowing into the hands of Mexican drug cartel leaders. A couple of these firearms were used to murder Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.  They have also turned up at over a hundred Mexican crime scenes.  It is tragic that a government tasked with protecting Americans and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals in fact dedicated precious resources and taxpayer dollars to doing the opposite.  Even more chilling, congressional investigation has found that thousands of guns ushered into the hands of these criminals are still out there.  The Committee is continuing to seek justice for agents like Brian Terry and was able to insert a provision in this year's end-of-the-year spending bill blocking Fast and Furious like programs. CLICK HERE to read more.

Under Administrator McCarthy’s direction, the EPA continues to enact job-killing regulations that increase food prices and energy costs for hard-working American families.  Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost as a result of these new mandates, which disproportionately impact the poor.  This should be concerning enough, but to make matters worse, these regulations are not based on science and are being imposed through lies to Congress and the American people.  On numerous occasions, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy broke the law by lying to Congress in order to force misguided and overreaching regulations, which have no scientific basis, down our throats.  We must hold D.C. bureaucrats accountable when they commit perjury or make false statements in order to implement President Obama’s misguided agenda.  Perjury before Congress is perjury to the American people and an affront to the core principles of our Republic and that is why I introduced articles of impeachment to remove Administrator McCarthy from office. Click HERE to read more.

As an employee of the federal government, Lois Lerner took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.  Her behavior, however, was directly contradictory to the Constitution.  As a former public servant, Mrs. Lerner has an obligation to give the American people answers as to why their government chose to target specific groups based on their political ideologies. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on which I serve, subpoenaed Mrs. Lerner to provide those answers, but she refused to comply by asserting her right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment.  However, before pleading the Fifth, she declared her innocence, thereby waiving her right to remain silent.  She has since continued her refusal to testify, which is why the House voted with my support to hold her in contempt in May 2014.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In conducting an honest review of Holder’s legacy, one must address the racial tension he created. His incessant focus on these issues only worsened race relations in a country that, despite its shaky past, had made much progress in this area. Holder criticized several states for their voter ID laws, and even prosecuted Alabama for passing laws he claimed violated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act—laws that were intended to prevent illegals and non-citizens from voting.  The list of egregious offenses during the Holder era  goes on and on: assault on the Second Amendment and Operation Choke Point, Fast and Furious, failure to prosecute members of the New Black Panther Party, the IRS scandal, spying on journalist James Rosen, tapping the phone records of the Associated Press, failing to enforce our immigration laws, encouraging state attorney generals not to enforce laws they philosophically disagree with, advising Obama that he didn’t need to follow the law and notify Congress prior to the Bergdahl-Taliban swap,  etc. Suffice it to say that no Attorney General—in fact, no cabinet member—has had a more scandal-plagued tenure.  I led the charge against Attorney General Eric Holder and introduced a bill that garnered 142 cosponsors “expressing no confidence” in Holder.  Those sentiments were expressed when the House ultimately voted to hold Attorney General Holder in contempt of Congress in 2012.

I joined 18 other members of the House in introducing legislation that will initiate articles of impeachment against John Koskinen, Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), for high crimes and misdemeanors. Under the direction of Commissioner John Koskinen, IRS officials have led a coordinated effort to hide the truth about this rogue agency’s targeting of innocent Americans based on their political beliefs. On Koskinen’s watch, the IRS intentionally destroyed nearly 24,000 emails from Lois Lerner and failed to comply with a Congressional subpoena. To make matters worse, Commissioner Koskinen made a series of false and misleading statements, under oath, to Congress at multiple committee hearings on this matter. Koskinen said in March 2014 that the IRS had turned over all Lerner’s emails and all requested information, yet, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration uncovered more than 1,000 emails that the IRS tried to hide. CLICK HERE to read more.

In January 2015, I introduced H.R. 924, the Responsibility in Federal Contracting Act, legislation which requires the calculation of wages for public works projects to be based on actual statistics calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  For far too long, wages for public works projects have been determined by an outdated and flawed formula that sacrifices accuracy, jobs and billions of federal tax dollars. The current calculation dates back to the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act and is riddled with fraud and abuse as evidenced by multiple Inspector General (IG) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports.  A 2008 Department of Labor Inspector General (IG) report found that “one or more errors existed in 100 percent of the wage reports.”  Research conducted by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that upwards of $13 billion could be wasted over 10 years if Davis-Bacon is left unreformed.  Another reputable economic analysis projected that reforming the current method would have saved the federal government nearly $11 billion in 2011 alone.  My commonsense legislation will cut waste, create jobs and save billions.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In March 2015, I introduced bipartisan legislation, H.R. 2210, the Coach-Only Airfare for Capitol Hill Act, to prohibit members of Congress from using official funds known as Member Representational Allowance (MRA) to purchase first-class airline tickets while traveling for official Congressional duties.  Currently, there exists a loophole that allows members of Congress to fly first-class at the expense of hardworking taxpayers.  Members of Congress are public servants of the people and should not be considered a privileged status.  As current regulations prevent men and women serving in the U.S. military from flying first-class, there is absolutely no reason why members of Congress should be given a special exemption not offered to our nation’s heroes. It’s time to end the double standard and rein in this abuse.  CLICK HERE to read more.

From 1945 to 1962 the United States government conducted nearly 200 atmospheric weapons development tests as part of our nation’s Cold War security strategy during an era when other hostile nations were also engaged in nuclear weapons testing and proliferation.  Sadly, these tests exposed thousands of innocent Americans to cancer-causing ionized radiation from nuclear fallout.  When the injuries were discovered, Congress subsequently provided an apology on behalf of the nation and passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990, or RECA, to establish a trust fund for partial restitution to individuals—commonly referred to as “Downwinders”—who have contracted certain cancers and other serious diseases that can be directly attributed to the radiation exposure from the nuclear weapons testing.  While the Act which established RECA was well-intended, Americans that reside in counties in close proximity to where the testing occurred are excluded from this program for no logical scientific reason, including people that reside in Mohave County, Arizona and Clark County, Nevada.  My legislation amends RECA to correct this injustice and includes a bipartisan payfor that fully offsets the spending authorized by this legislation.  In addition to introducing legislation, I held a hearing on this matter and have done everything in my power to right this wrong.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Last July, President Obama stated, "There's no precedent for revoking a medal…We don't have that mechanism."  In January 2016, I introduced legislation to ensure there is a mechanism in place to strip Cosby, or anyone else found dishonorable, of the Medal of Freedom.  The shocking admissions of Cosby during a 2005 deposition, make him unfit to retain our nation’s highest civilian honor.  During a deposition on September 29, 2005, a lawyer, Dolores Troiani, asked Cosby, “When you got the Quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these Quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with?” and Cosby answered “Yes.” One of my constituents said it best: "Civilian honors such as this come with no legal protections or guarantees...Honors are optional, and not anyone’s legal right to have and keep…The bar should be extraordinarily high for the Medal of Freedom, and to keep Cosby as a recipient greatly diminishes the very worth of that honor."  The Hollywood Studios Resort at Disney World removed a bronze bust of Cosby in July 2015, and 23 out of 60 universities—including Brown, Fordham, George Washington, and Marquette—have stripped Cosby of honorary degrees. CLICK HERE to read more.

Federal regulations affect almost everything we do.  Some regulations are necessary - they protect consumers, public health, the environment, and many other things.  Before coming to Congress, I owned and operated my own dental practice for 25 years. I was required to follow numerous regulations from the Department of Labor, OSHA and the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, among others.  Many of these regulations were common-sense regulations, and were important in ensuring patient and worker safety.

But my small business was also faced with an array of unnecessary, burdensome, expensive, and sometimes even counterproductive regulations.  As I travel to every corner of my 50,000 mile congressional district and meet with my constituents, I have found my personal experience as a small business owner is the same for many others.  Individuals, businesses, and State and local governments are currently drowning in a sea of red tape and regulations. Former Congresses have allowed federal bureaucrats to run wild—developing far more regulations than necessary, often “solutions in search of a problem”—and it has cost our country dearly.

The regulatory burdens on individuals, businesses, and State and local governments have gotten exponentially worse in recent years.  Even worse is the fact that numerous regulations are clear attempts to do an end-run around Congressional authority.  Federal agencies have been establishing many rules and regulations that far exceed Congressional intent.  In addition, those regulations have been developed without transparency and with little consideration for the negative impacts they may impose on our communities and the economy.

A study from the Heritage Foundation found that regulatory costs have increased $80 billion annually since President Obama took office.  Information from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service reports that the Obama Administration has enacted nearly 22,000 new rules and regulations.  A different study released by the Competitive Enterprise Institute found that Federal government regulations cost our economy $1.88 trillion in 2014 alone.  

This regulatory environment is stifling our country’s economic growth.  Businesses in this country simply cannot operate under these ever-changing regulations.  By increasing the cost of doing business and limiting business practices, the federal government is discouraging innovation and prohibiting businesses from creating jobs.

It is impossible to make any type of long-term financial projection when another regulation that could impose major costs on the price to do business can be developed by a bureaucrat in Washington at any time.  Further, these regulations amount to a “hidden tax,” because the costs of conforming with these regulations are passed on to the consumer in terms of higher costs.

This is the wrong approach, particularly following an anemic recession when jobs are still badly needed.

Our Founding Fathers intended for the federal government to be a small part of our everyday lives.  The sooner we restore our independent spirit and encourage individual initiative, the sooner our economy will grow. To get there, Congress needs to reassert itself, override the job killing bureaucrats, and implement a whole-scale repeal of unnecessary and wasteful regulations.

The pervasive regulatory environment today requires constant oversight from Congress—the duly elected representatives of the people.  It is unfortunate that the legislative and executive branches are often pitted against each other, but with the never-ending stream of costly and over-burdensome regulations, it is up to your elected representatives to ensure that your voice is being heard.

To “rein in” this onslaught of regulations, I support a bill known as the Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act. This commonsense legislation requires a vote by Congress on any major rule or regulation that is expected to cost our economy more than $100 million annually.  Currently, major rules take effect unless Congress passes and the President signs a joint resolution disapproving them.  Clearly the status quo is unworkable and designed to thwart the will of Congress and the people. The REINS Act also makes commonsense reforms to the Congressional Review Act of 1996 (CRA) by requiring a joint resolution of approval pass Congress and be signed into law within 70 days prior to agency’s major rule taking effect.  Reforms, such as the REINS Act are important steps in the process of improving the way the agencies carry out their functions and congressional intent. CLICK HERE to read more.

