Good evening, and welcome to our Weekend Update.

This was an eventful and productive week as the Republican House GOP coalesced around a great new Speaker of the House, Congressman Mike Johnson. Mike Johnson is a great friend, and he will fight for a conservative agenda that will benefit all Americans and move our country forward. He will promote a more inclusive Speaker’s office that puts “Members first,” and therefore, puts the “People first.”

I’m looking forward to working closely with our new Speaker, and as he said, “the People’s House is back in business."

As you have read in the media, last Sunday, I formally submitted my name for consideration to be Speaker of the House. I outlined plans I believe are important to strengthening the House GOP conference. Click here to read my letter announcing my priorities.

To discuss my campaign for Speaker, I conducted several interviews, including:

• Fox News’s “America Newsroom” with Dana Perino. Click here or below to watch.

• Newsmax’s “Newsline.” Click here or below to watch.

• Fox Business’ “Cavuto: Coast to Coast.” Click here or below to watch.

Ultimately, I withdrew before the first votes were cast in the conference. The reality is that I started my campaign for Speaker lat,e and I felt it was important to honor the commitments I have already made. To save America, we must rid Joe Biden from the White House. Biden’s policies have been a disaster – foreign and domestic.

That’s why I’ve made a commitment to President Trump to help lead his campaign in Pennsylvania. It is critical that I focus on this commitment, as well as the House and PA Senate race. I've spoken to President Trump, and he supports my decision.

And with Speaker Mike Johnson, I know our chamber is in excellent hands, and he is very much aligned with my thinking of the Speaker’s office. Speaker Johnson outlined his 7 principles (see below). The Speaker and I are very much aligned on his vision for our Caucus, the House, and the nation.

I joined Joel Smith for this week's episode of WHP CBS-21's "Face the State" to discuss the election of Speaker Johnson and more. Click here or below to watch.

On Friday, I joined WILK-FM’s “Bob Cordaro Show” to discuss the election of Mike Johnson as Speaker, the ongoing conflict in Israel, combating Iran, and more. Click here or below to listen.

Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world, yet the Biden Administration has an inexplicable affection for the Iranian regime. The Iranians provided Hamas with weapons and funding, making them directly culpable for the barbaric attack on Israel. The solution to combating Iran is right in front of us, but the Biden Administration instead pushes policies that finance the terrorist state.

The best way to stop Iran in its tracks is to go after their money and their oil. That’s why I introduced the Freezing HAMAS Act, which would re-freeze the $6 billion that was released by the Biden Administration to Iran and prohibit the President from lifting any further sanctions. I also plan to introduce the NO OIL for Terrorists Act, which would reimpose Trump-era sanctions on Iranian oil that the Biden Administration lifted. Since these sanctions were lifted, Iran went from producing 400,000 barrels of oil a day to 3 million barrels of oil a day, allowing the Iranian regime to boost its economic standing drastically. In 2020, Iran had $4 billion in financial reserves. Today, they have $70 billion in financial reserves – giving them a greater ability to fund terrorism and destruction. My bills will cut off Iran’s revenue streams and hinder its terrorist activity. Click here or below to watch my remarks in Committee this week.

During a recent hearing of the House Committee on Small Business, members reminded the Fed: Don't overlook small businesses in the Basel III Proposal. Basel III would significantly raise capital requirements on the nation’s banks, which,h in turn, would force them to tighten lending – directly harming small businesses’ access to affordable and reliable capital. Ensuring affordable credit for these enterprises is crucial for a healthy economy. Main Street deserves equal consideration from Chairman Powell and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We must promote pro-growth policies that support American entrepreneurs. Click here or below to read more.

IN NEWS YOU WON’T HEAR IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Biden’s border crisis threatens America’s national security. Every state in the nation is truly a border state due to the crisis Biden created at the border.

• According to the DEA and CBP, the border crisis is fueling the fentanyl epidemic by allowing cartels to poison tens of thousands of people in what is now the single greatest threat to Americans aged 18 to 45.
  
  
• The number of terror suspects crossing the border has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, and CBP is now warning that Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad may exploit the chaos to send fighters into the U.S.
  
  
• The processing and vetting system has broken down, and ICE has lost track of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants in the U.S.
  
  
• 1.6 million illegal “gotaways” have crossed the border and escaped into the U.S. since Biden took office.

The number of illegals who have invaded our country under Biden is larger than the population of 38 states.

The difference between Biden and the Democrats, who created the crisis, and Republicans, who are working to solve it, could not be more stark. As described by RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel in an op-ed in the Washington Examiner today:

 The fact is that in Biden’s first 100 days, he took more than 94 executive actions on immigration, including halting the construction of the border wall and ending the successful “Remain in Mexico” policy. His Democratic allies in Congress have aided sanctuary cities and sent stimulus checks to illegal immigrants, opposed legislation to fund Title 42, and repeatedly voted against funding the border wall. They’ve even voted against hiring more border agents, against deporting felons, and against preventing illegal immigrants convicted of crimes from becoming permanent residents.

Compare that to Republicans. House Republicans passed the strongest border security bill in history this year. Republican governors from across the country have deployed National Guard troops to support local law enforcement, and they’re rallying together to demand information on who is crossing the border and how the Biden administration is processing illegal immigrants into the U.S.

Border security is national security. Joe Biden is doubling down on crisis and catastrophe while Republicans are putting forward solutions.

Around the District:

The Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre has provided top-notch healthcare services to the entire northern tier of Pennsylvania for over 130 years. In that time, they’ve continued to utilize technological advancements in the medical field to improve patient care. I was incredibly impressed to see how they’re incorporating AI into the hospital. Recently, I enjoyed touring the facility this week and appreciated the opportunity to meet with the hospital’s senior leadership. We had a great discussion about healthcare providers' challenges and legislation I’m working on to address issues such as nursing shortages.

Last weekend, I traveled to Susquehanna County to celebrate a great public servant, Commissioner Betsy Arnold. Commissioner Arnold is retiring at the end of the year, and I was honored to attend a celebration of her selfless career and service to the people of Susquehanna County. I want to congratulate Betsy and thank her for her countless contributions. I am pictured below with our great friend Donna Cosmello and Commissioner Arnold.

This week, I recorded a video for the RNC's Bank Your Vote campaign. We are encouraging voters to have a plan to vote in 2024 to defeat Joe Biden, win back the U.S. Senate, and strengthen our majority in the U.S. House. Click here or below to watch my video.

We look forward to catching up with you next week. God Bless, and see you soon,

Dan Meuser