This Week with Gosar

Biden Signs Gosar Legislation Ending COVID-19 National Emergency

This week Joe Biden signed into law my legislation that terminates the COVID-19 national emergency declaration thus ending the extreme executive branch powers that were unnecessary and abused by the Biden administration.

There was never any reason to keep emergency powers for an emergency that ended.  Even Joe Biden admitted last year that the pandemic is over.

But that didn’t stop him from extending the emergency declaration and exploiting the more than 120 emergency powers simply to force Americans to live under extreme measures that deprive us of our freedoms.

Ending the emergency powers will open the door to allow Republicans in Congress the ability to claw back the billions of unspent dollars that Mr. Biden has moved around under the so-called guise of a pandemic and put towards strengthening Social Security.

America’s national nightmare is finally over!

Gosar: Banning TikTok Ignores Other Abusers

In the past few weeks, I have received hundreds of letters from concerned constituents regarding efforts by lawmakers to ban TikTok.   I recently published in opinion editorial that appeared in Townhall on this subject and share its entirety here:

The debate on the banning of the popular app TikTok in the United States has sparked much controversy and public opinion.  In August 2020, President Trump issued an executive order for ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to divest its United States operations or face a ban due to concerns regarding national security.

There is no doubt that TikTok is an arm of the Chinese Communist Party and it blatantly steals vast swathes of personal information and threatens our national security with access to that information.  TikTok has admitted that China-based employees affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party can access user data.  Furthermore, a media report by Forbes in November of 2022 revealed that TikTok is failing to protect children from sexual abuse by adults.  Studies show that TikTok users from ages 4 to 18 spend 107 minutes a day on TikTok.   President Trump was right to have ordered a ban on new downloads of the Chinese app and Biden was foolish to have revoked Trump’s executive order.   Safeguarding national security and the well-being of innocent children is something both democrats and Republicans should agree is a top priority.

In light of these very concerning abuses, a bipartisan coalition of members of Congress calling for an outright ban on TikTok in the United States recently introduced the RESTRICT Act, legislation that would ban foreign technologies and companies from operating in the United States if they pose a national security threat.  TikTok, estimated to be used by 150 million Americans, is by far the most popular social media app where users create short-form videos and, while not outright named in the legislation, is the obvious target of the RESTRICT Act.

The RESTRICT Act has been touted by lawmakers as a necessary measure to protect American consumers from the potential misuse of the data by foreign companies yet data privacy concerns affect all big tech companies and their users.  Unfortunately, the RESTRICT Act wrongly focuses solely on TikTok by single-handedly targeting the app, while other apps are left untouched and face no significant challenges by the U.S. government.  Congress must also address the issue of data privacy of other Big Tech companies such as Facebook, Google, Apple, Instagram, among others.  In fact, Facebook, Google, Apple, and Instagram have all had their fair share of data privacy issues.  Google and Facebook, two of the biggest tech giants in the world, have been implicated in numerous data privacy scandals.  For example, Facebook knowingly admitted to using biased content by allowing third-party apps to harvest and misuse user data to manipulate elections.  Facebook even sold hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising to Russian operatives to spread fake news stories targeting Republican voters to hurt Donald Trump’s chances of winning. Google, which has an outright monopoly on global internet searches, uses data to promote election bias and has been sued for tracking user location data even when users have turned off location services.  Similarly, Apple has been accused of allowing third-party apps to access users’ microphone and camera data. Yet Congress has not sought to ban them.

If the RESTRICT Act is truly meant to take steps to protect American consumer data, then BIG Tech, including Google and Facebook, should not be given a pass despite their numerous abuses related to privacy data.  It is crucial that Congress take data privacy seriously across all social media platforms and that should be reflected in any legislation Congress considers, including the RESTRICT Act.

The Latest on Big Tech Election Interference

Speaking of Big Tech, as many of you know, Elon Musk released inside information from Twitter that has conclusively established that state and federal government agencies actively worked with Twitter employees to censor Republican and conservative voices, influencers, politicians, businesses, doctors and media.  But that was the tip of the iceberg.  It is quite apparent that Facebook, Google and almost every other large platform has been censoring Republicans as political dissidents, colluding with democrats, all of which is illegal and in violation of the First Amendment.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz is investigating the matter and recently sent letters to nine Big Tech firms seeking information about coordination with more than 40 government officials in 23 federal agencies who were attempting to flag, censor, suppress, and investigate the content and accounts of Americans online.  Senator Cruz wrote:

“The Twitter Files continue to reveal the extent to which U.S. government employees, acting in an official capacity, applied pressure to, as well as coordinated with, social media companies in an effort to restrict Americans’ speech. Instead of focusing on their taxpayer-funded remit to protect and promote the interests of all Americans, agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of State (DOS) turned their attention to micromanaging what Americans can post and see online. Often, this censorship directly interfered in legitimate public debate around issues of national significance, such as elections and the evolving science on COVID-19.