The EPA’s new Waters of the U.S. regulation (WOTUS) was slated to go into effect August 28th.   Fortunately, the Sixth Circuit has issued a nationwide stay and temporarily blocked implementation of this new rule.  This job-killing, overreaching water grab being imposed by Washington bureaucrats is a dream killer for future generations that will result in significant job losses and in considerable harm to our economy.   WOTUS contradicts prior Supreme Court decisions by expanding agency control over 60% of our country’s streams and millions of acres of wetlands that were previously non-jurisdictional.  I have been fighting this overreach since the beginning. In May 2014, I sent a letter calling for WOTUS to be withdrawn.  I held a hearing in Phoenix in June 2014 where we heard testimony from 9 Arizona witnesses.  I have introduced legislation, inserted funding riders into appropriations bills, blocked a democrat amendment that tried to strip one of my WOTUS riders and voted at least five different times for legislation that has passed the House to block WOTUS.  In July 2015, I berated EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and submitted revelatory evidence into the Congressional Record from senior Army Corps of Engineer employees which expressed serious legal and scientific deficiencies with the final draft of the WOTUS rule.  In January 2016, the House and Senate passed legislation blocking WOTUS utilizing the Congressional Review Act and put a bill on President Obama's desk.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The EPA recently unveiled its new “Clean Power Plan” rule which seeks to dramatically reduce carbon emissions from power plants.  American families are projected to lose almost $600 billion in disposable income as a result of EPA’s new proposed regulation.  An economic analysis also found that this overreaching Washington mandate will kill 226,000 jobs annually and cost our economy $50 billion each year.  All of this economic harm and destruction for our economies will only result in a 1.8% reduction of global carbon-dioxide emissions by the year 2030.  I have cosponsored legislation and twice voted for bills that passed the House to block this overreach.  I also requested a funding rider that was inserted into a House appropriations bill and offered an amendment to formally withdraw this new mandate. In December, the House successfully passed S.J.Res.23 and S.J.Res.24 with my support and triggered the Congressional Review Act to effectively block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) arbitrary regulations for new and existing power plants. Unfortunately, President Obama used a pocket veto days before Christmas in order to veto these critical pieces of legislation.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In January 2016, the House passed legislation of which I am a cosponsor, H.R. 1644, the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act (STREAM Act).  A 2012 Economic Impact Study found that the Obama Administration’s announced Stream Protection Rule could potentially sterilize between 30% and 43% of recoverable reserves which will have devastating effects for both surface and underground coal mines.  The study also found that the associated decline in annual coal production as a result of this rule will have a direct impact on our economy and employment, potentially killing between 133,441 and 273,227 mining-related jobs, and having an associated economic impact of $18 to $25 billion annually.  Obama’s continued efforts to implement his ideologically-driven coal regulations will kill hundreds of thousands of jobs and take billions of dollars out of the pockets of hard-working Americans.  This important legislation will save mining jobs throughout the country and put an end to the Obama Administration’s secret science justification for the Obama's war on coal.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I recently introduced legislation that will block the EPA’s new ozone regulation published in the Federal Register October 26, 2015. H.J.Res.74 utilizes the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reject this overreach and already has more than 75 cosponsors. Most states are just beginning to adopt the 2008 ozone standards as the EPA didn’t announce implementation guidance and a final rule until March 6, 2015. Rather than allowing time for those standards to be implemented, the EPA moved the goal posts and is unilaterally seeking to dramatically lower the ozone standard to 70 parts per billion.  The EPA has reported that 358 counties throughout the country will be immediately noncompliant, and Senator Inhofe has reported that an additional 1,500 counties likely will not meet this new mandate. Nearly 700 stakeholders throughout the country have called on Congress to stop the overreaching new ozone rule that many believe is “the most expensive regulation in history.” On June 12, a witness from the EPA contradicted the need for this new mandate when she testified June 12 before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and stated, “Nationally, since 1980, average ozone levels have fallen by a third.”

Arizona’s Generation and Transmission Cooperatives strongly supports this legislation stating, “The revised ozone standards, if fully implemented, would be the most expensive mandate in our nation’s history. The impact on many rural communities would be particularly profound… Rural communities served by AEPCO, where in some areas up to a third of the population we serve live at or below the federal poverty level, already face economic hardship. Job losses in every sector of the local economy have been staggering, and most communities where people receive our power have yet to recover. The cost of this proposal to the rural Arizona worker is real and immediate, while the benefits are unverified and uncertain. We thank you for your leadership in blocking the implementation of the new ozone standard, which threatens the livelihood of rural communities throughout the U.S. and Arizona.”  CLICK HERE to read more.

President Obama’s new AFFH regulation marks his most aggressive attempt yet to force his utopian ideology on American communities disguised under the banner of ‘fairness’. This new regulation isn’t about fair housing, as housing discrimination based on race has been illegal for more than 40 years.   American citizens should be free to choose where they would like to live and not be subject to big government neighborhood engineering.  Local zoning decisions have traditionally been, and should always be, made by local communities, not bureaucrats in Washington DC.  The House of Representatives has voted twice to defund the AFFH rule by passing my amendments during consideration of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bills for fiscal years 2015 and 2016.  More information on those votes can be found HERE and HERE.  I have also introduced the Local Zoning and Property Rights Protection Act, H.R. 1995, to prohibit this new regulation.

Special interest groups have been pushing for Obama to circumvent Congress and make a massive 1.7 million acre designation using the Antiquities Act for the Grand Canyon Watershed.  The intentions of these self-interest groups are clear: they want this designation to prevent energy development, timber harvesting, grazing, mining and different types of recreation on this massive swath of land.  A designation of this size would cause significant harm to our economy and kill thousands of local jobs.  In February, I led an effort that was supported by 24 members of Congress to opposing this declaration.  In July, the House of Representatives passed the Gosar-Hardy amendment to block this potential designation and prohibit public land management agencies from carrying out declarations under the Antiquities Act in counties throughout the nation where there is significant local opposition. In November, I introduced H.R. 3946, the Protecting Local Communities from Executive Overreach Act, legislation which updates the 1906 Antiquities Act in order to protect property rights, water rights and jobs from presidential abuse of the Antiquities Act. H.R. 3946 is supported by all five Arizona House Republicans and blocks two misguided monument efforts in the Grand Canyon Watershed and the Sedona Verde Valley, both of which have significant local opposition.  CLICK HERE to read more.

A Fox31 Denver investigation from February of last year revealed tens of thousands of dollars have been pulled out of ATM’s using welfare EBT cards and been used to purchase marijuana.  Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell stated in a letter to Senator Sessions that the federal government does not have the authority to prevent states from allowing welfare recipients to purchase marijuana with welfare benefits.  H.R. 2331, the Bipartisan No Welfare for Weed Act, provides a mechanism and prohibits marijuana from being purchased with SNAP and TANF welfare benefits.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In addition to my proposals for comprehensive reform, I have also pursued targeted action to increase competition and patient choice in health insurance.  One example of this effort is bipartisan legislation that I have introduced entitled the Competitive Healthcare Insurance Reform Act.  This bill would amend a section of the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945 which exempted the insurance industry from the Sherman Act and the Clayton Act—acts that have the purpose of ensuring fair competition. This broad exemption was intended to assist newly established insurance companies set sustainable premiums by permitting data sharing between insurance companies.  However, after 70 years, it is apparent that this unbridled antitrust exemption has had an injurious impact on consumers in the form of artificially higher premiums, unfair insurance restrictions, and harmful policy exclusions.  My bill is an important first step towards increasing competition in health insurance markets, and eventually will assist with ushering in broad healthcare reform.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Too many Americans are still unable to get vital dental care ensuring good oral and overall health.  As a practicing dentist for more than 25 years, and one of three dentists in Congress, I know firsthand that dental benefit plans are not serving the best interests of consumers.  A rise in unfair practices which limit coordination of insurance benefits has resulted in dental beneficiaries not receiving the full coverage to which they are entitled.

As a result, I have introduced the bipartisan Dental Insurance Act.  This patient-centered legislation will improve access to quality dental care and empower consumers to make their own choices regarding oral health based on what is best for themselves and their families.  My bill supports reforms that rightfully return the focus of health care to the patient, not their insurance company.  CLICK HERE to read more.

One extremely controversial provision found in Obamacare is the medical device tax. As a result of this legislation, Section 4191 of the Internal Revenue Code now imposes an excise tax of 2.3% of the sale price of certain medical devices and defines a “taxable medical device” as “any device (as defined in section 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act) intended for humans.”  The few exceptions to this broad definition are devices which are available to the general public at retail stores for individual use.

I am an original cosponsor of H.R.160, the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015, which would repeal the medical device tax.  This bipartisan legislation passed the House on June 18, 2015, by a vote of 280-140.  This tax is so unpopular that even 46 Democrats voted in favor of H.R.160.  It is my hope that this bill will pass the Senate and be signed into law in a timely manner.

I am a coauthor and original cosponsor of H.R. 2653, the American Health Care Reform Act (AHCRA).  This bill is a pragmatic, practical, and portable free-market alternative to the current health care system.  This bill fully repeals the ACA and spurs competition to lower health care costs by allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines and allows small businesses to pool together to negotiate for better rates.  H.R. 2653 levels the playing field between people who receive their insurance through their employer and those who purchase it on the individual market by creating a standard tax deduction for health insurance.  This plan expands Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and protects individuals with preexisting conditions.

The Premium Reduction and Insurance Market Reform Act (PRIMR Act) is another targeted bill I have introduced that will deliver real cost savings to consumers in states that chose not to set up a state exchange by addressing the three most burdensome Obamacare insurance regulations: age rating restrictions, benefit mandates and minimum actuarial value requirements.  This bill will lower premiums for an estimated 21 million Americans.  Only full repeal can solve all of Obamacare’s problems, but my legislation provides an attractive alternative for states and ensures that future repeal efforts and health care reforms will be built on a solid foundation.

The estimated savings this Act would bring to residents in the 34 states that chose not to set up a state exchange can found using the info graphic HERE.  On average, this targeted legislation will save young people 44% on insurance premiums, while pre-retirees will still save 7%.  In Arizona, these savings translate to more than $1,000 for young-adults and over $400 for those approaching Medicare eligibility.  The PRIMR Act is endorsed by Heritage Action. CLICK HERE to read more.

As a doctor with more than 25 years’ experience in rural Arizona, I understand how the delivery of healthcare actually works in the real world. One of the primary reasons I first ran for Congress in 2010 was my frustration with the way Washington was damaging healthcare with the regulation-laden ACA. Doctors and healthcare providers have an indispensable perspective on how polices and regulation affect the delivery of health services to their patients. This is why I am a member of the House GOP Doctors Caucus. The caucus is comprised of 18 medical providers in Congress who utilize their medical expertise to develop patient-centered healthcare reforms focused on quality, access, affordability, portability and choice.  We have used our combined expertise and influence to successfully remove red tape between Medicare patients and their doctors; protect seniors from dramatic rate increases as a result of the flawed Medicare “Sustainable Growth Rate” reimbursement policy; and develop numerous other pragmatic patient-centered policy proposals that have been utilized in multiple Obamacare-alternative legislative proposals. Inside the Beltway, there is a lot of lofty language about improving the healthcare system through policy and regulation, as team of practitioners with real-world experience, the Doctors Caucus is an effective source of practical policy solutions that are centered squarely on the patients we serve. Click HERE to learn more about the Doctors Caucus.

