This week, I visited the southern border for the sixth time since being elected to Congress. I hoped to see improvement, a light at the end of the tunnel, any signal that this administration is finally implementing policies that take our illegal immigration and fentanyl crises seriously.
I mean, isn’t that why President Biden finally visited the southern border for the first time in his forty years of public service? Isn’t that why never mentioned our border security his state of the union address, because it’s been handled?
In case you couldn’t pick up on my sarcasm, that was not the reality that I and my Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) colleagues saw on the ground in Texas. In fact, it was the exact opposite.
The E&C Oversight and Investigations and Health subcommittees held a joint field hearing in Wesalco, Texas, where we heard from witnesses about the public health crisis that our wide-open southern border is causing. I go into more detail about this subcommittee hearing in my weekly column below, which I encourage everyone to scroll down and read.
In 2022 alone, 50.6 million fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder were seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It’s more than enough to kill every American – just two mg of illicit fentanyl, the size of an ant, is a lethal dose for most individuals.
What’s worse is that U.S. authorities estimate that they are only catching five to ten percent of the illicit fentanyl that crosses the southern border, which is the primary entry point for this lethal poison. That leads us to a particularly terrifying question – if enough illicit fentanyl has been seized to kill every American, how much made it into our country? Our communities? Our schools?
Fortunately, some federal action is taking place, even if the so-called Border Czar and Washington Democrats are unwilling to implement proper policies to secure our nation’s ports of entry. Last week, I sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alongside Rep. Miller-Meeks (R-IA) urging it to make naloxone, a safe and effective overdose reversal drug, available without a prescription.
Fortunately, the FDA advisory committee unanimously voted this week to make this drug available over-the-counter, without a prescription. Now this does not mean you’re able to just walk into a pharmacy today and get it – the FDA still has to agree to implement this guidance – but I am optimistic that they will make this common-sense change.
Naloxone is a nasal spray has saved tens of thousands of lives and plays an important role in combatting our fentanyl crisis. I keep mine on me and pray daily that I won’t have to use it, but as a health care professional, I take the responsibility to protect my community seriously.
I’ll keep you updated when the FDA makes its final decision. |
Monday, February 13, 2023: On Saturday, I attended the Chatham County Republican Party Mass Precinct Caucus meeting in Savannah and was honored to speak to a great group of patriots and share with them our efforts in Washington on their behalf.
This morning, I’m up early and headed to the State Capitol in Atlanta. My day starts in North Atlanta with a visit with my good friend and fellow Young Harris College (YHC) alum, Brantley Barrow. Brantley and I have served on the Board of Trustees of YHC for many years and both continue to be very involved in the affairs of the school.
Afterwards, I head to the North American Headquarters of Coca-Cola in midtown Atlanta as I meet with the new President of the North America Operation Unit of Coca-Cola, Jennifer Mann. Jennifer is a native Georgian who attended Berry College and graduated from Georgia State University. It is great to have a native Georgian heading up one of Georgia’s most iconic companies.
Next, I head to my old stomping grounds, the Georgia State Capitol, where I had the honor and privilege of serving for 10 years. Today is day 17 of the 40-day session and things are beginning to pick up. While it is obviously an honor and privilege to serve in Washington, D.C., I do miss my friends in the General Assembly, and it is good to see so many of them during my visit today.
I begin my visit by attending the Senate Republican Caucus meeting in the Mezzanine at the Capitol and am honored to speak to my friends, many of whom I served with from 2009-2014. Afterwards, I head to a meeting with my good friend and former State Senate colleague, Lt. Governor Burt Jones, before heading to the Senate Chamber where I am honored to address this august body. As fate would have it today, the Pastor of the Day is my good friend, Rev. Charles Z. Gardner, who was the senior pastor at Atlanta First United Methodist Church when I served in the State Senate. Charles has since started his own church in the Atlanta area, Redwood Church, that follows Wesleyan theology and is grounded in scripture.
After speaking to the State Senate, I head to the House side of the Capitol where I served from 2004-2009, and meet with my good friend and former suitemate, House Speaker Jon Burns. Jon and I came to the House together in 2004 and I could not be prouder of his success. The State of Georgia is fortunate to have Jon serving as the 75th Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.
