Good afternoon, and welcome to our Weekend Update.

Democrat leadership has proven they have no interest in protecting the homeland, given their refusal to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Fortunately, House Republicans have moved to fund DHS this past week, allowing us to pay our Coast Guard, TSA, FEMA, and others who work every day to protect our nation. Watch my appearance on Newsmax where I laid out the stakes of this important action and more. Click here or below to watch.

Only American citizens should be voting in American elections. It’s that simple.

This week I joined Sharla McBride on Newsmax to discuss House Republicans’ plan to secure our elections and fund DHS. Click here or below to watch.

Last weekend’s attempted assassination is part of a disturbing pattern of violence that is completely unacceptable - and preventable if cooler heads prevail.

I was steps away from President Trump when a bullet nearly took his life in Butler, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, some in attendance weren’t so lucky.

I joined News Nation to remind my colleagues that their words have consequences. We can all do more to return to civil discourse. Click here or below to watch.

I joined the “RJ Harris Breakfast Show” on WHP 580 to discuss the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and the inappropriate response from Democrat leadership.

Listen here for our discussion on the attack, the ongoing Iran negotiations, Kevin Warsh’s nomination hearing & more by clicking here or below.

IN NEWS YOU WON’T HEAR IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Last week, a radicalized lunatic tried to assassinate President Trump and his administration, but you won't hear that from Democrats.

50 times Democrats condoned violence with their rhetoric:

1. A staffer for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger posts “F around and find out” after Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
2. Abigail Spanberger:  "Let your rage fuel you."
3. Abdul El-Sayed: “When they go low, we don’t go high. We take them to the mud and choke them out.”
4. Adam Schiff: President Trump "has emboldened and elevated white nationalists and antisemites."
5. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “This fascist administration didn’t come from anywhere... We’re gonna fight.”
6. Andre Carson refuses to condemn the remarks of a staffer who wrote that Charlie Kirk is a "casualty of the violence he incited."
7. Andrea Campbell compares the Trump administration to "something of fascism or what we saw in Nazi Germany.”
8. Ayanna Pressley: “Donald Trump is a fascist.”
9. Beto O'Rourke: "We don't await the punch thrown by these would-be fascists to land. We punch first, and we punch harder."
10. Chesterfield, Virginia School Board member Dot Heffron – whose endorsement Spanberger proudly accepted - posts that “we used to be okay with shooting Nazis” referring to Republicans
11. Chris Murphy: President Trump “is the most significant threat to American democracy since the Civil War.”
12. Dan Goldman: President Trump a “fascist dictator.”
13. Dan Goldman: President Trump is "paving the way ... to become an Adolf Hitler."
14. Delia Ramirez: Republicans are "fascists."
15. Elissa Slotkin: President Trump is an “existential threat to democracy.”
16. Erin Maye Quade calls Charlie Kirk a "racist" and "white nationalist" who "radicalized Trump supporters to violence."
17. Gavin Newsom: "We're fighting fire with fire, and we're gonna punch these sons of bitches in the mouth."
18. Hakeem Jeffries calls for “maximum warfare” against President Trump and Republicans.
19. Hakeem Jeffries suggests Republicans are pushing "white supremacy"— invoking Jim Crow, the KKK, and lynching.
20. Hasan Piker says the "biggest terrorists" are Republicans.
21. Hasan Piker: “If you cared about Medicare fraud...you would kill Rick Scott.”
22. Ilhan Omar blames Charlie Kirk for his assassination.
23. Jamie Raskin: Republicans are a "fascist political party."
24. Jasmine Crockett defends comparing Republicans to Hitler: "I am using that language because it is accurate language."
25. Jasmine Crockett says it was fine to call Republicans Nazis: "Me calling you a 'wannabe Hitler' all those things are like not necessarily saying 'Go out and hurt somebody.'”
26. Jasmine Crockett: “It's the fascist, it’s the wannabe dictator, it’s the hater-in-chief, it’s the racist-in-chief.”
27. JB Pritzker blames President Trump for Charlie Kirk’s murder.
28. JB Pritzker: America is “essentially” becoming Nazi Germany under President Trump.
29. John Impellizzari: “The world is a better place now that [Charlie Kirk] gone.”
30. Jon Ossoff compares President Trump and his administration to white supremacists and Nazis: "They imitate the blood and soil rhetoric of history’s worst regimes."
31. Julie Johnson compares Pete Hegseth to “Hitler demanding loyalty oaths.”
32. Kamala Harris calls President Trump a "tyrant" and compares him to a "communist dictator."
33. Kamala Harris blames President Trump for the assassination attempt in Butler
34. Keith Ellison calls President Trump an "aspiring fascist dictator."
35. LaMonica McIver: "G** Da***** shut down the city. We are at war."
36. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez: Republicans are “fascist.”
37. Mark Pocan: "Trump is taking the role of a fascist authoritarian."
38. Maxine Dexter: The Trump administration is a “fascist regime."
39. Maxwell Frost: Republicans are "fascist authoritarians."
40. Maxwell Frost: “Fascism is not on the way; it is here.”
41. Nancy Pelosi defends Democrats’ rhetoric against Republicans: "We cannot take responsibility for the minds that are out there and how they hear it."
42. Parron Baxter posts "There is absolutely a price for being a fascist…We must mock them and dance on their graves” after Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
43. Raphael Warnock: President Trump's agenda "an authoritarian project" and "democracy itself is very much in peril."
44. Roy Cooper calls President Trump a "threat" and a "dictator" two days before the assassination attempt against him in Butler.
45. Roy Cooper doubles down on his violent rhetoric at a campaign rally with Harris five days after the assassination attempt on President Trump.
46. Scott Wiener says Charlie Kirk "was a vile bigot who did immeasurable harm to so many” after he was assassinated
47. Stacey Abrams invokes Hitler & Chavez when trying to smear President Trump: “Economic populism raised up Hitler… it raised up Hugo Chavez… and we watched it raise up Trump.”
48. The Simsbury, Connecticut Democrat Party said Kirk "got exactly what he deserves."
49. The Stanislaus County, California Democrat Party refused to attend a joint vigil for Kirk with the local Republican Party, instead saying Charlie Kirk was affiliated with “fascist” ideology.
50. Tim Walz: "No one has ever been more dangerous to this country than Donald Trump, and he is a fascist to his core."

