Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have witnessed few proposals as shameful as one of the bills put forth this week by my Democratic colleagues. While the government collects demographic data via federal surveys, this new legislation seeks to mandate that the government question individuals regarding their sexuality and "gender identity".

Even more appalling, this proposed data collection practice, which would be brought forth under the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act, would apply to all Americans, including babies, toddlers, and anyone else under the age of 18. By requesting this personal information of children this young, it is effectively sexualizing infants and toddlers.

This is certainly not the role of the government.

This week in the House Oversight Committee, we "marked up" this bill, which means that we had an opportunity to debate, amend, and rewrite the proposed legislation.

During the markup, even though I believe the bill is so radical that it is beyond repair, I offered an amendment to prevent federal surveys from attempting to sexualize our nation's children by asking them to specify their sexuality and "gender identity". Requiring adults to disclose this personal information is equally as unnecessary, but asking this of children is especially heinous.

Unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues shot down my amendment, meaning they endorsed the notion that toddlers have the maturity and ability to choose their own gender or that children should be thinking about sex at such a young age.

Below, you can watch me introduce my amendment, stand up for the innocence of our nation's children, and denounce this radical piece of legislation. 

It's not an exaggeration to say that our economy is running off a cliff largely due to reckless spending, inflation, and an anti-U.S. energy agenda. Everyone, including Wisconsin manufacturers, farmers, workers, and people on fixed incomes, is hurt by rising gas prices, an inflated real estate market, and historic levels of inflation. 

In May, inflation rose by 8.6 percent over the past year to yet another 40-year high. Gas also keeps hitting record highs. As of this writing, the nationwide average is over $5 per gallon. According to everyday Americans, rising consumer prices is the number one issue facing our country today.

This historic economic crisis begs the question — how did we get here?

As a member of the House Budget Committee, it's my job to weigh our budgetary priorities to ensure the government is building a strong economy in the interest of the American people. If the government were to enact policies that harm our economic interests, and thus, damage the pocketbooks of workers, families, and small businesses, Americans deserve to be informed of the consequences of such policies.

All signs point to excess government spending paving the way toward the economic crisis we face today. Specifically, along with my House Budget Committee colleagues, I'm working to conduct oversight on President Biden's $1.9 trillion "COVID relief" bill to identify the extent to which this massive piece of legislation contributed to the deterioration of our economy. It's a failure of government when Washington's dysfunction fuels the most pressing issue facing America today — inflation — instead of working in the best interest of the American people. 

The YMCA helps our kids develop skills in leadership, responsibility and community service. This week, I had a wonderful time meeting with some young representatives to hear why they love the Y.

Tuesday was Flag Day. 

It was an honor to speak at the National Flag Day Ceremony in Waubeka, the birthplace of this tradition, with local dignitaries to celebrate Flag Day.

Thank you to the Beechwood Fire Department for volunteering to protect our communities. I had a blast at your 107th Annual Picnic last week!

This week, I met with Energizer regarding their impressive plant in Portage that is bringing continued innovation and manufacturing jobs to the Sixth District.