I am absolutely appalled and disgusted by reports that Planned Parenthood has been harvesting unborn baby parts.  Videos released by the Center for Medical Progress show Planned Parenthood leaders discussing prices for organs and aborted babies.  This blatant disregard for human life should repulse all Americans, regardless of political ideology.  I have called on Planned Parenthood to fire Senior Director of Medical Services Deborah Nucatola for her disturbing statements and tone following the release of these incidents.  Furthermore, I fully support House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte’s call for a Congressional investigation into the inhumane acts described in these reports.  I also support terminating all federal funding to Planned Parenthood and believe that the people engaged in any of these illegal acts should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

In the wake of the barbarous, inhumane videos released by the Center for Medical Progress, I have signed three letters written by my congressional colleagues that call for the defunding of Planned Parenthood.  I am also a cosponsor of H.R.3134, the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015, which terminates all federal funds for Planned Parenthood and redirects those resources to community health centers that provide important services for women but do not perform hundreds of thousands of abortions every year. The House passed this legislation with my support in September 2015.  

I am a cosponsor of H.R.36, the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, introduced by my friend and fellow Arizonan Trent Franks. This bill prohibits late term abortions for unborn babies after 20 weeks post-fertilization.  I believe that life begins at conception, and this legislation represents a vital step towards eliminating abortions altogether. Scientific evidence overwhelmingly proves babies are capable of feeling the pain from horrific abortion procedures after 5 months and the vast majority of Americans agree that abortions should be prohibited after 20 weeks.  During the 113th Congress, a version of this bill passed the House, but it never came up for a vote in Harry Reid’s obstructionist Senate. In the 114th Congress, the House passed this legislation in May 2015 with my support. CLICK HERE to read more.

I am a cosponsor of H.R. 3504, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.  This important legislation protects children who are born-alive by creating criminal penalties for any health care practitioner who doesn’t provide immediate treatment and care or for any individual who causes harm to the child. CLICK HERE to read more.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, introduced by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ).  This bill would guarantee that no funds authorized or appropriated by federal law would be expended for any abortion. Unlike the Hyde Amendment, once passed into law, it would not need to be renewed every year. It also would eliminate certain tax benefits relating to abortion.  This bill became an amendment to the Continuing Resolution that passed the House during the 113th Congress, but that bill eventually died in the Senate. However, a similar version of this bill, H.R. 7, was introduced early in the 114th Congress and passed the House with my support in January 2015.  CLICK HERE to read more.

During the 114th Congress, I also cosponsored H.R.217, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which would prohibit abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood from receiving federal dollars. CLICK HERE to read more.

In addition, I voted in favor of H.R. 3762, Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015. This legislation eliminated federal funding for Planned Parenthood and redirected those funds to community health centers that do not provide abortions.  It also defunds particularly harmful provisions of Obamacare including the individual and employer mandates, the excise tax on medical devices, and the “Cadillac tax.”  While I would prefer complete defunding of Planned Parenthood and full repeal of Obamacare, this legislation is at least a step in the right direction.

There are very few types of laws Congress can pass that facilitate the creation of wealth and energy security. I have championed one such initiative: the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act.  After years of legislative hearings and executive branch hurdles, Senator McCain and I were finally able to get this bill over the finish line and signed into law. This bipartisan legislation facilitates a land exchange between the federal government and private industry so that it may mine copper, one of Arizona’s most valuable and abundant resources. Even modest economic estimates project that the land exchange facilitated by this act will lead to 3,700 jobs and will have a total economic impact to the State of Arizona to the tune of $61.4 billion over the life of the mine.  Once the operation is running, the mine will provide 25% of the United States’ copper supply and will be the largest copper mine in North America.  CLICK HERE to read more about the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act.     
 

Another big victory came in Lake Havasu City, where we were able to lead a grassroots effort to keep Lake Havasu open for all users. When the Fish and Wildlife Service attempted to close down significant areas on Lake Havasu to motorized boating activities, I led the charge to get the agency to withdraw its 2016 proposal and passed an amendment through the House to reopen the part of the reservoir that was shut down in 2015 for no good reason. I even got a bureaucrat reassigned for his role in this overreach. Click HERE to read more.

My Cottonwood Land Exchange Act was signed into law. Yavapai County officials passed a resolution in favor of advancing this mutually beneficial exchange. This bill authorized the U.S. Forest Service to exchange, at the request of Yavapai County, 80 acres of federal lands in the Coconino National Forest for 369 acres of lands owned by the county. The County intends to maximize use of Windmill Park to better serve the residents of Yavapai County, the City of Cottonwood and the community of Cornville. More HERE.
 

The bill was drafted at the request of the La Paz County Supervisors and local communities. This bipartisan bill helps facilitate a land transfer from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to the County. Specifically, the La Paz County Land Exchange Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey 5,935 acres of Federal Land to La Paz County with the intent of using this land for economic development opportunities. This legislation reduced the federal footprint in a county where only about 5% of the land is private. More HERE.
 

The Black Mountain Range and Bullhead City Land Exchange was drafted at the request of Bullhead City in collaboration with local stakeholders. The bill authorized Bullhead City to donate the 1,100 acre mountainous property currently owned by the City to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in exchange for 345.2 acres of land in Bullhead City, known as Section 12, held by the Bureau of Reclamation in cooperation with the BLM. The 1,100 acre property in the Black Mountain range in the middle of nowhere and is difficult to get to by car as it takes a lot of time to travel on a windy, dirt road. The 2007 BLM Lake Havasu Resource Management Plan identified Section 12 as land available for disposal and today Bullhead City leases nearly all of Section 12 from the BLM. Section 12 is a highly disturbed area, along the Colorado River, that is mostly dirt. However, it is easily accessible and along a main corridor within the city limits. This bill will generate new economic opportunities for Bullhead City.  More HERE.

The bill was drafted at the request of the College. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s leader in aviation aerospace education has over $1.4 billion in impact nationally and $400M in economic impact to the State of Arizona. This not-for-profit higher education institution is a critical component of the STEM talent pipeline for the aviation aerospace industry. Arizona has recently been ranked No. 1 in aerospace manufacturing attractiveness by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The Arizona Commerce Authority claims over 52,000 people are employed by aerospace and defense-related companies with a $5.5 billion total annual payroll and states there are 1,200 aerospace and defense companies in Arizona. This law removed the outdated reversionary clause from a 16-acre parcel so the college could better utilize its land. More HERE.

I led the charge in preventing the BLM from closing its Arizona field office and moving all those employees to New Mexico.  On May 6, 2015, Congressman Pearce, several of our colleagues and I contacted BLM Director Neil Kornze strongly opposing the proposed merger.  To read more about this effort click HERE. On May 18, 2015, senior members of the House Natural Resources Committee, the House Committee of Oversight and Government Reform and I led another effort strongly discouraging this merger and asking pointed questions. As a result of our efforts, we were able to get language into the House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill report directing BLM not to merge the Arizona and New Mexico field offices. Thankfully, the BLM heard our concerns and sent me a letter informing me that the agency had decided to ditch this misguided merger proposal. To read more about this successful effort click HERE.

In November 2013, the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) arbitrarily changed the priorities for the five different propagation program categories and announced their intent to close propagation programs and possibly hatcheries throughout the nation in fiscal year 2015. The USFWS also terminated the rainbow trout stocking program at the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery in Arizona threatening 1,700 jobs and $75 million in associated economic output.  Rather than producing trout that help drive Arizona’s economy, the Fish and Wildlife Service wanted to focus on producing humpback chubs and razorback suckers that nobody wants. I had to hammer a few bureaucrats, pass a bill through Committee and have several Arizona witnesses testify at a hearing in order to resume this important program. CLICK HERE to read more.

The EPA’s new Waters of the U.S. regulation (WOTUS) under the Obamad Administration was a job-killing, overreaching water grab being imposed by Washington bureaucrats. This overreaching regulation was a dream killer for future generations that caused significant job losses and considerable harm to our economy. WOTUS contradicted prior Supreme Court decisions by expanding agency control over 60% of our country’s streams and millions of acres of wetlands that were previously non-jurisdictional.  I have been fighting this overreach since the beginning. In May 2014, I sent a letter calling for WOTUS to be withdrawn.  I held a hearing in Phoenix in June 2014 where we heard testimony from 9 Arizona witnesses.  I  introduced legislation, inserted funding riders into appropriations bills, blocked a democrat amendment that tried to strip one of my WOTUS riders and voted at least five different times for legislation that has passed the House to block WOTUS.  In July 2015, I berated EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and submitted revelatory evidence into the Congressional Record from senior Army Corps of Engineer employees which expressed serious legal and scientific deficiencies with the final draft of the WOTUS rule. In January 2016, the House and Senate passed legislation blocking WOTUS utilizing the Congressional Review Act and put a bill on President Obama's desk that he vetoed. Finally, in September of 2019, WOTUS was repealed. CLICK HERE to read more.

The Obama Administration implemented the “Clean Power Plan” rule to attack coal and kill jobs throughout the country.  American families are projected to lose almost $600 billion in disposable income as a result of EPA’s new proposed regulation. An economic analysis found that this overreaching Washington mandate would kill 226,000 jobs annually and cost our economy $50 billion each year.  All of this economic harm and destruction for our economies would only result in a 1.8% reduction of global carbon-dioxide emissions by the year 2030.  I cosponsored legislation and twice voted for bills that passed the House to block this overreach. I also requested a funding rider that was inserted into a House appropriations bill and offered an amendment to formally withdraw this new mandate. The  House successfully passed S.J.Res.23 and S.J.Res.24 with my support and triggered the Congressional Review Act to effectively block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) arbitrary regulations for new and existing power plants. Unfortunately, President Obama used a pocket veto days before Christmas in order to veto these critical pieces of legislation.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The House also passed legislation of which I was a cosponsor, H.R. 1644, the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act (STREAM Act).  An Economic Impact Study found that the Obama Administration’s Stream Protection Rule would potentially sterilize between 30% and 43% of recoverable reserves.  Such actions had a devastating effects on both surface and underground coal mines. The study also found that the associated decline in annual coal production as a result of this rule would have a direct impact on our economy and employment, potentially killing between 133,441 and 273,227 mining-related jobs, and have an associated negative economic impact of $18 to $25 billion annually. Obama’s continued efforts to implement his ideologically-driven coal regulations killed hundreds of thousands of jobs and took billions of dollars out of the pockets of hard-working Americans.  his important legislation sought to save mining jobs throughout the country and put an end to the Obama Administration’s war on coal.  CLICK HERE to read more..

I am an original cosponsor of the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act.  This commonsense legislation will create hundreds of thousands of jobs by reducing U.S. dependence on foreign minerals from countries like China.  The bill streamlines the regulatory review process and eliminates unnecessary red tape that is blocking job creation. CLICK HERE to read more.

In the 113th Congress, I voted for the bipartisan Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act. This legislation was estimated to create an estimated 1.2 million jobs, lower gas prices for hard-working American families and generate more than a billion for our economy.

