The Shadow
It was a productive week both in Washington and back home in the Sixth District. The House and Senate passed the One Big Beautiful Bill, which will keep taxes low for families, farms, and small businesses. Additionally, the Supreme Court also took an important step to curb judicial overreach, reaffirming that judges should decide the cases before them, not set nationwide policy. My office remains committed to serving constituents. In a recent casework success, my staff helped return over $4,000 to one individual. It’s always an honor to meet with Virginians in the Sixth District working to strengthen our local communities. I was also proud to help welcome Buc-ee’s to Rockingham County alongside several thousand local residents. As we head into a new week, I will continue fighting for policies that move the Sixth District forward.
One Big Beautiful Passage
House Republicans were sent to Washington with a clear mandate from the American people: get our economy moving again, restore America’s strength on the world stage, and stop the reckless, wasteful spending that is draining our nation’s resources. That is exactly what the One Big Beautiful Bill delivers, and I’m proud Congress passed it. Under the previous administration, hardworking families faced rising costs, burdensome regulations, and a federal government more focused on growing itself than serving its people. Inflation chipped away at every paycheck, small businesses struggled to survive, and many Americans wondered if Washington even cared. The One Big Beautiful Bill reins in waste, fraud, and abuse in Washington while stopping the largest tax hike in our nation’s history. It puts fiscal responsibility back on track and protects Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for the most vulnerable. By permanently extending the Trump tax cuts, it prevents devastating consequences for families in the Sixth District and across the country.
This bill also puts more money directly into the pockets of working Americans by cutting taxes on tips and overtime pay. It provides bold tax relief for families and small businesses, empowering communities across Virginia to thrive. While the final bill did not include everything we fought for, it represents a turning point, a commitment to putting hardworking Americans back at the center of their government. I was also encouraged by the progress made on enacting parts of my Hearing Protection Act. Though the House-passed measure to fully remove suppressors from the National Firearms Act of 1934 was struck due to procedural rules, the final version of the bill successfully reduced the outdated $200 tax stamp to zero.
This brings meaningful relief to law-abiding gun owners across the country. This is not a perfect piece of legislation, but it is a strong step in the right direction to deliver for the America First agenda. I’m proud that we successfully moved it across the finish line and delivered it to President Trump where he signed it into law on the Fourth of July.
Restoring the Rule of Law and Reining in Judicial Overreach
The U.S. Supreme Court recently delivered a major victory for the rule of law by ending the practice of nationwide injunctions issued by lower federal courts. In this recent decision, the Supreme Court ruled that federal district judges no longer have the authority to block federal policies nationwide. This ruling restores the proper balance between the branches of government and ensures that the will of the American people, expressed through their elected President, cannot be overturned by a single judge in a far away part of the country.
For too long, a handful of liberal judges in places like California, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. have misused nationwide injunctions to obstruct commonsense policies supported by millions of Americans. Since President Trump returned to office, these courts have issued dozens of rulings aimed at halting his administration’s efforts to restore law and order, secure our borders, and rein in the federal bureaucracy. This ruling puts a stop to that kind of judicial overreach. It reaffirms that judges should resolve cases for the parties before them, not impose their will on the entire nation. I will continue to stand up for the rule of law and fight to ensure that unelected judges cannot block the policies for which the American people vote
Securing our Borders
Securing our border has always been one of my top priorities in Congress. Last week, I was encouraged to see that in June the U.S. Border Patrol encountered just 6,070 illegal immigrants at our southern border. That is the lowest monthly number ever recorded and a 15% drop from the previous record low set in March of 2025. These numbers are not a coincidence: they are a direct result of the decisive action being taken to fix the crisis left behind by the Biden administration.
For four years, the Biden administration’s open-border agenda turned our southern border into a national security and public safety crisis. President Trump has taken critical steps to restore order. He reinstated the Remain in Mexico policy, deployed 10,000 National Guard troops to support border enforcement, and launched a nationwide campaign warning against illegal entry. These actions are working and the results speak for themselves. When I’m back home in the Sixth District, I hear from families from Roanoke to Winchester who want safe streets and communities for their children and grandchildren. In Washington I’ll continue to advocate for policies that prioritize this.
Casework Highlight
A constituent first contacted our office in the summer of 2024 regarding a federal benefits issue. During that conversation, she mentioned an uncashed check from the Social Security Administration (SSA) worth over $4,000. She had misplaced it years earlier while dealing with serious health challenges.
Thanks to persistence and coordination, SSA issued a direct deposit of the full amount into the constituent’s bank account in June 2025. If you or someone you know needs help dealing with a federal agency, our office is here to assist.
