To the Editor,

I was proud to return to Washington this January to a government that runs on common sense. President Trump has hit the ground running, securing our borders, protecting our communities, and putting a stop to the rampant waste, fraud, and abuse throughout the federal government. He has already exposed the abuse of taxpayer dollars taking place at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department. These include transgender coloring books in Peru, DEI in Serbia’s workforce, transgender operas in Colombia, and DEI musicals in Ireland. It does not take a genius to see that none of these programs are in America’s best interest. Republicans in Congress and in the White House are committed to putting America first, and I am proud the President took swift action to put a stop to such ridiculous programming. 

There are those out there who say he is taking a sledgehammer to a problem where a scalpel is needed. To that, I say that the federal government has been claiming to cut waste fraud and abuse for years with no results. We cannot afford the status quo. President Trump understands that and will do what it takes to deliver for the American people.

The first piece of legislation the House passed, the Laken Riley Act, has already been signed into law by President Trump. This bill, honoring the nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien who had previously been cited for shoplifting, requires detention of illegal aliens who commit theft and allows a state to sue the federal government for not enforcing border laws. Had the policies in this bill been in place, Laken would still be alive today.

I was honored to be invited to the White House last week, where President Trump signed an Executive Order to keep men out of women’s sports. The House also wasted no time passing the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act, which amends Title IX to protect the law’s intent—to ensure equal opportunity for women in sports—and the integrity of women’s athletics. 

My House Republican colleagues and I know that there are biological differences between men and women, and ignoring these differences in sports puts women and girls at an inherent disadvantage, robbing them of rewards for their hard work and perseverance. This legislation states that, in the athletic context, sex must be recognized based only on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. 

I look forward to this passing in the Senate and making its way to the President’s desk to be signed into law so no future administration can reverse this commonsense policy to protect women and girls.

And then, to further support this administration’s efforts to secure our borders and end the tragic fentanyl epidemic, the House passed the HALT Fentanyl Act. Fentanyl is currently a Schedule II drug, but that status is set to expire in March. This legislation would make the classification permanent, which ensures law enforcement has the tools they need to keep these deadly drugs out of our communities and enables U.S. Customs and Border Protection to maintain their authority to seize these drugs when they are found at border crossings.

These are just a few of the things we have accomplished in the first month of the 119th Congress, and things are moving quickly. I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter at Fischbach.house.gov to receive regular updates and to follow me on social media @RepFischbach. If my office can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to reach out to my team at Fischbach.house.gov or (320) 403-6100. 

Michelle Fischbach,

US Representative