In the 113th Congress, I introduced the Travel and Resource Access Including Local Stakeholders (TRAILS) Act to protect approximately 40,000 jobs and $4 billion for Arizona’s economy associated with off highway vehicle (OHV) recreation.  The BLM in Arizona had been in the process of developing a Travel management Plan for parts of Southwestern Arizona, named the La Posa Travel Management Plan. Previous media reports indicated the BLM was looking at closing as many as 51 percent of all trails with this management plan.  My legislation required the agency to work with local communities to ensure this important industry was protected and these jobs are preserved. CLICK HERE to read more.

The House passed the Native American Energy Act with my support. This legislation empowered tribes to utilize energy production and streamlined many of the duplicative federal regulatory hurdles that prevent tribes or individuals from profitably developing energy resources on their land.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I cosponsored and voted for Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act.  This commonsense legislation, which passed the House, streamlined the permitting process and allowed our country to export more liquefied natural gas.  The American Petroleum Institute estimated that by 2035 “LNG exports could contribute as much as $10 to $31 billion per state to the economies of natural gas-producing states…Natural gas-producing states could see employment gains as high as 60,000 to 155,000 jobs…Non-natural-gas-producing states will also benefit…[and] see economic gains as high as $2.6 to $5.0 billion per state.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I voted for and the House passed H.R. 2728, the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act.  This legislation protected American jobs and energy production by preventing the Obama Administration from imposing duplicative federal regulations for hydraulic fracturing. An economic analysis found that these overreaching new mandates would have cost our economy approximately $350 million annually and would jeopardize nearly 1.7 million American jobs.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I was a cosponsor of three pieces of legislation that sought to repeal the antiquated oil export ban.  This outdated policy was enacted in the 1970s when oil scarcity was an issue.  Repealing the oil export ban has created millions of American jobs, lowered gas prices and fostered significant economic growth for our economy.

This bipartisan Gosar legislation signed into law facilitated the achievement of a fair and equitable settlement of certain claims within the Bill Williams River Watershed among the Hualapai Tribe, the U.S. Department of the Interior acting on behalf of itself and as trustee for the Tribe and, its members, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, and Freeport-McMoRan. The agreements codified by this act provided certainty for the Bagdad Mine, which has an annual economic impact of $339.1 million to the state of Arizona, and sustains nearly 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.  Arizona and Mohave County further benefitted from the bill as this legislation resulted in an overall net water use reduction in the basin and County of nearly 30,000 acre-feet per year.  Mohave County further benefitted by keeping 175 mining jobs and $16 million in economic benefit.  A legal review about this law was released on June 25, 2015, by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service confirmed what I have been saying all along about the Bill Williams Water Rights Settlement: this law is a win-win for Arizona and for Mohave County. CLICK HERE to read more.

The House has passed at least three Gosar amendments to protect Western water supplies and to increase water storage.  The Gosar-Newhouse amendment prevented any appropriations from being used to remove any federally-owned and operated dams.  Extremist environmental groups have been pushing for their removal in recent years.  These dams are critically important to provide water storage and irrigation for agriculture.  I also passed two other amendments transferring appropriations from DOE’s slush fund to the Corps of Engineers Construction and Investigations budget to complete infrastructure programs that provided clean water and expanded water storage.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The Forest Service under the Obama Administration proposed a sweeping Groundwater Directive under the guise of eliminating future litigation.  That directive only caused further confusion and potential litigation.  It has been universally recognized since a 1935 Supreme Court Case that the sole authority over groundwater resources belongs to individual states. Alarmingly, the attempted water grab by the USFS and its misguided groundwater directive was proposed without input from state or local leaders and without any meaningful outreach to water users themselves.  I fought the proposed groundwater directive from the beginning and as a result of Congressional pressure from my colleagues and I, the Forest Service withdrew its overreaching proposed rule. CLICK HERE to read more.

I passed the the Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act into law. This legislation requires a cost estimate and a detailed list of major repairs for BOR facilities.  Such actions will allow for meaningful steps to be taken to address the maintenance backlog as well as ensure an abundant supply of clean water and power for future generations.  This bipartisan legislation passed the House Natural Resources Committee in October 2015.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The Water Rights Protection Act prevents the federal government from taking privately held water rights without just compensation.  This would protect a variety of water users including rural communities, businesses, recreation opportunities, farmers and ranchers as well as other individuals that rely on privately held water rights for their livelihood.  It does so by prohibiting federal agencies from extorting water rights through the use of permits, leases, and other land management arrangements, for which it would otherwise have to pay just compensation under the 5th Amendment of the Constitution.  I played an active role in assisting my good friend and Colleague Scott Tipton in passing this legislation through the House multiple times.  This legislation is necessary as the Forest Service and BLM have been aggressively pursuing such takings for several years now.

The Tipton-Gosar Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act passed Congress and was signed into public law.  This bill eliminated duplicative regulations that were stymieing development on irrigation canals.  Specifically, it would allow Arizonans that operate existing irrigation canals and ditch systems--man-made canals and pipes-- to install hydropower generators.  To be clear: we are not talking about free-flowing rivers or streams. These are man-made structures that have already gone through environmental review.  These canals do not contain endangered fish or wildlife.  This commonsense legislation will create jobs in rural Arizona, increase our country’s renewable energy portfolio, and generate revenues for the federal treasury by cutting duplicative, bureaucratic red tape.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The majority of my Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act, H.R. 1345 was signed into law as part of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (H.R.2642). My bill authorized important stewardship contracting, good neighbor authority as well as important insect and disease infestation designations. This commonsense legislation reduce government bureaucracy so that wildfire prevention projects can move forward quickly when the public is at risk.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The State of Arizona is comprised of approximately 114,000 square miles of total land.  Unfortunately, nearly 50% of that land is now owned by the federal government and less than 17% of our state's land is private land.  Shockingly, the federal government now owns 650 million acres and 90% of federally owned land is located in the Western half of the United States. Eastern policymakers and bureaucrats in Washington D.C. fail to grasp the true negative impact to the West and local communities of locking up hundreds of millions of acres of public land.  Local property and sales taxes typically fund county governments allowing them to provide essential services like law enforcement, infrastructure and education needs. The inability for counties to collect local taxes on federal lands is particularly burdensome, especially when counties often provide critical services on these very lands. PILT funding helps offset the losses of these critical revenues and allows for the continuation of essential services. PILT payments are distributed to 49 different states and nearly 2,000 counties throughout the nation. The federal government owns too much acreage and should return land to the states and private ownership.  Either give us our land or give us our PILT. I have led multiple efforts to ensure full PILT payments. CLICK HERE and HERE to read more about those efforts.

I joined several of my colleagues in introducing the Historic Routes Preservation Act, legislation which allows local counties to  resolve public lands right-of-way disputes without going to court.  This bipartisan bill provides a useful tool for cleaning up maps in western states and allows confirmation of rights-of-way on public lands through an administrative process, as opposed to the current expensive judicial process. Counties throughout the West shouldn’t have to spend precious resources on litigation in order to keep public roads open, especially when counties have been paying to maintain these roads for decades. This bill provides a commonsense solution that will maintain public access and prevent government bureaucrats from arbitrarily closing historic routes.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The House has voted 11 different times since I’ve been in Congress to approve the Keystone Pipeline.  The State Department found back in January of 2014 for the second time that the pipeline would have NO significant impact on climate change. Conservative estimates from the State Department at that time also projected that the Keystone XL Pipeline would support more than 42,000 jobs.  Moreover, it has bipartisan support - even labor unions support it.  The ONLY thing holding this up is politics. CLICK HERE to read more.

Renewable energy sources like wind and solar are an integral part of the United States’ “all-of-the-above” energy strategy.   Our nation’s public lands can play a critical role in supporting that mission, but uncertainty in the permitting process impedes or delays our ability to harness their renewable energy potential.  To address this problem, I introduced the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act.  This bipartisan legislation streamlines the permitting process for wind, solar and geothermal energy projects on public lands, does not require federal subsidies, and creates a revenue source to assist local governments in their efforts to deliver critical services.  The bill establishes a revenue sharing mechanism that ensures a fair return for all and distributes rents and royalties by returning 25% to the state where development occurs, 25% to the counties of origin, 25% is deposited into a fund for sportsmen and conservation purposes, including increasing access to outdoor recreation, 15% is directed for the purposes of more efficiently processing permit applications and reducing the backlog of renewable energy permits, and 10% is directed for deficit reduction.  Since federal lands are not taxable, state and local governments deserve a share of the revenues from the sales of energy production on lands within their borders.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I voted in favor of the Public Access and Lands Improvement Act a package of 10 bills aimed at increasing and preserving public access to federal lands, facilitating responsible economic development and encouraging transparent land management. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 220-194. This legislation cut red tape that prevents tourism and economic development on public lands as well as increased public access to important recreation and conservation areas. This important bill provided greater certainty to ranchers and farmers by increasing the length of new grazing permits on public lands and streamlines the actual grazing permitting process. The package was also good for our environment and good for small businesses as it expedited removal of salvageable timber which would greatly benefit the forest products industry and reduce the threats of dangerous wildfires. This legislation is a great start to long overdue public lands reform.

I introduced the Meers Point Boundary Clarification Act. For years, property owners in Meers Point, Arizona have been dealing with a situation where the federal government technically owns part of their living rooms and properties. This long overdue and commonsense clarification will finally allow these land owners to have a clear title for their lots and will remove regulatory hurdles that are preventing real estate transactions. CLICK HERE to read more.

The Grand Canyon is plagued by an invasive hybrid species, part buffalo and part cattle, known as 'beefalo.' These massive animals are trampling park land, defecating in water holes, destroying historically significant Native American landmarks and affecting public safety on roads and trails. Their numbers have grown out-of-control and government bureaucracy is preventing the herd from being properly culled. To deal with this problem, I introduced the Grand Canyon Bison Management Act. This legislation was passed by unanimous consent by the House Natural Resources Committee as an amendment to the Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation called for a strategic management plan that allows volunteer hunters to keep the beefalo meat in exchange for their work helping protect the Park. Not only will this solution save taxpayer money, but this bill would have generated new funds for habitat conservation and management.   As your Congressman, I will continue to fight for commonsense measures that save taxpayers money and put Arizona sportsmen to work doing what they love. CLICK HERE to read more.

Frivolous lawsuits from extremist environmental groups and federal agency endangered species actions continue to hammer western states and stifle local conservation efforts. To make matters worse, these listing decisions are usually based on secret science and pseudo-science, including studies that do not allow for peer-review of the underlying data. Even more troubling is the fact that attorneys have been making millions of dollars based on lawsuits associated with the Endangered Species Act and that the federal government doesn’t even know how much money has been paid out. The Western Caucus has spearheaded numerous legislative packages to modernize this outdated law. CLICK HERE to read more.

The House passed this bipartisan bill requiring tracking and disclosure of attorney fees paid out from environmental lawsuits.  Prior to 1995, EAJA payments were approximately $3 million dollars annually.  Unfortunately, EAJA operated in the dark for more than 20 years and payments skyrocketed.  The Government Accountability Office confirmed that we didn’t even know the totality of these costs as most federal agencies didn’t even bother trying to compile this information. The Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act tracked how much money is paid out under EAJA, and more importantly, from which agencies.  CLICK HERE to read more.

