Biographical Information
County
Bucks
Occupation
U.S. Congressman
Education
B.S. Business Administration, LaSalle University; J.D., Penn State Dickinson School of Law; M.B.A., Penn State
Qualifications
Former FBI Special Agent & Federal Prosector. Certified Public Accountant and EMT
X Handle
What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the country, and how would you address them?
We cannot play politics with our national security, when there are countless lives jeopardized everyday due to existing open border policies. The price of inaction is just too high, as fentanyl continues to flow across the border killing our fellow Americans and cartels exploit the porous border for criminal activity, in addition to raging wars in the Middle East and Europe. Lawmakers must rise above partisan gamesmanship and come together to solve pressing problems. That is why I introduced the bipartisan Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act. This legislation provides, for one-year, necessary authorities to secure the U.S. southern border and supports critical military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. We can and must do both.
What changes, if any, would you support that would help Congress function more efficiently and effectively?
We must fix a broken Washington with a government reform plan that challenges career politicians: term limits for members of Congress, pass a budget or don’t get paid, and balance the budget. These commonsense reforms would change the incentive structure and lead to more problem solving for the American people. Hyper-partisanship is also the greatest internal threat to our country. I also am pushing for legislation that allows access to political party primaries for Independents or non-affiliated voters. We need lawmakers answering to their entire constituency—not just showboating for a narrow sliver of the electorate. These reforms would be transformative and help promote the bipartisanship that our community and country wants.
What legislation would you support to protect voting rights and safeguard access to free and fair elections?
We must restore faith in our elections and confidence in our democratic institutions. It should be easy to vote, and hard to cheat. That is why I authored H.R. 156, The Restoring Faith in Our Elections Act. My bill would require a photo ID in order to vote, require signature matching for absentee ballots, and ensure that only U.S. citizens are voting. I support eliminating partisan gerrymandering, which causes lawmakers to focus on accumulating power rather than serving constituents and has contributed to the partisanship that grinds the gears of government to a halt. We need independent, nonpartisan commissions to draw congressional maps and allow access to political party primaries for Independents or non-affiliated voters.
How do you view the role of the US in responding to challenges facing the international community?
As the world’s oldest and strongest democracy, the United States’ primary responsibility must be to secure its own borders. But we also have an obligation to assist our allies in securing their borders, especially when they come under assault by dictators, terrorists, and totalitarians. Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan are all freedom-loving democracies, they are our allies, and we must assist them in protecting their borders just as we must protect our own. The world is watching, and if we abandon our allies now, I fear our nation will pay the price in the future. We must support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom and democracy and stand up to Putin’s brutal war of terror, and we must defend Israel against terrorist threats.