Welcome back to another Weekly Debrief...! This week was our first full week back in Washington for the 119th Congress. The House got off to a busy start, first certifying the 2024 Presidential Election then voting on two major pieces of legislation to hold criminal illegal immigrants accountable and stand with our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel.

It feels great to be back at work delivering results for the American people.

Certifying the 2024 Election

After a Presidential Election, Congress is constitutionally mandated to convene on January 6th at 1pm to certify the election results. This is a fascinating process where Congress holds a Joint Session to count the electoral votes certified by all 50 states and can debate if there are concerns about alleged irregularities.

It was an honor to be in the chamber on behalf of Virginia's Second District as the state-certified votes were counted, and the 2024 Presidential Election was finalized. Watch the video above to hear my immediate reaction to this Constitutionally-mandated responsibility.

A Big Thank You to Our Virginia Beach Sheriff's Deputies

As we approach the Presidential Inauguration on January 20th, additional law enforcement and military presence is in Washington to bolster security at our nation's Capitol Building. On Monday, as Congress convened to certify the Presidential Election, a group of our Virginia Beach Sheriffs' Deputies came up to D.C. to support Capitol Police in keeping the area secure.

These deputies braved the snowstorm to ensure a peaceful transition of power, and I could not be more grateful for their service to our Capitol and nation. It was fun to stop by and bring them some coffee to keep warm and thank them for being there.

It is always a pleasure when we get to visit with friends from back home, and having a group from the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office made it even more awesome. Thank you to all the deputies for making the trip up and for all you do on behalf of our community!

Holding Illegal Immigrants Accountable for Violent Crimes

Last week, the House voted on our first legislative bill of the year, the Laken Riley Act! This bill would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain illegal immigrants charged with, arrested for, or convicted of theft offenses and allows for states to sue the federal government for failing to enforce border laws. This bill was named in honor of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant who had been arrested and released twice before as a result of the Biden Administration's weak border policies. 

You might remember this bill from the 118th Congress, as the House voted and passed the bill in 2024. Shockingly, this bill never received a vote in the Senate and as a result we needed to reintroduce and pass it again in the House now that we are in the 119th Congress. I am optimistic that with a new Republican majority in the Senate, this bill will receive a vote and become law.

I have visited the southern border numerous times and have seen the disastrous humanitarian and national security crisis unfolding there firsthand. It was unbelievable. According to the head of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, nearly 435,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions have been released in the United States, with an additional 226,847 having pending criminal charges. A historic number of individuals on the terrorist watchlist (392) have been caught illegally crossing our borders since FY2021, compared to just 14 between FY2017 and 2020. That is unacceptable. It is more important now than ever for Congress to work to address this growing crisis and to establish meaningful reforms to secure our borders and protect our communities.

A Huge Win for Women and Girls

In April 2024, the Biden Administration introduced a sweeping set of changed to Title IX, which is the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at government funded schools. These reforms expanded Title IX to include gender identity and sexuality, meaning that women-only spaces were at risk of being accessible to biological men. These plans also initially included sweeping reforms which would have allowed biological men in girls sports. After significant pushback, the rule to reform sports was pulled in December 2024.

However, the Biden Administration continued to push the remainder of the rules which would have put women at risk. On January 9, 2025, a federal judge ruling on a legal challenge by numerous states, including Virginia, ordered these proposed rules to be scrapped and completely rewritten.

It is common sense – women and girls' spaces belong to women and girls...! I am glad to see reason prevail and these misguided Title IX "reforms" be struck down in federal court. This is a big win!

Standing With Our Ally, Israel

On October 7, 2023, the world watched in horror as Hamas terrorists stormed across the Israel-Gaza border, killing hundreds of innocent men, women, and children, and taking hundreds more hostage. I was outraged and deeply saddened by these attacks then and I remain so to this day. Such unprovoked violence against innocent civilians, including children, is truly evil. 

Unfortunately over the past 15 months, rather than stand in solidarity with the only democracy in the region, factions of countries and international organizations have turned their backs and instead blamed the Jewish State. It's not only unjustified, it's downright wrong.

One of these organizations who have blamed Israel for defending its people is the International Criminal Court (ICC). On November 21, 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu and then Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant...

