1. The Secret Service's Catastrophic Failures. 
2. Wasteful Spending Within the Department of Defense.
3. Weekly Roundup.
4. My Contact Information. 

Earlier this week, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Kimberly Cheatle, the former Director of the United States Secret Service, to testify in front of Congress concerning the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. These events on July 13 revealed glaring incompetence within the leadership of the Secret Service. Throughout the duration of this hearing my colleagues and I repeatedly requested clarification regarding the details of this event. however, Cheatle's responses proved both evasive and dishonest. Following the hearing and bipartisan requests for her resignation, Kimberly Cheatle released a statement announcing her departure from the Secret Service. The unsatisfactory testimony revealed inadequate resources and training, appalling communication methods, and an overall lack of effort or care from the organization. 

Some questions she failed to answer were: 

• Did the Secret Service deny President Trump’s campaign additional security? If so, when and how many times?
• Why did Secret Service fail to secure a rooftop in proximity to the rally site and with a clear view of President Trump’s podium?
• Was there advanced planning by Secret Service leading up to the campaign rally?

Although Cheatle has now resigned, this does not absolve her of responsibility for the incident. Going forward, Congress will continue its investigation into this catastrophe through the establishment of the Task Force on the Assassination Attempt of Donald J. Trump. The members of this bipartisan group will work to reveal all actions taken by federal agencies and local law enforcement leading up to Mr. Trump’s campaign rally on July 13. The task force will be granted specified powers to issue subpoenas and take depositions as they conduct their inquisition.

Much remains unknown, but what we have learned from FBI Director Christopher Wray's testimony before the Judiciary Committee is revealing. Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old would-be assassin, googled "how far was Oswald from JFK" on July 6, 2024, before registering to attend the Trump rally in Butler, PA. Even prior to the rally, local law enforcement were notified that Crooks’ family had concerns about his whereabouts and worrisome behavior. 

It was also disclosed that some FBI agents expressed disappointment that the would-be assassin missed. These are only a few items on the laundry-list of issues and questions that remain unanswered about the events that unfolded on July 13, 2024, at the Butler Farm Show Grounds.

I had the opportunity to discuss this Secret Service Failure and the resignation of the director with Marni Hughes on NewsNation on Tuesday. Watch below. 

This week, the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, which I chair, held a hearing on wasteful spending and inefficiencies within the Department of Defense (DoD).

During the hearing, we discussed the need for stronger oversight and enforcement mechanisms, such as advanced data analytics tools, to guide the DoD towards better management of taxpayer dollars across its programs. 

It is important to point out how overloaded regulations and general bureaucracy have led to a shrinking base of military contractors used by the DoD. This has limited avenues for contracts, stifled competition, and increased prices. The DoD has a habit of over-promising and under-delivering new platforms, and due to the culture within the DoD, there is little accountability for those who allow cost overruns and performance targets to be missed.

Through my questioning of the witnesses, I emphasized that the F-35 program is one of the worst offenders of cost overruns within the DoD, due to the oversized and unmanageable way the program is run. A GAO study from last year found that since May of 2018, one F-35 prime contractor had lost over one million spare parts totaling $85 million, of which less than 2% had been reviewed by the F-35 joint program office.

It is evident that the DoD has a culture problem and needs to reduce their waste of taxpayer money. Through more hearings on this topic, I hope the committee will help find a solution to the issue and those responsible will either shape up or make way for new leadership who will be more accountable with your money. 

I had a great meeting with members of the Renewable Fuels Association in D.C. We covered many important topics about the industry and how electric vehicles might affect it.

I met with members of APPA in D.C. this week, and had a great discussion about the importance of public power utilities across Wisconsin and the U.S. We talked about energy, security, and the future of the industry!

Happy National Intern Day! I am so incredibly thankful for all the hardworking Interns who have served in both my Washington D.C. and Fond Du Lac.

I was honored to have been a recipient National Retail Federation Heroes of Main Street Award! The NRF picks congressmembers who continue to support the U.S. retail industry and vote in their favor.

I had a fantastic evening at German Night in Plymouth on July 25! Delicious food and great culture! 

It was a wonderful evening at the Wade House Historic Site in Greenbush! The new Wade House Horse Arena turned out beautiful!