'Prep-Fire' for the 118th Congress

Oliver L. North
Mon, 28 Nov 2022 17:25:22 -0800
Opinion

The Republican Party, such as it is, will run the U.S. House of Representatives until, at least, 2024. Since the GOP is a "coalition" of disparate "hearts and minds," we proffer advice on how the 118th Congress can hit the ground running on Jan. 3, 2023. Despite "lib-Dem," "progressive" and RINO advice to the contrary, here are more proposals for what Republicans should do right now so they can act immediately after being sworn in.

First, by tradition, the oath of office should end — as did mine as a U.S. Marine — with the words "so help me God." We need His grace and protection.
Updated: Tue Nov 29, 2022

The Republican Party, such as it is, will run the U.S. House of Representatives until, at least, 2024. Since the GOP is a "coalition" of disparate "hearts and minds," we proffer advice on how the 118th Congress can hit the ground running on Jan. 3, 2023. Despite "lib-Dem," "progressive" and RINO advice to the contrary, here are more proposals for what Republicans should do right now so they can act immediately after being sworn in.

First, by tradition, the oath of office should end — as did mine as a U.S. Marine — with the words "so help me God." We need His grace and protection.

Second, unify our leaders and members in House committees crucial to protecting us all from the disastrous consequences of two years of Biden blunders — domestic and international. As former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently tweeted, "We need more seriousness, less noise, and leaders who are looking forward, not staring in the rearview mirror claiming victimhood."

Third, "Be Prepared" — the Boy Scout motto — to investigate everything the Biden administration has done or failed to do and thereby damaged U.S. national security, jeopardized our economy and abridged our rights and liberties. Herewith, our immediate top priority: national security.

Modernizing congressional committee structure must wait until after the 2024 elections. The new House leadership should however create a "National Security Task Force" with the mission of proposing measures to protect our homeland and countrymen.

Stopping the invasion across our southern border must be a national security priority. The self-inflicted tidal wave of millions illegally entering the U.S. is both a major security threat and a humanitarian disaster.

By Jan. 3, legislation to close and secure our borders, evict those here illegally and make merit-based legal immigration easier should be drafted.

Protecting our homeland requires our military to be able to deter war and, if we must fight, win as fast as possible and at the lowest cost. The civilian and military leadership at the Pentagon, State Department and White House must be held accountable for the Afghanistan catastrophe.

The new Congress must insist on coherence in our foreign policy. Totalitarian regimes in China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and North Korea proclaim we are their adversary. All either have or are developing nuclear weapons. Others, like Syria, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Yemen and Afghanistan pose lesser threats to our security, but the Biden administration has adopted inconsistent, often incomprehensible policies that increase risk.

The Biden White House and State Department have offered to lift sanctions on Iran and Venezuela if they increase the flow of petroleum and natural gas. Congress should make clear such activity will not be funded.

On the other hand, Congress has provided billions of our tax dollars to help Ukraine repel Vladimir Putin's invasion of their country. Though Russian missiles rain down daily on brave Ukrainian civilians, Biden refuses to provide the kind of weaponry for Ukraine to win.

Congress should ensure Ukraine gets what's needed and act to replenish our rapidly depleting stocks of high-performance weaponry and strategic petroleum reserves. Direct the Department of Defense to stop indoctrinating U.S. troops on critical race theory and offering "gender transition" medical treatment. In short, if it isn't necessary for military readiness, don't do it.

As for Communist China, the new Congress should immediately use its "power of the purse" to avoid giving Xi Jinping any further means of crushing the anti-regime protests now erupting across China. Stop our federal government from buying "made in China" windmills and solar panels. And to show him we mean it, return the U.S. to energy independence by drilling for our own oil and natural gas.

Oliver L. North is a combat-decorated U.S. Marine, No.1 bestselling author, founder and CEO of Fidelis Publishing LLC and Fidelis Media. Find out more at www.olivernorth.com. His latest book, "The Giant Awakes," is available at faithfultext.com.