The House passed the Gosar amendment to block the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from listing Sonoran Desert Tortoise (SDT) as an endangered or threatened species.  This listing would have tied up 15 million acres with new regulations and red tape. Specifically, a listing would have been detrimental for 273 different grazing allotments and jeopardized nearly six million acres used for livestock grazing. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service subsequently announced that the Sonoran desert tortoise was removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) candidate list. CLICK HERE to read more.

I introduced the bipartisan Mexican Wolf Transparency and Accountability Act.  This commonsense legislation sought to ensure that the Obama Administration's new regulations for the nonessential experimental population of the Mexican wolf under Section 10(j) and listing the Mexican wolf as an endangered subspecies—had no force or effect.  These actions were necessary to protect local communities and rein in the Service for failing to comply with federal law before implementing this new directive. This bill was supported by: National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Public Lands Council, Americans for Limited Government, Arizona Cattleman’s Association, Arizona Farm Bureau, Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association, Arizona Cattle Feeders' Association, Arizona Association of Conservation Districts   New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, Coconino County Farm Bureau and Cattle Growers Association, Yavapai Cattle Growers Association, Navajo/Apache Cattle Growers Association, Greenlee Cattle Growers Association, La Paz Stockmen’s Association, Mohave Livestock Association, Gila County Cattle Growers Association, Maricopa County Cattle Growers Association, Cochise /Graham Cattle Growers Association, Southern Arizona Cattlemen's Protective Association. CLICK HERE to read more.

H.R. 2607, the Resilient Federal Forests Act, introduced by Rep. Bruce Westerman, 17 other colleagues and I, is bipartisan, comprehensive legislation that simplifies the cumbersome planning process and reduces the cost of implementing proactive forest management strategies  in order to improve forest health throughout the country. It empowers local stakeholders and decision-making while advancing a forward-thinking active management strategy to combat wildfires before they get started.  This bill is a package of forest management reforms that include regulatory expedition for forest management projects, a new arbitration pilot program for court cases in which an injunction against forest management projects is sought, as well as new incentives for agencies to coordinate with state and local governments to seek forest management solutions. The net effect of these reforms will be to reduce the barriers to proactive forest management while preserving environmental protections and the legal right to recompense for harm or breach. H.R. 2607 requires litigants opposing active management projects to propose an alternative proposal as opposed to just saying no. This legislation also removes incentives for extreme special-interest groups to file frivolous lawsuits. This bill was passed by the House in the 115th Congress and Western Caucus was proud to play a key role. More HERE.
 

On 9/20/18, 39 other members of Congress and I sent a letter to the Farm Bill Conference Committee urging them to include important forestry provisions in the Farm Bill. On 06/21/2018, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, the Agriculture Improvement Act, otherwise known as the Farm Bill, with a recorded vote of 213-211. The House base bill included 10 categorical exclusions that allow for active management of our nation’s forests and critical response. The base bill also reauthorized the Landscape Scale Restoration Program. I passed an amendment that was signed into law and expanded Good Neighbor Authority to counties and tribes. More HERE.

In the 115th Congress, the Western Caucus Members spearheaded the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act, legislation which reduces fire risks and hazards as well as ensures reliable electricity service by allowing management of high-risk vegetation in close proximity to power lines to occur in and near certain federal rights-of-way (ROW). Electric utilities must seek permission and approval from the appropriate federal land management agency (Forest Service or BLM) for their proposed vegetative management plan. Active vegetative management along these ROWs is extremely important, including the removal of trees, living, dead or dying, which would contact a power line if not properly maintained. In August 2006, three power lines in the Pacific Northwest sagged and came into contact with untrimmed trees resulting in a blackout that impacted 7.5 million people across 14 Western states, two Canadian Provinces and part of Mexico. And in August 2008, a falling tree spurred a blackout for more than 50 million electricity customers across the Northeastern and Midwest states. This law promotes federal land management agency consistency, accountability, and timely decision-making as it relates to protecting electricity transmission and distribution lines and habitat on federal lands. The House of Representatives passed the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act by a bipartisan vote of 300-118 and this legislation was included in a package that was signed into law. Click HERE to read more.

Led by Western Caucus and I, 32 members sent the Trump Administration a letter asking that the Administration send Congress a proposal that includes comprehensive forest management and wildland fire budgeting reforms as part of the next disaster relief request. This effort was successful and resulted in $576.5 million for wildfires and strong active forest management language. This Western Caucus initiative also prevented the Forest Service from having to raid their active management accounts in order to fund suppression costs. More HERE.

In 2014,  the majority of my Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act, H.R. 1345 was signed into law as part of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (H.R.2642). My bill authorized important stewardship contracting, good neighbor authority as well as important insect and disease infestation designations.  This commonsense legislation reduced government bureaucracy and allowed wildfire prevention projects to move forward quickly.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In April of 2019, Western Caucus Members and I led and submitted multiple submissions for fiscal year 2020 Appropriations bills in order to ensure active management of our nation's forests, prevent catastrophic wildfires and protect our communities. These five submissions urged prioritization of bark beetle treatment and hazardous fuels reduction, supported important active management policy proposals put forth by the administration, and urged funding for improvements and maintenance of Forest Service roads. CLICK HERE to read more.
 

Unfortunately, the Obama Administration has taken unprecedented steps to bypass Congress and infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of U.S. citizens.  On January 5, 2016, Obama announced a new wave of forthcoming executive actions on gun control.  The announcement of this likely unconstitutional executive order will likely violate the separation of powers and likely create a defacto law without the consent of Congress that attempts to prosecute American citizens under new mandates that have already been rejected by Congress.  Even Obama has previously stated that he does not have the Constitutional authority to introduce gun control without the consent of Congress.  Furthermore, his far-left proposals have been resoundingly debunked as foolish and would not have stopped any of the major shootings that took place during his tenure.  Gun violence is committed by criminals; yet the focus of this executive order is on restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens.  Elements of the executive order will even unjustly strip some Social Security recipients of their Second Amendment rights.  Whether it is blind ignorance or intentional deceit, President Obama’s actions will sabotage the safety of countless Americans in order to score political points with the far-left.

Obama’s latest partisan attack on the Second Amendment represents the pinnacle in a legacy of lawlessness.  The Obama Administration has been relentless in their pursuit of taking guns away from law-abiding Americans.  Republicans and Democrats, along with the American people, have already blocked the Obama's gun control proposals three different times.  I have and will continue to actively fight any attempt by this Administration to undermine our Constitution and infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.  I passed an amendment through the House in June 2015 reversing the ATF ban on 7N6 ammunition, therefore restoring Second Amendment rights and preserving access to affordable ammunition for sporting purposes. This Gosar amendment was supported by the NRA and Gun Owners of America.  There is no easy answer to the problem of violence we face in our country, but inhibiting the ability of law-abiding citizens to exercise their Constitutional rights is nothing more than window dressing.  One needs to look no further than the states with the toughest restrictions on firearms to see that they are the ones consistently ranking the highest in violent crime.  When you limit an individual’s ability to lawfully purchase or carry firearms you are allowing only those with the intent to break the law to have weapons.  Click HEREto read more.

In January of 2016, I joined several of my colleagues in introducing the Separation of Powers Restoration and Second Amendment Protection Act, H.R. 4321.  This legislation blocks any executive actions that violate the Second Amendment or infringe on Congress’s Article I responsibilities.  The bill also allows for civil action to be initiated in district courts to challenge such executive actions. 

I am a cosponsor of H.R. 402, the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act.  This commonsense legislation allows individuals with a concealed carry permit in one state to have that permit honored in another state that allows concealed carry.

I am also a cosponsor of the Second Amendment Defense Act.  This commonsense bill rejects the Obama Administration’s unacceptable violations of the Second Amendment and prohibits any new executive orders that restrict the Second Amendment.

In June, I joined several of my colleagues in introducing H.R. 2710, the Lawful Purpose and Self Defense Act.  This bill is endorsed by the NRA and prevents ATF from arbitrarily reclassifying popular rifle ammunition as armor piercing ammunition.  This legislation also allows for lawful non-NFA firearm and ammunition to be imported and sold in the U.S.  This bill also prevents shotguns, shotgun shells, and larger caliber rifles from being arbitrarily reclassified as destructive devices.

I am a cosponsor of H.R. 3799, the Hearing Protection Act, introduced by my Arizona colleague Matt Salmon.  This legislation removes the current unreasonable restrictions on the purchase of silencers under the National Firearms Act.  Instead, the bill requires that sound suppressors be treated as ordinary firearms and subject to the typical NICS check.

I am also an original cosponsor of H.R. 4348, the DC Personal Protection Reciprocity Act, introduced by my Arizona colleague David Schweikert.  This legislation ensures that law-abiding citizens have the right to protect and defend themselves in our nation’s capital by allowing individuals with a lawful concealed carry permit to lawfully carry registered firearms in the District of Columbia.

I cosponsored H.R. 1413, the Firearms Manufacturers and Dealers Protection Act and H.R. 766, the Financial Institution Customer Protection Act.  Each measure makes conducting or facilitating Operation Choke Point illegal. Operation Choke Point was an unconstitutional program created by the Obama Administration that put pressure on banks and payment processors to shut down industries that President Obama and Attorney General didn’t like. In February of 2016, the full House of Representatives passed H.R. 766 and my amendment. My commonsense amendment improved this worthwhile legislation and increased transparency by requiring that financial institutions provide notice to customers if their account is ordered to be terminated by federal banking regulators. Click HERE to read more

I also successfully passed the “Gosar Amendment” to a previous Energy and Water Appropriations Bill that blocked the Army Corps of Engineers from instituting an unconstitutional provision banning self-defense carry on Corps’ land, which included 90,000 campsites, thousands of miles of hiking trails, and millions of acres of recreational land.  Later, this provision became law.  Click HERE to read more.

In the CJS Appropriations Act for FY2016 alone, the House included/passed:

·         A Gosar amendment reversing the ATF ban on 7N6 ammunition, therefore restoring Second Amendment rights and preserving access to affordable ammunition for sporting purposes. This Gosar amendment was supported by the NRA and Gun Owners of America.  Click HERE to read more.

·         A Gosar-requested rider that prohibiting funds to implement the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty.

·         A Gosar-supported provision permanently prohibiting funds for Fast and Furious like programs.

·         A Gosar-supported provision permanently prohibiting the requirement for licenses to export firearms and parts to Canada;

·         A Gosar-supported provision permanently prohibiting banning licenses for importing curio or relic firearms, parts, or ammunition;

·         A Gosar-supported provision permanently prohibiting banning the importation of certain shotguns;

·         A Gosar-supported rider prohibiting funds for an unauthorized reporting and registration requirement regarding the sale of multiple rifles to the same person in border states.

·         A Gosar-supported rider prohibiting funds from being used to treat “green tip” ammo as armor piercing ammunition.  I also helped lead an effort with 238 other members of Congress that caused ATF’s initial retreat on its proposed ban on green tip ammo.