My final visit is with my good friend the 83rd Governor of the State of Georgia, Brian Kemp, who was recently re-elected to another four-year term. Gov. Kemp has done an outstanding job as Governor and has continued to implement policies that lead Georgia to be the number one state in the country to do business. |
Rep. Carter at Georgia State Capitol with Lt. Governor Burt Jones |
Tuesday, February 14, 2023: Last year we started the “First of the First” campaign where we asked district school children to make Valentine Cards for our first responders in the district and then delivered them to first responders in each county of the district. This year, we have changed the name of this successful program to “Friends of the First” and included our Veterans and other heroes to the program. The program is the brainchild of two of our staff members, District Director Brooke Childers and Communications Director Harley Adsit, and serves multiple purposes. Not only does it let our Veterans and first responders know how much we love and appreciate them, it also helps to teach our school children the importance of loving and appreciating our heroes.
Our trip through the district today begins at the Bryan County Nursing Home in Richmond Hill and continues in Liberty County at the Hinesville VA clinic. While we primarily focus this year on our Veterans, we include everyone, including our super citizens at the nursing home.
Next, we head to Ludowici in Long County where we are joined by WTOC-TV in Savannah for a “good news” story on our program. From there we head to Blackshear in Pierce County where we meet with a group of Veterans at the Train Depot before heading to the First Baptist Church where they are having a Valentine’s Day lunch and surprising them with cards.
Afterwards, we head to Waycross in Ware County where I meet with County Commissioner David Lucas to discuss projects they are working on in the County before heading to the Waycross VA Center where I present more Veterans with cards.
While in Waycross, we deviate a little from our program and head to Ware County High School where I have the honor of addressing the Class 5A State Champion Gator football team and presenting them and their coaches with congratulatory letters.
Next, we head to Alma in Bacon County where we meet up with Veterans at the beautiful Veterans Park before heading to Baxley in Appling County where we meet more of our heroes at the American Legion Post 26 and present them with cards. Our final stop of the day is in Jesup in Wayne County where we meet more Veterans at the American Legion and present them with cards and, before leaving, film this week’s edition of Buddy’s Briefing.
Next, I head to Jacksonville where I spend the night. |
Rep. Carter at Friends of the First stop with Veterans in Long County |
Wednesday, February 15, 2023: I’m up early and at the Jacksonville airport this morning on my way to the southwest border in McAllen, Texas, for my sixth visit to the border since I have been a member of Congress.
Once in McAllen, I head to a tour of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) centralized processing center where we are brought up to date on the situation by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents.
Disappointingly, things have only gotten worse at the border since my visit last year as the number of illegal immigrants crossing the border as well as illegal drugs are at all-time highs.
Afterwards, I head to the RGV Economic Development Center where we have a joint field hearing of the Energy and Commerce (E&C) Oversight and Investigations (O&I) and Health Subcommittees on President Biden’s Border Crisis. After a great hearing, I join my colleagues on a late-night tour of the border as CBP agents lead us on a first-hand look at the situation. |
Rep. Carter with Energy and Commerce Committee Members at southern border |
Thursday, February 16, 2023: After an early morning flight to Midland in the Permian Basin of Texas, I join in an E&C Energy, Climate and Grid Security Subcommittee hearing on American energy expansion at the Bush Convention Center as we hear from local elected officials as well as business leaders regarding the negative impact of the Biden administration policies on energy production and local economies. After a great hearing, I head back to the airport for my return trip home. |
Rep. Carter at Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on energy in Texas |
Friday, February 17, 2023: After getting home late last night, I’m at it again as I have a radio interview with my good friends on the world famous Butch and Bob Show in Jesup as we discuss my trip to the border and other news.
Later in the morning, I have a phone interview with CQ Roll Call to discuss my trip to the border before joining in on a Budget Committee virtual call to discuss the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report released earlier this week. Later in the evening, I have a live interview on Newsmax to discuss my trip to the border and news of the day. |
Rep. Carter live on Newsmax discussing conservative censorship |
Check out our Friends of the First Tweet thread. While you're at it, follow us on Twitter @RepBuddyCarter, to stay up-to-date on my work for you in Washington. |
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