As a result the second bill the House voted on this year was H.R. 23, the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act. This bill would impose sanctions against ICC officials targeting the U.S. or our allies, prohibit U.S. funding for the ICC, and reaffirm our commitment for our ally Israel.

I was glad to see this bill pass the House with bipartisan support and am hopeful that the Senate will stand with Israel and pass this important legislation.

Weekly Poll

And now, back to our weekly poll series! With over 1,300 responses last week, roughly 50% of you said that you want Congress to prioritize securing the border followed by protecting Social Security and Medicare. The House is already busy at work to tackle the challenges we are facing at our border. As I mentioned at the beginning of this week’s update, the first bill we passed this Congress, the Laken Riley Act, will hold criminal illegal immigrants accountable.

And now, on to this week's poll question...!

Medal of Honor Recipient of the Week

This week, I would like to honor Medal of Honor recipient Colonel (Col) Gregory “Pappy” Boyington United States Marine Corps Reserve (Medal of Honor Action Date: September 12, 1943 - January 3, 1944).

Col Gregory “Pappy” Boyington was born on December 4, 1912 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. His family lived in St. Maries, Idaho where the young Pappy took his first flight at the age of 6. Boyington’s family then moved to Tacoma, Washington where he was a wrestler in high school. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle where he was both a collegiate wrestler and a member of the Army ROTC. Boyington was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Reserve in June of 1934.

In the Spring of 1935 Boyington applied for flight training under the Aviation Cadet Act, where he was made a U.S. Marine Corps aviation cadet. Boyington was assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola for flight training and was designated a Naval Aviator on March 11th, 1937. He was discharged from the Marine Corps Reserve on July 1st, 1937 in order to accept a second lieutenant’s commission in the Marine Corps the very next day. He then attended The Basic School in Philadelphia from July 1938 to January 1939. Boyington was eventually promoted to first lieutenant on November 4th, 1940 where he returned to Naval Air Station Pensacola as an instructor. 

For a short time before his eventual service in World War II, Col Boyington volunteered with a civilian firm that contracted to staff a Special Air Unit to defend China and the Burma Road. This later became known as the American Volunteer Group, the famed Flying Tigers in Burma. During his time serving with the Flying Tigers, he became a flight leader. Boyington was officially credited with two Japanese aircraft destroyed in the air and one and a half on the ground. Boyington had always claimed he shot down six in the air, which was a claim that was accepted by the Marine Corps. In April of 1942, he left the American Volunteer Group and returned to the United States.

On January 3, 1944, he beat World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker's record of 26 enemy planes destroyed, before Boyington was shot down, though his last two kills for a total of 28 were confirmed after his return. On that mission, 48 American fighters, including four planes from the Black Sheep Squadron (plus planes from VF-33 and VMF-211), were sent on a sweep over Rabaul. Boyington was tactical commander of the flight and arrived over the target at 8:00 am. He was seen to shoot down his 26th plane, but he then became mixed in the general melee of dogfighting planes and was not seen or heard from during the battle, nor did he return with his squadron. After being recovered by the Japanese, he was held as in various Japanese prison camps for nearly 20 months before being liberated from Japanese custody in August 1945.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt in March 1944, but it was held in Washington until a time he could receive it. On October 5, 1945, he was presented the Medal of Honor alongside other recipients in a ceremony hosted by President Truman in the White House. Boyington worked various civilian jobs, including refereeing and participating in professional wrestling matches. He wrote an autobiography about his time in the South Pacific titled Baa Baa Black Sheep which went on to become a television series. Boyington died of lung cancer on January 11, 1988, at age 75, in Fresno, California. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Constituent Corner

I know how difficult it can be to navigate the federal government... Recently, my office was able to assist Eduardo from Smithfield fix his career record in the military, ensuring he was eligible for the benefits he earned in service to our nation!

If you need assistance with your military benefits or with another federal agency, my team is here to help. Contact my District Office at (757) 364-7650 or visit my website and my team will be in touch!

Don't forget - if you’d like to stay up to date with what I’m working on, check out my website and follow my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages (linked below) to stay up to date!

If you or your family are visiting Washington, DC in the coming fall months, please stop by to say hello! If you are interested in a tour, please let us know!

Take care,

Jen A. Kiggans

Congresswoman, Virginia's Second District

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