Democrats' rhetoric is fueling violence against Republicans and must stop.  

In that same vein, Jimmy Kimmel’s recent comments about the First Lady and the President weren’t comedy, they were vile and hateful.

We’ve unfortunately seen where this kind of rhetoric leads. It fuels hate that has contributed to far too many instances of violence, including what took place at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend.

Kimmel plays the role of a court jester. He has repeatedly shown himself to be a complete fool who cares only about catering to the loudest extremes of the left.

See the First Lady’s statement below.

I want to share the tactics being taken by Democrats to employ an "astroturf" campaign filled with lies to scare voters with scores of misinformation.

They are lying by saying that Republicans voted to gut Medicaid and SNAP benefits by simply adding some very reasonable work requirements...that don’t start in Pennsylvania until January 1, 2028. Additionally they are publicizing that we are doing all of this to give more to billionaires. That is untrue.These are the tactics that are employed by those that have no policies and no ideas. To be clear, no billionaires live in the 9th District. There are only about 900 or so billionaires living in the entire United States.

You know what is kryptonite for the Democrats... truth and evidence. The truth is a family of four that makes $100,000 in income annually pays about $3,200 in federal income taxes. That’s 3.2% after standard deductions and child tax credits are applied. A family of four that makes $200,000 in income annually pays $25,000 in federal income taxes. That means that the family making 2 times more than the other pays about 7 times more in taxes. I only point that out to indicate that those who with higher incomes are already shouldering a lot of the tax burden in the United States.

