It seems like the world is on fire. But we have solutions.
Friends,
If you turn on the television, it looks like the world is on fire. From Chinese aggression towards Taiwan, to Russian hacking, to terrorists backed by Iran attacking Israel – American resolve is being tested like never before. However, I remain optimistic for the future and took action last week to address several of the crises we are facing.
Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East and came under increasing attacks last week from Hamas terrorists. It is heartbreaking to see what is happening to innocent civilians during these attacks. I have always stood with Israel, which has a right to defend itself and should have overwhelming and bipartisan support in Congress. Yet, I have been so disappointed with anti-Israel rhetoric coming from some of my Democrat colleagues. I was encouraged last week when President Biden affirmed Israel's right to self-defense. However in recent days, Democratic Members of Congress blamed Israel for attacks and the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee called for a delay to arms sales to Israel.
Last week, I voted to support the Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act, which would sanction persons and foreign governments that provide support for Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, such as Iran. My Democratic counterparts unfortunately rejected consideration of this bill outright. They also overwhelmingly voted against providing emergency funding to Israel for the Iron Dome and other defense programs. These, along with ongoing efforts by the Biden administration to negotiate with Iran, one of the largest state sponsors of terrorism, harm the security of Israel and undermine peace in the region.
On Thursday, Israel announced a ceasefire that I pray will lead to a lasting peace. However, this conflict has reinforced the importance of providing security assistance and support to Israel. I hope President Biden will not waver on this long-standing commitment and ignore the growing anti-Israel faction in his party to stand with Israel against terrorists.
Sadly, President Biden gave an early Christmas gift to a different foe last week: Russia.
As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and U.S. Helsinki Commission, I am focused on both expanding America's energy economy and holding Russia accountable. President Biden's decision to green light the Nord Stream II pipeline seriously undermines both of these goals. At the same time President Biden stopped an American pipeline that would create American jobs, he approved a Russian pipeline that would strengthen Russia's stranglehold on Europe. This ridiculous logic is a slap in the face to American workers, as well as our allies in Europe who will now fall even more under Russia's thumb.
I introduced a resolution last week to oppose this pipeline and urge President Biden to stand up to Russia. It also calls out the Biden administration for reversing on previous statements made opposing the Russian pipeline.
I have worked for several years to oppose this pipeline because Russia uses natural gas as leverage over Europe. Should Europe refuse Russian demands, Russia could easily cut off energy exports to the European Union, leaving Europe in an energy crisis. Our allies should never have to operate under fear of Russian retaliation and blackmail. I am disappointed by the President's reversal on this project but will continue to build opposition in Congress.
While there are many challenges facing our nation, House Republicans have solutions to many of them. In addition to these measures to stand with Israel and push back against Russia, I joined my colleagues in the Republican Study Committee last week to unveil a common-sense budget proposal.
This proposal balances our budget in 5 years, cuts spending by $14.4 trillion, and reduces taxes by $1.9 trillion - or $16,000 per household. While Washington Democrats try to raise taxes and spend us into oblivion, we laid out this framework for how to grow our economy. It also secures our border, includes 17 pro-life bills, and defends our Second Amendment by including my H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. I was glad my bill was included in this proposal, which offers a clear contrast of the priorities between House Republicans and House Democrats.
We are facing many challenges. But with these solutions and others, we can be optimistic about our future. Just look at the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of the creation of Operation Warp Speed. On May 15, 2020, former President Donald Trump set the ambitious goal of having a vaccine developed, manufactured, and distributed in record speed. One year later, anyone who wants a vaccine, can get one. This was, and continues to be, a remarkable achievement that set us down the path toward a renewed sense of normal. Clearly, we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. I will continue to seek bipartisan solutions and will never stop working on behalf of you and your family.
Until next week,
Richard Hudson
Member of Congress