Shockingly, the nonpartisan Congressional Research reported in November 2015, that "since 1978, Congress has passed, and presidents have signed into law, 56 measures adjusting the statutory debt limit either as stand-alone legislation or as part of legislation dealing with other matters."  Congress must stop increasing and suspending the debt ceiling and kicking the proverbial can down the road.  In May 2011, I cast my first vote in relation to the debt ceiling and voted against H.R. 1954, which was President Obama’s initial request for a $2.3 trillion increase to the debt ceiling without any spending cuts.  Fortunately, my colleagues and I were able to defeat this awful bill.  In July 2011, I voted against H.R. 2693.  While this bill proposed to reduce spending by $927 billion over ten years, it increased the debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion.  In September 2011, I voted for H.J. Res 77 and to reject Obama's request to increase the debt ceiling by $500 billion. In January 2012, I voted for H. J. Res. 98 and to reject the president’s request to increase the federal debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion.  In October 2013, I voted against H.R. 2775 and against suspending the debt ceiling.  This terrible bill handed D.C. bureaucrats a blank check for approximately five months. In October 2015, I voted against H.R. 1314, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, because it suspended the debt ceiling through March 2017 and again handed Washington politicians a blank check that will likely add more than a trillion dollars to our national debt.  CLICK HERE to read more.

I was proud to vote for S.627, the Budget Control Act of 2011, because it contained provisions for deep cuts, no tax increases, and required a vote on a balanced budget amendment in both Houses during 2011.  Those are fundamental conservative values that we were able to implement into law.  While the bill was not 100% perfect, it is the only successful effort to reduce spending for three years in a row since World War II.  The Budget Control Act was the one major fiscal victory achieved by Republicans when we took back the House majority.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In J2014, the House of Representatives sent a strong message to the IRS and the Administration, "Shape up or lose your funding."  The House passed an appropriations bill which cut funding to the IRS by over $1 billion and to its lowest level since 2003. The House unanimously adopted one my amendments that cut funds for the IRS by $353 million as part of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of fiscal year 2015.  Another one of my successful amendments prohibited bonuses for senior executive service employees at the IRS for fiscal year 2015.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In 2014, the House passed my amendment to prohibit approximately $440 million dollars within the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2015 from being disbursed to ISIS, Hamas, Iran, the Palestinian Authority and other Foreign Terrorist Organizations. With our federal debt and foreign policy in shambles, it is long past time that Congress prevent federal dollars from going towards organizations and countries who actively work to harm the United States and its interests. Click HERE to read more.

In J2015, the House passed my amendment to prohibit any funds from being used for the Federal Transit Administration’s proposed Rapid Growth Area Transit Program. With significant infrastructure needs, including road and bridge maintenance, spending $500 million on a new discretionary bus transit program would have been incredibly wasteful.  CLICK HERE to learn more about this successful effort that was signed into law and kept $500 million in the Highway Trust Fund.

In 2015, the House passed my amendment that cut the EPA budget by $61,304,000. Under the Obama Administration, the EPA took unprecedented actions to defy the rule of law and enact far-left, extremist policies by executive fiat. In response, I was more than happy to remind this out-of-control, rogue agency about our Constitution and system of checks and balances which includes ‘the power of the purse’ granted to the House of Representatives. Click HERE to read more.

In 2014, the House passed my amendment and blocked Obama's request for $29 million for a new, duplicative climate change program.  The non-partisan Congressional Research Service estimates the Administration spent almost $77 billion from FY2008 through FY2013 studying and trying to develop global climate change regulations.  This amendment was about restoring fiscal responsibility and efficiency to federal spending as well as preventing duplication.  CLICK HERE to learn more about my successful effort that was signed into law and blocked Obama’s $29 million new climate change program.

In 2014, the House passed two of my amendments to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2015 to save taxpayers money.  My first successful amendment saved $3.1 million and prevented a budget increase for the United States Botanic Garden.  My second successful amendment that was signed into law prevented printing of life-size photographs of building facades on scrims that conceal scaffolding erected to repair public buildings in the United States Capitol Complex.  The Architect of the Capitol wasted a bunch of taxpayer money on this practice during renovations of the Supreme Court and justified this lavish expenditure by asserting that this practice is "used extensively in Europe."  This is America and the only reason there is not a wasteful scrim concealing the scaffolding of the U.S. Capitol right now is because of my language in law blocking this practice.  CLICK HERE to read more about this provision that was signed into law multiple times.

In 2014, I first pushed a legislative effort to prohibit funds for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Roadside Survey. This program was not only wasteful and ineffective, but it was an infringement on our Constitutional rights to privacy and the 4th Amendment civil liberties of American Citizens.  The implementation of the survey used uniformed police officers to stop drivers and allow researchers to collect a passive alcohol sensor reading before the driver agreed to participate in the survey. Previous surveys have squandered almost $8 million dollars of taxpayer money and done nothing to make our communities safer. CLICK HERE to learn more this successful legislative effort that was signed into federal law multiple times.

Another one of my amendments passed into law will save taxpayer money and prohibits funds from being used on Government Travel Charge Card expenses for gaming, or entertainment that includes topless or nude entertainers.  "A recent Defense inspector general report found that civilian and military employees between 2013 and 2014 used government charge cards to make more than $1 million in purchases at casinos and to pay for adult entertainment."  CLICK HERE to read more.

In 2015, I passed an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016 which cut funds from the Department of Justice's General Legal Account, specifically targeting the Deputy Attorney General's office until the Attorney General fully enforces current federal criminal immigration laws.  In recent years, DOJ has instructed U.S. Attorney’s Offices in some states not to prosecute persons that violate certain criminal immigration laws and to terminate worthwhile enforcement programs like Operation Streamline.  In order to change the rampant culture of corruption within this rogue agency, I cut funds for DOJ employees who have failed to enforce our immigration laws.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In 2015, I passed two amendments through the House and cut $10 million from ATF's budget.  My first successful amendment cut $5 million from ATF bureaucrats and redirected those resources to Veterans Treatment Courts.  My second successful amendment cut $5 million from ATF bureaucrats and redirected those resources to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, restoring PDMP funding to the original House-approved levels.  PDMP has proven to be an effective tool in reducing the growth of prescription drug abuse which has contributed to addiction, health deterioration and even untimely death for far too many across our country.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In 2015, I introduced the Compact for a Balanced Budget Amendment. The Compact for a Balanced Budget consolidates everything Congress and the states do into two overarching pieces of legislation—one congressional resolution and one interstate compact joined by thirty-eight states. This approach dramatically reduces the time and resources needed to achieve a Balanced Budget Amendment and utilizes an innovative approach to our budgetary challenges that did not require the president's signature.  CLICK HERE to read more.

To help provide certainty to our debt markets, I cosponsored the “Full Faith and Credit Act,” which directed the United States Treasury, in the event the debt ceiling was reached, to pay principal and interest due on the national debt before making any other payments.  The principle behind this bill is simple:  the “full faith and credit” of the United States should not be threatened every time we approach the national debt limit, as has been suggested by Treasury Secretary Geithner.  The Administration should be working to cut spending and should be focusing on core government duties.  This legislation prevented the U.S. from defaulting on its debt, which is a better solution than raising the debt ceiling and simply postponing a crisis to deal with it at a later date.

The 2008 end of the year spending bill included more than 9,000 earmarks.  In 2011, Republicans retook the House and instituted the first earmark ban in the history of this country.  The earmark ban has remained in effect since and gone a long way to root out wasteful spending and corruption.  I wholeheartedly support maintaining the ban.

The House of Representatives has saved taxpayers nearly $600 million since 2011 by trimming their own operating budget by 14%.  In addition Congress has not given itself a raise during my entire tenure in Congress.  The last pay increase for members of Congress occurred in 2009.  Under federal law, Congress is supposed to obtain an annual pay raise equivalent to the prior year's average private sector wage change.  My colleagues and I have voted at least seven times since 2009 to block that pay raise.

The nation was shocked by the revelations that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had been discriminating against certain groups based on their opposing ideology.  It shook the foundation of our government—the IRS has never been loved by the American people, but many at least trusted them to execute tax law without prejudice.  Because the power to tax is the power to destroy, millions of Americans were appalled and outraged at the actions of the current administration.  In an effort to have the now-infamous Lois Lerner emails uncovered and hold the IRS accountable for the agency’s despicable behavior, I passed an amendment in 2014 that cut the IRS’ enforcement budget by $350 million and another amendment that prohibited bonuses for senior executive service employees at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for fiscal year 2015.  CLICK HERE to read more.

When the IRS proposed a new regulation that would have required non-profits to share the Social Security numbers of their donors with the agency, my colleagues and I fought back.  It defies commonsense that anyone would give this information to the IRS given that the agency unfairly targeted conservative groups for their political beliefs. As a result of Congressional pressure, the IRS announced in January 2015 that they were withdrawing this misguided proposal that would have violated the First Amendment.

 Families and businesses cannot make long-term financial decisions if they are forced to plan around a short-term, complicated tax system.  Congress must restore clarity and simplicity to the U.S. Tax Code via comprehensive tax reform.  Remarkably, the United States has the highest corporate tax rate in the free world. American competitiveness worldwide is extremely hampered as a result.  I am committed to restoring America’s competitive edge by lowering taxes and giving individuals a tax-code that is simple and clear.  In the 112th Congress, the House made significant progress in this direction by passing the Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act.  I strongly supported this legislation at this time as it sought to implement a number of commonsense tax reforms including: lowering corporate tax rates from 35% to 25%, abolishing the Alternative Minimum Tax, and consolidating the number of income tax brackets from six down to no more than two.

I am an ardent supporter and cosponsor of H.R. 1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act, which serves as a repeal of the estate tax.  I have voted multiple times to repeal this unjust tax.  Mothers and fathers are taxed on their earnings and holdings while they are alive, and they should not have to worry about those holdings being taxed, yet again, when they die and aim to leave their children their belongings. This bipartisan legislation passed the House on April 16, 2015, by a vote 240-179. It is my hope that this legislation will be taken up by the Senate in a timely manner and signed into law by Obama.

I am an original cosponsor of H.R.160, the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015, which would repeal the medical device tax.  This bipartisan legislation passed the House on June 18, 2015 by a vote of 280-140.  This tax is so unpopular that even 46 Democrats voted in favor of H.R.160. When President Obama and his friends in Congress passed Obamacare, they had to try to find ways to pay for this expensive legislation. It is illogical though to tax medical devices to pay for health care services and insurance.  You are literally taxing the devices needed to provide the best quality of care.  It is time to repeal this tax, along with the rest of the abomination known as the Affordable Care Act.

My position on tax policy is clear: no new taxes.  The last thing our nation needs is new taxes, especially on internet access.  As the internet is a central part of modern life, Congress must protect the ability of millions of Americans to access online job applications, health care information, online marketplaces and educational platforms online. That is why I have cosponsored the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act.  This commonsense, two-line bill simply seeks to ban state and local internet access taxes permanently. The House passed this legislation on June 9, 2015. 

