This week, I had a piece of legislation pass the House and introduced a bill and two House Resolutions:

• H.R. 4301, the "J. Elliott Williams Post Office Building": I am proud to see the House passed H.R. 4301 to rename the Fort Mill Post Office after the most highly decorated enlisted sailor in the history of the U.S. Navy. It is very befitting to celebrate the passage of this bill during National Military Appreciation Month.

  Chief Petty Officer Williams was born in Fort Mill, South Carolina on November 13, 1930 and served 20 years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean and Vietnam War. After his retirement he was awarded the Medal of Honor, every sea-service award for heroism, the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Purple Heart. He is one of only seven men to receive all three major valor awards: the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, and the Silver Star. Furthermore, he was one of three sailors of American-Indian heritage in the Twentieth Century to receive the Medal of Honor.

  Williams married his wife Elaine, and had five children and seven grandchildren. He is currently resting in peace in the Florence National Cemetery in Florence, South Carolina.
  
  I want to thank the entire South Carolina delegation, and my colleagues in Congress, for honoring the legacy of Chief Petty Officer J. Elliott Williams. We are eternally grateful for him, those currently serving, and those who have served, to defend our great nation.

• H.Res. Honoring Teachers: We all remember those teachers that have deeply impacted each of our lives, and we carry out what we learned from them every day.

  Day in and day out, teachers all across the nation show extreme dedication to instilling knowledge, dreams, and power into our country’s future. And it does not go unnoticed.

  During this Teacher Appreciation Week, we thank and honor all of the educators for the tremendous service they provide to our children.

• H.R. 5629, the President Trump’s Farm Bill Reforms Act of 2018. According to OMB, this bill would save taxpayers an estimated $28.6 billion over the next ten years by enacting the common sense reforms to traditional farm program and crop insurance premium subsides outlined in the President’s budget for fiscal year 2019.

• The start of my #WastefulWednesday initiative: Every Wednesday I will be introducing legislation to cut our erroneous federal spending that will total at least $100 million by the end of the Fiscal Year. This Wednesday, I introduced a bill that prohibits the National Science Foundation from studying how members of Congress interact with each other. Over the last year NSF has spent more than $300,000 of taxpayer funds studying the impact of Dear Colleagues letters, which are written and sent amongst Members of Congress and describe pieces of legislation each office is working on. This is not a matter of national concern worthy of hundreds of thousands of dollars. NSF should allocate its grant funds to research that will benefit everyday Americans. 

• unemployment rate down to 3.9%, the lowest in almost 18 years
• almost 800,000 news jobs added since Tax Cuts & Jobs Act signed into law
• weekly wages increased an average of $1,300

I will continue to say this: Washington does not have an income problem; Washington has a spending problem.

President Trump and his administration clearly understand how reckless federal spending negatively effects not only our economy, but taxpayers in the long-run. I applaud the President and my predecessor, Director Mulvaney, for this historic $15 billion rescission package. They, as well as I, are committed to tackling Washington’s out-of-control spending and our abysmal national debt.

Every day Americans are forced to budget and balance their checkbooks, and it is time that the federal government do the same. Although we need to cut even more, this proposal is a step in the right direction.

In fact, that is why I am actively pushing H.R. 5442, A Fast-Tracked Executive Rescission Review (AFTERR) of Appropriations Act, legislation I introduced in April, to come for a vote. This is aimed to drastically aid Congress to cut needless federal spending by requiring Members of Congress to vote on the proposed rescissions from the White House.

I look forward to a vote on this $15 billion package, and I eagerly await the administration’s future rescission packages.

This week, President Trump announced two major foreign relation actions:

• U.S. Withdrawal from the Iran Deal: The Iran Deal was a BAD deal. I thank the President for his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the JCPOA and re-impose sanctions. This deal allowed the Iranian regime to continue their evil ways. We must ensure that Iran never have nuclear weapons
  
• North Korea Release 3 Americans: Pleased to the Presidentannounce that the three Americans who have been held in North Korea, for months, have been released to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. We welcome them home to American soil! This leadership proves that peace through strength is working.