Congressman Johnson's Weekly Update

MARIETTA, OH — This is Congressman Johnson's weekly update. You can stay up to date with what's going on in Washington by following him on social media or signing up for his weekly email blast.

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Biden Finally Admits Violent Crime Is a Problem

This week, President Joe Biden finally conceded reality: violent crime is exploding across the country. But, in an attempt to assign blame amid sagging poll numbers, he reached for the tired, worn-out Democrat playbook and proclaimed that guns are the problem. Ridiculous.

Guns are not the problem. Big city liberal politicians who vote to defund the police are the problem. Big city liberal prosecutors who simply release violent criminals the police catch are the problem. An irresponsible liberal media who portray tragic, but rare, incidents of police violence on unarmed Black men an epidemic are the problem. And liberal Washington politicians cowering to the Woke Mob afraid to tell the truth are the problem.

The riots and general lawlessness that exploded last summer following the death of George Floyd have been allowed to continue in many states and cities run by liberal elected officials. There is no doubt violence is on the march and the police are in retreat. It’s sadly becoming routine to see rocks, bricks, and Molotov cocktails thrown at the men and women in law enforcement...from Portland to Oakland, to Chicago and Minneapolis, and in Philadelphia and New York. Sometimes its during far-left Antifa and BLM violent protests. Other times it’s simply criminal activity without the politics. The common theme: lawbreakers know there won’t be any real consequences for their actions because law enforcement has been depleted. And for that simple reason, the violence will continue.

Joe Biden’s plan to make it more difficult for law-abiding Americans to defend themselves against this surge of violence is reckless and wrong. But such a plan coming from someone, like President Biden, who’s spent more than half a century in Washington safe and sound with Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police protection and no worries is hardly a surprise.

Vice President Harris Finally Visits the Southern Border

93 days after being tasked by the President to lead the administration’s efforts to solve the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border, Vice President Kamala Harris finally made the trip south to see the border crisis firsthand. But did she really see it? Rather than going where the crisis is the most severe, she visited some of the lowest volume of illegal immigration on the southern border. When I visited the border in McAllen, TX, one of the hardest-hit border crossings, and talked with Customs and Border Enforcement agents a month and a half ago, it was clear they needed reinforcements and support from the Administration to put an end to the influx in illegal immigration. The solution to this crisis is simple - re-implement President Trump’s policies of: building the wall; ending the “catch and release” program; reinstating the asylum agreement with Mexico that would keep asylum seekers in Mexico until their court date comes up; and putting pressure on Mexico and Central American governments to stop the flow of migrants north. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of her visit.

Newsmax Interview on Cybersecurity

This week I joined Newsmax to discuss my concerns with President Biden’s lack of understanding about how America’s energy policy directly affects our foreign policy, as well as his plan (or lack thereof) for our nation’s critical infrastructure’s cybersecurity needs. We should be focused on America’s energy independence, not enabling Russia to achieve theirs. And we should hold those responsible for cyberattacks on our critical infrastructure accountable. Take a look at my interview here.

New Legislation Introduced This Week

This week I introduced two important pieces of legislation that will solve real problems if they're signed into law.

I partnered with my colleague, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA), to introduce the Telemental Health Care Access Act. We've all seen the huge increase in the demand for telehealth services —especially telemental health services — largely due to the COVID pandemic. Telemental health is a great fit for patients isolated at home due to illnesses and for those unable to access specialized health care in rural areas. Our legislation would lift the federal mandate requiring a Medicare patient to be seen in-person before receiving virtual behavioral or mental healthcare services is outdated. I’m hopeful this common-sense, bipartisan legislation will be approved by the full House soon.

I also introduced the TEAM TELECOM Act, which would codify a makeshift government interagency that partners with the DOD, DHS, CIA, and FBI to ensure that applications to the telecommunications industry are reviewed through the lens of national security. Passing this legislation would be a concrete step towards taking a larger, more forceful stand against our foreign adversaries, like China and Russia, who are trying to manipulate our communications networks.

If you want more information about these bills and other legislation I'm working on, you can visit my website.

East Ohio Regional Hospital Re-Opening

This was a great week for Martins Ferry and Belmont County, as East Ohio Regional Hospital celebrated its reopening on Monday. After closing its doors in September 2019, the hospital was purchased in 2020 by Dr. John Johnson, an Ohio resident with an ambitious plan to reopen this important community hospital and make significant improvements. It took a great deal of work to achieve. The community, as well as the broader Ohio Valley, deserves a solid community-hospital – and Dr. Johnson and his team stepped up to the plate to make it happen.

When the hospital closure was announced, I promised to assist in any way I could to find a solution that would re-open the hospital and preserve hundreds of jobs. Along with engaging Governor DeWine and JobsOhio on several occasions, I worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to cut through red-tape and secure the hospital’s new Medicare number, and my office researched federal grant options to assist with funding.

I was proud to join Governor DeWine and other community leaders on Monday who helped make the reopening a reality.

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This news release was written by Congressman Bill Johnson's office. Any opinions expressed are the author's own.