In the 113th Congress, I voted for and the House passed H.R. 4718. This bipartisan legislation was estimated to create 212,000  jobs.  The bill would increase certainty for employers by increasing access to capital and allowing for the immediate 50% deduction of the costs associated with new equipment purchases and certain property improvements.  This legislation would create jobs, increase wages and foster economic growth.

In December 2015, I voted for the bipartisan PATH Act. This legislation prevented tax increases for millions of businesses and hard-working American families. The Path Act made permanent several important tax provisions including: the R&D tax credit, section 179 small business expensing, the state and local sales deduction and 15-year recovery for restaurant and leasehold improvements.  A study by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Foundation found that permanent Section 179 small business expensing will "increase economic output by almost $19 billion and create nearly 200,000 jobs over the next 10 years."   

I was instrumental in the initial authorization of the future I-11 corridor project by championing authorizing language included in MAP-21, the major transportation and infrastructure bill passed by Congress in 2012.  This was the critical first step of the major economic development project that will connect Phoenix and Las Vegas, the two largest cities in the nation not linked by an interstate highway. CLICK HERE to read more about this successful effort.

As the co-chair of the House I-11 Caucus, I continue to push this Arizona priority forward and to expand the coalition of stakeholders and advocates.  In March 2015, I introduced the Intermountain West Corridor Development Act of 2015.  This legislation extends the future I-11 beyond the Phoenix – Las Vegas region to connect shipping ports in Southern Arizona through Northern Nevada to existing major interstate networks in the Northwest. Extending I-11 and allowing it to become the main transportation corridor in the West will be an economic boon for our communities, creating jobs, allowing for an easier flow of goods and services and authorizing the construction of much needed infrastructure.  Getting I-11 built is just commonsense and the associated economic benefits will help future Arizona generations indefinitely. My bill was included as a provision in H.R. 22, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015, and was signed into law by Obama in December 2015.   CLICK HERE to read more to read more about this successful effort.

In the 112th Congress, I introduced bipartisan standalone legislation, the Grand Canyon Tourism Jobs Protection Act of 2012 (H.R.4198), to protect tourism jobs and preserve natural quiet at the Grand Canyon National Park. The provisions of H.R.4198 were ultimately codified into public law through Section 35001 of H.R.4348, also known as MAP-21. The air tour and tourism industries at the Grand Canyon are critical to Arizona’s economy. In 2011, tourism at the Grand Canyon helped sustain more than 300,000 jobs. The air tour industry around this historic landmark supported 1,250 good-paying jobs in Arizona and Nevada during that same timeframe. This commonsense legislation will create good-paying jobs and boost economic activity in an extremely rural area and in February 2014, the FAA announced 1,721 additional Grand Canyon flights per year utilizing quiet technology as a result of my commonsense legislation.  CLICK HERE to read more. 

In January 2015, I introduced H.R. 924, the Responsibility in Federal Contracting Act, legislation which requires the calculation of wages for public works projects to be based on actual statistics calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  For far too long, wages for public works projects have been determined by an outdated and flawed formula that sacrifices accuracy, jobs and billions of federal tax dollars. The current calculation dates back to the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act and is riddled with fraud and abuse as evidenced by multiple Inspector General (IG) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports.  A 2008 Department of Labor Inspector General (IG) report found that “one or more errors existed in 100 percent of the wage reports.”  Research conducted by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that upwards of $13 billion could be wasted over 10 years if Davis-Bacon is left unreformed.  Another reputable economic analysis projected that reforming the current method would have saved the federal government nearly $11 billion in 2011 alone.  My commonsense legislation will cut waste, create jobs and save billions.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In January, I joined several of my colleagues in introducing the Historic Routes Preservation Act, legislation which allows local counties to  resolve public lands right-of-way disputes without going to court.  This bipartisan bill provides a useful tool for cleaning up maps in western states and allows confirmation of rights-of-way on public lands through an administrative process, as opposed to the current expensive judicial process. Counties throughout the West shouldn’t have to spend precious resources on litigation in order to keep public roads open, especially when counties have been paying to maintain these roads for decades. This bill provides a commonsense solution that will maintain public access and prevent government bureaucrats from arbitrarily closing historic routes.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In June 2014, I first pushed a legislative effort to prohibit funds for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Roadside Survey. This program was not only wasteful and ineffective, but it was an infringement on our Constitutional rights to privacy and the 4th Amendment civil liberties of American Citizens.  The implementation of the survey used uniformed police officers to stop drivers and allow researchers to collect a passive alcohol sensor reading before the driver agreed to participate in the survey. Previous surveys have squandered almost $8 million dollars of taxpayer money and done nothing to make our communities safer. CLICK HERE to learn more this successful legislative effort that was signed into federal law in both the 2014 and 2015 end-of-the-year spending bills.

In recent years, more and more resources have been sucked out of the highway trust fund and diverted to wasteful and unnecessary transit projects that only benefit a small fraction of Americans.  In June of 2015, the House passed my amendment to prohibit any funds from being used for the Federal Transit Administration’s proposed Rapid Growth Area Transit Program.  With significant infrastructure needs, including road and bridge maintenance, now is not the time to be spending $500 million on a new discretionary bus transit program.  I have worked tirelessly to eliminate waste in federal transportation spending and to redirect our priorities and resources to projects at the core of the Highway Trust Fund’s mission: Roads and Bridges. CLICK HERE to learn more about this successful amendment that blocked one of President Obama’s terrible new proposals and kept $500 million in the Highway Trust Fund.

The U.S. Highway Trust Fund, established in 1956 primarily to finance the Eisenhower Interstate Highway system, is funded by the federal taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, The fund, which also funds mass transit, is approaching insolvency—an all-too-common occurrence for programs managed by our federal government.  During my relatively short tenure in Congress, I have been a strong supporter of worthwhile transportation efforts that prioritize projects and don’t increase federal spending. Most Americans agree that improved nationwide infrastructure is a must. However, there are differing views on how we should fund the needed improvements.

Many lawmakers have proposed an increase to fuel taxes that have been at their current rates since President Clinton signed them into law in 1993. The increases initially went toward deficit reduction, but a 1997 law channeled the money to the Highway Fund. Rather than eliminate wasteful spending to come up with money for essential infrastructure projects, many lawmakers instead want to impose another onerous tax increase on the American people. In President Obama’s FY 2016 budget, he did not recommend increasing the gas tax but instead proposed increasing corporate taxes to fund the improvements—another proposal I reject. Some believe that the timing is ripe for such an increase with gas prices the lowest they have been in years. But Washington’s biggest problem is wasteful spending, and I am committed to solving that problem rather than exacerbating it with another tax increase.

I have consistently gone to bat for local community transportation priorities. I have been a strong supporter of the FAA's the Contract Tower Program and done everything in my power to keep Bullhead City’s tower off the chopping block. In July 2015, the eastbound side of an I-10 collapsed during a massive monsoon impeding travel and the economic flow of goods between Arizona and California. I teamed up with my California colleagues to seek an expedited fix for the bridge. I have sent multiple letters of support for community projects seeking TIGER grants. These include but are not limited to: supporting the State Route 347 Grade Separation Project in Maricopa County, supporting Interstate 10 and Interstate 17 Spine Corridor improvements, supporting phases III and IV of the Hunt Highway widening project in Pinal County, supporting the Multi-Model Transportation Center in downtown Yuma, supporting the new trans-load project in La Paz County, supporting rehabilitating the Virgin River Bridge on Interstate 15, supporting for the Ehrenberg Port of Entry project, supporting the Bridge Over Tonto Creek in Gila County, seeking resources for the environmental analysis for the future I-11 corridor. 

We can address our pressing transportation needs without borrowing billions more and sending our country further into debt.  The federal government needs to get our priorities in order and stop wasting taxpayer money on things we don’t need.  I will continue to advocate for our communities while fighting for fiscally sustainable transportation solutions in the 114th Congress.

• H.R. 1313, the Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Relief Act. Roll Call #241.
• H.R. 1382, Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment Act (BRAVE Act). Roll Call #242.
• H.R. 294, the Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act. Roll Call #107.
• H.R. 3230, Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency. Roll Call #467.
• H.R. 4031, the Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act. Roll Call #229.
• H.R. 4974, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017. Roll Call #228.
• H.R. 2029, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016. Roll Call #193.
• H.R. 4486, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015. Roll Call #187.
• H.R. 2216, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014. Roll Call #193.
• H.R. 5854, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013. Roll Call #305.

I have passed 13 appropriations amendments to improve care for our nation's veterans including:

• Preventing rogue VA employees from squandering taxpayer money and violating VA relocation regulations.
• Reprioritizing resources in order to reduce the VA claims backlog.
• Reprioritizing resources in order to reduce the Board of Veterans Appeals backlog.
• Prohibiting bonuses for senior VA bureaucrats.
• Ensuring adequate resources for the Inspector General to investigate the Phoenix VA scandal.
• Reprioritizing $4 million in wasteful federal spending to programs that prevent veterans suicide.
• Reprioritizing $11 million in wasteful federal spending to Veterans Treatment Courts.
• Prohibiting the altering of claims data and veterans wait times by VA staff.
• Preventing the VA from squandering $72 million on bureaucrats and a new office that wasn't going to improve veterans' care.  

In the wake of the VA scandals, Congress came together to pass important relief for our nation’s veterans.  H.R. 3230, the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, was signed into law in August of 2014.  The bill allows veterans that have waited longer than 30 days or live more than 40 miles away to be seen by non-VA doctors, and for the doctors to then be reimbursed by the VA.  The bill also provided resources for hiring new physicians and medical personnel.  Finally, the legislation made important reforms that allowed for VA bureaucrats to be demoted or fired.  It may not be a perfect system at this time, but this act is allowing for thousands of veterans to get the care for which they would otherwise wait months.

The scars of combat sometimes linger with our veterans after they return home.  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has become a common diagnosis among out vets, and we must do what we can to show the same support they have shown each of us.  I have offered multiple amendments to the Military Construction, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon/VA) Appropriations Acts to transfer funds from an increasingly large VA bureaucracy to more important mental health programs and suicide prevention efforts.  18 to 22 veterans a day are simply giving up on life.  Efforts must be improved on this front, because even one veteran suicide is too many.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Ensuring our veterans receive care in a timely manner has been one of my top priorities as a member of Congress. With a sharp increase in veterans claims due to the wind-down in Iraq and Afghanistan, coupled with incompetence and a culture of corruption at the VA, wait times for veterans care at the VA skyrocketed.  It has been common to see wait times on initial claims close to one year before any sort of decision is made—and the claims appeals process is even worse.  That is why I have offered and passed multiple amendments to reduce the disability claims backlog and lengthy wait times.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Since the initial scandal broke, the American people have actually seen memos and documents from senior VA personnel encouraging VA employees to falsify data to improve (at least on paper) the wait times for claims processing.  One such memo is known as “Fast Letter 13-10” which was issued by the VA headquarters in Washington, DC.  I was appalled to learn this,  so I introduced and passed three amendments in recent years to the MilCon/VA Appropriations Act to prohibit the implementation of that memo as well as the falsification of claims processing times.  CLICK HERE to read more.