Want more truth? The Democrats attempted to raise federal income taxes on all Americans... including low income families. Thankfully, Republicans stopped them and even voted to help low and medium income taxpayers receive higher income tax returns. Due to U.S. House and Senate Democrat's opposition to the Working Families Tax Cut Bill, they tried to significantly raise federal taxes on all working families, and all small businesses. The fact is that it was the Republicans who stopped them… This had nothing to do with billionaires. This has everything to do with American families and the American small businesses. If you want to know the Democrat's real plan, see the editorial cartoon below. Their plan is called socialism, and it is a bad one.

So please pay attention and don't buy the lies and fear mongering coming from the Democrats.

On Monday, I had a great visit to the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins today to recognize their work caring for our veterans. The WBVAMC was 1 of 15 hospitals in PA to earn the 5 Star CMS Quality Rating 2025, in addition to the 2025 Inpatient Experience Award.

Secretary Collins recognized WBVAMC employees for their excellent work, including Rafael Navarro, Registered Nurse, Brent Miller, Safety and Health Manager, Stephen Gruver, Pharmacist, Kimberly Sapolis-Lacey, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Amanda Ervin, High Reliability Organization Officer.

Thank you to Secretary Collins for visiting Northeast Pennsylvania and to all those who work hard to care for those who have served our country!

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to host my good friends Kevin O’Leary, otherwise known as “Mr. Wonderful” from Shark Tank, and Ashley Davis on Capitol Hill for a discussion on her new book, The Power Pivot.

Ashley’s book focuses on how leaders respond in moments of disruption and uncertainty, and how those moments can be turned into real opportunities. She draws on experiences from the White House on 9/11 to boardrooms and advising senior leaders across government and business.

Kevin brought his own perspective from building companies and making tough calls in real time, which made for a thoughtful and practical conversation about what it actually takes to pivot and move forward.

Appreciate Ashley, Kevin, and everyone who joined us for a productive discussion.

In a historic moment, we welcomed King Charles III to a joint address of U.S. Congress. The bond between the United States and Britain are deep and rooted in faith and a shared commitment to democracy. 

I had a great time addressing leaders of independent community banks at the Independent Community Bankers of America Capital Summit.

I discussed the importance of community banks as a resource for small businesses and how our work on the House Committee on Financial Services is strengthening America’s commitment to helping them tackle scams and fraud.

Thank you to CEO Rebecca Romero Rainey for hosting and all the assembled leaders for everything you do to invest in America.

This weekend, Renee and Michael Wilson, the owners of Shores Sisters- Cafe, Farm Market, Greenhouse, Bakery in Towanda, Pennsylvania, will travel to Washington to be recognized as the 2026 National Rural Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration!

Their remarkable success brings great pride to our district and to the Commonwealth as a whole. Please join me in congratulating Renee, Michael, and the entire team at Shores Sisters Farm Market for this well-deserved award. Click here or below to watch my message congratulating them on this great honor.

It was a pleasure to be joined by our outstanding Lebanon County legislators, Senator Chris Gebhard, Representatives John Schlegel, Russ Diamond, and Tom Jones, as well as Commissioners Bob Phillips and Mike Kuhn, and many dedicated county leaders. I also met with so many great volunteers, including this one with great taste in watches.

Thank you to Chairman Bill Bova and the Lebanon County Republican Committee for hosting another fantastic event.

On Friday morning, I was glad to join the Back Mountain Chamber of Commerce for their Legislative Breakfast.

We discussed how the Working Families Tax Cuts are improving the lives of families, seniors and small business owners, energy policy and efforts to address homelessness.

I appreciate Back Mountain Chamber President Sandra Race and Vice President Jennifer Schweizer-Cebrick for hosting today’s breakfast and my fellow legislators for joining!

Thank you to Bob Carl and the entire Schuylkill County Chamber team for putting this event together!

May God continue to bless our nation. I look forward to seeing you soon,