Getting Back to Work

Last week, Nancy Pelosi finally called Congress back into session. In addition to working on some important legislation, I was honored to be unanimously elected by my colleagues to serve on the House Republican leadership team in the upcoming Congress. I sincerely appreciate the support of my colleagues and am thankful to you for allowing me to continue to be an effective voice and leader in Congress. We have a lot of challenges facing us, but I'm already back working for you and our country.

On Monday, the House passed the Lumbee Recognition Act. I authored this bipartisan bill with Congressmen G.K. Butterfield and Dan Bishop to give the Lumbee Tribe full federal recognition. The Lumbee Tribe has fought 132 years for this recognition. President Donald Trump has voiced his support, as well as both North Carolina Senators. I'm thankful our work in the House was successful, and I'm hopeful this legislation will now advance in the United States Senate.

Also last week, I introduced new legislation to pay tribute to Medal of Honor recipients. The bipartisan National Medal of Honor Monument Act will create a national Medal of Honor Memorial in our nation's capital. Those who have received the Medal of Honor are heroes and deserve every measure of recognition. It is an honor to represent so many Medal of Honor recipients, as well as all of our men and women in uniform at Fort Bragg. As Fort Bragg's Congressman, I will continue to work tirelessly to support our troops, their families, and all Medal of Honor recipients.

Finally, last week, we also made progress on combatting COVID-19. On Tuesday, the House passed my Combating Pandemic Scams Act which I helped introduce to protect seniors and our most vulnerable citizens from people who would prey on them during the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission to prioritize informing Americans about the latest scams related to COVID-19 so all citizens are aware and can protect themselves. I'm proud to have worked on this bipartisan bill and will continue to pursue common sense solutions to keep Americans safe.

Throughout this pandemic, I have been focused on expanding testing, developing vaccines, and getting everyone the resources and health care they need. That's why I wrote and recently introduced H.R. 14, the Commitment to Defeat the Virus and Keep America Healthy Act. This is the Republican bill to combat COVID-19 and makes important reforms to our telehealth and mental health services. These vital improvements will help our seniors and those in need. It also builds on our efforts to strengthen the Strategic National Stockpile, improve our testing systems, and bring drug manufacturing back to America. With this legislation, I am confident we can fulfill our commitment to America and defeat COVID-19.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Last week, pharmaceutical company Moderna joined Pfizer as the second company to release results of trials on their COVID-19 vaccine and great news – both are over 90% effective. This record-setting progress is directly attributed to President Donald Trump's vision and leadership through Operation Warp Speed.

Operation Warp Speed is the President's plan to deliver more than 300 million safe and effective doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in record time. The CARES Act Congress passed earlier this year, which I supported, provided $10 billion in funding for this important initiative. I'm proud to have helped support these efforts, as this landmark accomplishment by President Trump is an incredible win for the American people.

There is still more to do to defeat COVID-19 and rebuild our economy. Yet as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, there is also a lot to be thankful for. I'll continue working on common sense solutions in Congress so we can keep making progress and restore our way of life.