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Happy Independence Day!

I hope you are celebrating your freedom with friends and family. I thought we could celebrate with a little trivia. Here are 10 fun Facts You Never Knew About the 4th of July.

• Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence.

  Four others were also on the committee: Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Robert Livingston.

• John Adams wrote a letter to his wife about how memorable Independence Day would be in American history.

  He was obviously right — in his letter, he said the day should be celebrated with parades, bonfires and fireworks.

• The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration.

  It came out in the newspaper on July 6, 1776 for everyone to see, after a local printer named John Dunlap produced copies of the declaration's manuscript.

• An estimated 2.5 million people lived in the nation in July 1776.

  As of July 2020, about 330 million people live in the U.S., according to the United States Census.

• Three presidents who signed the Declaration of Independence died on July 4.

  John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826 — on the 50th anniversary of the country's independence. James Monroe died five years later on July 4, 1831.

• The Liberty Bell rings 13 times every Independence Day to honor the 13 original states.

  Descendants of people who signed the Declaration of Independence tap the bell, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 2 p.m. eastern time every 4th of July.

• Independence Day was once celebrated on July 5.

  The holiday fell on a Sunday in 1779, so the country celebrated on July 5th instead.

• U.S. soldiers got a special treat on the 4th of July in 1778.

  George Washington helped the troops celebrate by allowing them a double ration of rum, according to Live Science.

• Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the 4th of July.

  That probably helped his presidential campaign, right?

• The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were both signed in Philadelphia.

  The Constitution was signed in September of 1787, a little over 11 years after the Declaration of Independence. While both are important to U.S. history, they are totally separate documents with different meanings.

This week, I joined several of my pro-life colleagues in sending a letter to Mr. Biden expressing my deep disagreement with his decision to remove the Hyde Amendment and several other long-standing pro-life protections in his fiscal year 2022 spending plan.

The Hyde Amendment, first passed in 1976, bans federal funding, such as Medicaid, for abortion unless the woman’s life in danger or the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest. The Hyde Amendment has saved countless lives of unborn children. In fact, studies show that nearly 60,000 children are spared death each year due to the important amendment.

Unfortunately, Mr. Biden’s budget repeals the Hyde Amendment, forcing taxpayers like you and me to fund abortions. This is offensive and an affront to Americans who do not want their tax dollars funding abortion on demand resulting in the death of defenseless and innocent unborn children. 

The right to life is the most basic human right and the Hyde Amendment must be reinstated and maintained in the appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2022.

Click here to read the letter I sent Mr. Biden demanding compassion for unborn babies.

This week, I introduced the Separation of Powers Restoration Act, legislation that restores the Constitution’s basic principle of dividing the federal government into separate branches with independent powers.

Separation of powers is a doctrine of constitutional law under which the federal government is separated into the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Each branch has separate powers and one branch is not allowed to exercise the powers of the other branches. Simply stated, Congress writes the laws, and the executive branch enforces the laws.

For too long, the executive branch, regardless of political party, has developed an unbridled concentration of power never envisioned by the Founding Fathers. From forever wars, endless executive orders, to overreaching emergency declarations, the executive has greatly weakened our system of checks and balances.

This overreach of concentrated power has been on full display during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our county has been living under a COVID-19 emergency declaration for well over a year. With cases falling, vaccine rates rising, and states reopening, it is prudent for Congress to consider the merit of the emergency declaration continuation. Unfortunately, when I recently introduced a joint resolution to terminate the emergency declaration, House Democrats refused to take up my legislation, even though Congress is required to do so by law.

Congress must not surrender its powers to the executive branch.  In response, I introduced the Separation of Powers Restoration Act which repeals the War Powers Resolution Act, terminates all states of emergency, reinvests national emergency declaration authority in Congress, blocks all Presidential orders unless it is the President acting with express authority granted in the Constitution or given by an Act of Congress, and gives members of Congress, state and local governments, and the People, standing to challenge Presidential orders in court which exceed executive power. 

Click here to read the full text of my press release as well as copy of this commons sense

legislation.

This week, in a 6-3 decision, the United States Supreme Court voted to uphold Arizona’s election laws. Democrats had been trying to make Arizona ballots less secure for political gain by asking the court to strike down Arizona’s ban on ballot harvesting and a law requiring voters to vote in the correct precinct. The Supreme Court’s ruling was a YUGE win for election integrity.

Earlier this week I notified officials at the Lake Havasu City Municipal Airport that the U.S. Department of Transportation will be awarding $7,145,060 to the City of Lake Havasu City to reconstruct the taxiway and taxiway lighting at the airport.

This funding is essential to maintaining reliable air service to the community and growing surrounding area, including critical air transport services to those needing emergency medical assistance.

Click here to learn more about this important funding award for the City of Lake Havasu City.

Right to work (RTW) states empower employees to choose whether a union is best for them. The 10^th Amendment protects the right for states to make this decision, and Arizona is a RTW state. RTW states have a strong track record of economic growth for both the business and its employees. Yet, Democrats, bending to corrupt union leaders are pushing national policy to strip states of RTW status. I joined a resolution reconfirming Congressional support of RTW.

I work for YOU!

I want to serve my constituents in any way I can. Whether you need help with a federal agency, are trying to find out if federal grants are available for your project, or are considering applying to a service academy, my office is always here to help. 

• Help With a Federal Agency
• Federal Job Postings
• Help With Federal Grants
• Service  Academy Nominations

Additionally, the phone numbers for all of my offices are listed at the bottom of this email.