Veterans Treatment Courts are relatively new, but they have already shown promising results.  Many of our nation’s heroes returning from combat are traumatized due to the associated violence and pressure of war and often cope with such feelings with substance abuse.  Veterans Courts promote sobriety and recovery through coordinated local partnerships among community corrections agencies, drug treatment providers, the Judiciary, and other important community support groups.  Recidivism rates are significantly lower for veterans moving through these courts.  I have offered and passed numerous amendments to appropriations bills that provide important resources for these courts.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In recent years, veterans in Payson, Arizona have faced significant burdens obtaining quality health care. The previous doctor that had been serving the area retired and the VA contractor did not have another doctor ready to take over.  As a result, local veterans were forced to make long drives to Phoenix for a number of medical issues including obtaining primary care. Veterans in the area began calling for a stand-alone clinic that offered more services to veterans, so I spearheaded an exchange between a private doctor and the VA with the goal of opening such a clinic, cutting out the contracting middle-man.  The new clinic has tele-health capabilities that allow for more conditions to be treated onsite which further helps veterans avoid lengthy drives to Phoenix.

In the 113th Congress, the House passed my bill into law designating the Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Center in Prescott, Arizona, as the “Dr. Cameron McKinley Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Center”.  Dr. McKinley demonstrated extraordinary service in the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Army as well as the Chief Psychologist at the Prescott Veterans Affairs Hospital.  His medical service was nothing short of groundbreaking, improving the lives of countless Arizona veterans while specializing in treating post-traumatic stress disorder.  CLICK HERE to read more.

In 2015, the VA suspended enrollment at Yavapai College in Prescott for over 30 students in the school’s Airline Operations and Helicopter Operations concentrations due to alleged compliance issues.  In response, Sen. John McCain and I contacted the Director of Education Service in the Veterans Benefit Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs opposing this action and demanding answers.  The decision to suspend the aviation program at Yavapai College may have unfairly put some veteran students on the chopping block.  There are veterans who were accepted to this program and uprooted their lives to move to Prescott under the assumption that they were going to pursue an aviation degree.  If there are veterans being punished through no fault of their own, then it is the responsibility of the VA to clearly justify its rationale and explain how this decision serves the best interests of our nation’s heroes. CLICK HERE to read more.

I have been honoring veterans and active duty service men and women from Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District in a weekly segment on my Facebook page called #MilitaryMonday. I believe these heroes deserve to be recognized for their dedication and sacrifice to this great country. These men and women are why we are able to maintain the freedoms we enjoy and appreciation should be shown to those who deserve it. I am enormously grateful for their contribution to our community, state and country. I consider it an honor to represent them and hope you will join me by thanking them for their service. If you know of a current or former member of the military that you would like to recognize for #MilitaryMonday, send me a message with their contact information at: http://gosar.house.gov/contact-me or facebook.com/repgosar via direct message.

In conclusion, I will continue to push for increased accountability within the VA and do everything in my power to ensure our veterans receive the care they earned in a timely manner.

In July of 2014, the House of Representatives sent a strong message to the IRS and the Administration, "Shape up or lose your funding."  The House passed an appropriations bill which cut funding to the IRS by over $1 billion and to its lowest level since 2003.  Included with passage of this bill were four of my amendments which cut more than $400 million in wasteful spending from the IRS and other government agencies.  At a time when our nation is more than $18 trillion dollars in debt and with a federal budget on track to spend $500 billion more than it will take in, we must make real cuts to reign in federal spending.  The House unanimously adopted one my amendments that cut funds for the IRS by $353 million as part of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of fiscal year 2015.  Another one of my successful amendments prohibited bonuses for senior executive service employees at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for fiscal year 2015.  CLICK HERE to read more.

When the IRS proposed a new regulation that would have required non-profits to share the Social Security numbers of their donors with the agency, my colleagues and I fought back.  It defies commonsense that anyone would give this information to the IRS given that the agency unfairly targeted conservative groups for their political beliefs. As a result of Congressional pressure, the IRS announced in January 2015 that they were withdrawing this misguided proposal that would have violated the First Amendment.

President Obama’s new AFFH regulation marks his most aggressive attempt yet to force his utopian ideology on American communities disguised under the banner of ‘fairness’. This new regulation isn’t about fair housing, as housing discrimination based on race has been illegal for more than 40 years.   American citizens should be free to choose where they would like to live and not be subject to big government neighborhood engineering.  Local zoning decisions have traditionally been, and should always be, made by local communities, not bureaucrats in Washington DC.  The House of Representatives has voted twice to defund the AFFH rule by passing my amendments during consideration of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bills for fiscal years 2015 and 2016.  More information on those votes can be found HERE and HERE.  I have also introduced the Local Zoning and Property Rights Protection Act, H.R. 1995, to prohibit this new regulation.

In November 2015, I introduced the Preventing Unionization of Revenue Service Employees (PURSE Act).  This commonsense legislation would prohibit federal government tax collectors and other bureaucrats from unionizing and entering into collective bargaining agreements at taxpayer expense.   In 2013, over 200 IRS employees spent more than 520,000 hours of official time on union activities. Hard-working American taxpayers had to foot the bill for these employees' salaries and benefits to the tune of $23 million.  To make matters worse, the IRS has over 70,000 union-covered employees, and more than 95% of the union's political contributions have gone to Democrat candidates in recent elections. It is far past time that we stop IRS employees from engaging in political activity on official time. CLICK HERE to read more. 
 

I am an ardent supporter and cosponsor of H.R. 1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act, which serves as a repeal of the estate tax.  I have voted multiple times to repeal this unjust tax.  Mothers and fathers are taxed on their earnings and holdings while they are alive, and they should not have to worry about those holdings being taxed, yet again, when they die and aim to leave their children their belongings. This bipartisan legislation passed the House on April 16, 2015, by a vote 240-179. It is my hope that this legislation will be taken up by the Senate in a timely manner and signed into law by Obama.

I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1553, the Small Bank Exam Cycle Reform Act. This bill would reduce the regulatory burden for well-managed community banks and allow an additional 676 U.S. banks to qualify for longer exam cycles. This bipartisan legislation passed the House with my support in October 2015. 

I strongly oppose DOL's proposed Fiduciary Rule. I joined several of my colleagues in twice contacting DOL Secretary Perez and expressing significant concerns about the proposed rule which seeks to update the definition of a fiduciary standard under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).  One of our efforts stated, "We have serious reservations that the details of the current proposal will severely disrupt the availability of affordable financial education and investment advice while also restricting product choice and retirement security for many American Families...We hope you will make substantial changes to address the shortcomings of the proposed rule to reflect these concerns so that any final rule enhances retirement security.” I also voted in favor of H.R. 1090, the Retail Investor Protection Act, which requires the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) to examine the proposed rule and to update its own rules regarding fiduciaries before the DOL rule can be implemented.  The SEC is the agency that Congress has designated with the authority to regulate the investment industry, not DOL. 
 

I also strongly oppose DOL's proposed Overtime Rule.  Currently, employers are required to pay overtime for all employees who make $23,660 or less per year. The new rule, proposed by DOL’s Wage and Hour Division, would raise the salary threshold and require employers to pay overtime for all employees who make $50,440 or less per year. With the implementation of the rule, nearly 5 million employees would suddenly become eligible for overtime pay. This 113 percent increase in the salary threshold would place a large burden on business owners and their workers, and is a major departure from previous DOL policy.  Several colleagues and I are in the midst of contacting Secretary Perez to also express significant concerns with this proposed rule. In our comments we state, "As written, this one-size-fits-all rule would adversely impact all affected employers, especially small businesses. Instead of helping our nation’s workers, this rule will ultimately hurt them...Many small businesses, which often operate on thin margins, yet still pay competitive salaries, provide great benefits, and positive workplace environments, simply cannot afford to increase their workers’ salaries to the new salary threshold that has been proposed.   Thus, to remain economically viable and keep the prices of their goods and services competitive, many businesses would be forced to take actions such as reducing workers hours or shifting salaried workers to hourly status, which many workers would consider a demotion and may also mean a reduction in benefits."

I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1941, the Financial Institutions Examination Fairness and Reform Act. This legislation creates an Independent Examination Review Director to ensure there is a fair appeals process in place for bank examinations. The bill will also ensure a more transparent examination process and timelier reporting. Such actions will provide more consistency in this process and allow more good loans to go to consumers as examiners will no longer be allowed to arbitrarily insist on unnecessary reserve requirements.

I cosponsored H.R. 1413, the Firearms Manufacturers and Dealers Protection Act and H.R. 766, the Financial Institution Customer Protection Act.  Each measure makes conducting or facilitating Operation Choke Point illegal. Operation Choke Point was an unconstitutional program created by the Obama Administration that put pressure on banks and payment processors to shut down industries that President Obama and Attorney General didn’t like.   In February of 2016, the full House of Representatives passed H.R. 766 and my amendment. My commonsense amendment improved this worthwhile legislation and increased transparency by requiring that financial institutions provide notice to customers if their account is ordered to be terminated by federal banking regulators. Click HERE to read more

I cosponsored H.R. 1210, the Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act. This legislation increases access for consumers to a greater variety of loan products by allowing financial institutions to originate loans and hold them in their portfolio for the entire life of the loan.  The American Bankers Association supports this bill stating, "[H.R. 2673] is a common sense approach that will allow portfolio lenders to make more credit available, safely and soundly, to borrowers who they view as good credit risks."

I am a cosponsor of H.R. 2896, the Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk Act.  This bill will reduce regulatory burdens and their associated costs for small financial institutions, particularly community banks.  To that end, this legislation directs Federal bank and credit union regulators to consider the risk profile and business model of an institution prior to implementing new regulations.  The 53 State Bankers Associations have stated, "In its simplest terms, H.R. 2896 directs regulators to apply rules where needed while cutting back where it is not." 

In December 2015, I voted for the bipartisan PATH Act. This legislation prevented tax increases for millions of businesses and hard-working American families. The Path Act made permanent several important tax provisions including: the R&D tax credit, section 179 small business expensing, the state and local sales deduction and 15-year recovery for restaurant and leasehold improvements.  A study by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Foundation found that permanent Section 179 small business expensing will "increase economic output by almost $19 billion and create nearly 200,000 jobs over the next 10 years." 
 

As previously stated, the CFPB’s actions are largely unaccountable.  I have supported numerous initiatives to bring them into the fold.  One example is the Financial Institutions Examination Fairness and Reform Act, which would require CFPB to establish an independent intra-agency appellate process in connection with the regulatory appeals process and would create appropriate safeguards to protect financial institutions from retaliation by the CFPB if an appeal is made.  I have also supported legislation to offer a means for consumers to join an “opt-out” list so that the agency cannot collect personally identifiable information about them.  Finally, I have vocally supported a full repeal of the CFPB as long as it exists in its current form.  No government agency should be above reproach or remain exempt from vigorous oversight from duly elected members of Congress.