I hope 2024 is off to a great start for you, and I wish you all health, happiness, and prosperity this year.

As Congress gets back in the swing of things, I wanted to take a moment to recap some of the work my office has done over the past year.

This year, we returned a record amount of money back to constituents through casework and grants. Over $3 million was returned, so whether you need help with IRS refunds, getting a billing error at the VA fixed, or assistance applying for a federal grant, please contact my office at (715) 298-9344.

Additionally, my office held 18 in-person listening sessions and telephone town halls to hear directly from constituents. Be sure to check out the rest of this week’s Telegram because we have some more information on my upcoming January listening sessions below.

I also introduced 18 pieces of legislation to secure the border, expand broadband access, protect family farms, combat Communist China’s aggression, delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act, and more.

Reversing course from the Biden administration’s open border policies is one of my top priorities to ensure the sovereignty of our nation remains intact and secure.

That’s why this year I was excited when my legislation – the Immigration Parole Reform Act of 2023 – was included in the House’s signature piece of legislation to secure the border.

Under the Biden administration, over one million illegal border crossers have been paroled into the U.S. – a number that is larger than the resident population of five states. Parole was never supposed to be extended to entire classes of foreigners on a categorical basis. It is only to be used on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit based on the unique circumstances of the individual applicant.

My Immigration Parole Reform Act will end the Biden administration’s flagrant abuse of this authority, and it has been waiting in the Senate since May to be passed as part of the Secure the Border Act.

I will continue to pressure Senate Democrats to pass this legislation so we can put a stop to the unprecedented invasion President Biden’s failed policies have fueled.

One of my other highlights of 2023 was when the House passed my bipartisan legislation to combat the wildfire crisis and make sure Americans are getting their money’s worth when it comes to forest management. The ACRES Act holds federal land management agencies accountable by ensuring they are accurately reporting how much hazardous fuel reduction work they are actually doing. You can read more about that here.

No doubt, there is still much work to do this year. I look forward to working on behalf of you to support policies that will restore American greatness, keep our communities safe, and promote peace and prosperity.