In honor of National Police Week, I’d like to start off by expressing my heartfelt gratitude to all our men and women of law enforcement in Eastern Washington. Your selfless service and sacrifice keeps our communities safe, and we are eternally grateful.

Unfortunately, President Biden and too many House Democrats do not feel the same way. Their anti-police rhetoric and defund the police efforts have resulted in an unprecedented wave of violent crime and attacks on police across the nation. In 2023 alone: 

• 99 officers have been shot.
• 10 officers have been killed by gunfire.
• The amount of officers shot in the line of duty is up 57% since 2020. 

This is unacceptable and inspired me to take action this week by condemning these horrific acts and reaffirming my support for law enforcement officers. Together with my colleagues in the House, we passed a number of bills to back the blue, including: 

• A resolution to memorialize the lives of those officers killed in the line of duty;
• A resolution to support local law enforcement officers and condemn radical efforts to defund the police; and
• The POLICE Act to make an assault on a police officer by an illegal immigrant a deportable offense

Our nation is truly blessed to have the finest individuals put on the uniform to keep us safe. To each one of you who wear the badge: I will always stand with you and do everything I can to serve you. May God bless you and keep you safe as you protect and serve.