Sen. Cruz continued, “This is not only a shocking abuse of government power, but also a blatant infringement on Americans’ First Amendment rights. As the Supreme Court concluded in Texas v. Johnson, “[t]he government may not prohibit the verbal or nonverbal expression of an idea merely because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable.”  But the Twitter Files reveal that, in some cases, the government attempted to accomplish exactly that.”

I fully support Senator Cruz’ inquiry.  Specifically, Senator Cruz has requested that Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Yahoo!, Medium, Reddit, Microsoft, Pinterest, and Wikipedia confirm whether they had any contact with federal agencies and named employees.   Stay tuned for more on this in the future.

The Truth About the War in Ukraine

There are some misperceptions about what is going on Ukraine, misperceptions that are deliberate and intentional.  In other words, propaganda.   For reasons I cannot articulate, there is a dedicated group—bipartisan too—hell bent on getting our country involved in war.  I stand for peace and self-defense.  Our troops should never be sent around the globe to satisfy the whims of some war monger interventionist.  I do not take the side of Ukraine or Russia.  I take the side of America—America First.

I was born in 1957.  The Korean War, in which 36,500 Americans were killed and another 103,000 wounded, ran from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953.  Our military fought well, but the political result was not the elimination of North Korea and its Chinese and Soviet supported government, but simply a more resolute border that exists to this day.  Just two years later our political leaders got us involved in Vietnam, where 58,220 American soldiers were killed and another 153,303 wounded.  Our involvement in Vietnam went for 20 years, from 1955 to 1975.  Because of political incompetence in the United States, those deaths were unfortunately in vain, and South Vietnam was lost to the North Vietnamese quickly after we withdrew our forces.

For the next 15 years after Vietnam, our political leaders engaged in war activities in Beirut, Grenada and Panama (and other assorted involvements).  Then came our involvement in the Persian Gulf War in 1990, followed by Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo to close out the 1990’s.  In 2001, we got involved in Afghanistan, and two years later, Iraq.   We stayed fully mobilized in Iraq until 2011 and in Afghanistan until last 2021.  We lost 4,400 American soldiers in Iraq and over 1,800 in Afghanistan.

I share this history with you to point out that for nearly my entire life we have been involved in a war most of that time.  Why?  Why can’t we be at peace for a sustained period of time?  None of these war zone actions involved the sovereignty of the United States.  The only threat to our geographic sovereignty has been our open southern border, in which we have been invaded for years with over 30 million illegal aliens.  The attacks on Iraq were unjustified and based on war propaganda from our government and the fake media about weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to be a hoax designed to get us involved in attacking Saddam Hussein.  Our war in Afghanistan was unjustified as well.   The people responsible for attacking New York City on 9/11 were not Afghanis or the Afghanistan government.

Our military is funded and trained, from my view as a member of Congress, to defend our borders.   It is not a police force to be sent anywhere in the world where people are fighting.  The lives of our soldiers mean too much to me to waste on sending them on nonsense conflicts that don’t involve us.   I think of my friend Joe Kent, who needlessly lost his young wife, in unnecessary war activities in Afghanistan.  The numbers of dead and wounded are not just statistics, these are some of our best people that took a bullet and had their lives prematurely ended for a cause that was not theirs, for a battle that was not theirs, and for dubious political reasons.

This brings us to Ukraine.  The same lying media that lied to us about Iraq are telling us that Russia invaded Ukraine “unprovoked.”   This is the first big lie.  The same lying media tells us that Ukraine is fighting to preserve “democracy.”  That is the second big lie.  And the same lying media tells us that somehow the United States has some interest to defend in Ukraine.  We don’t.

Let’s talk about Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Spain, Liechtenstein and England.  These are some of the wealthiest nations in the world.  Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway, Luxembourg are all in the top ten wealthiest countries in the world, ahead of the United States, and Ireland and Denmark are in the top ten almost tied with the United States.  Germany has a GDP of $3.8 trillion; United Kingdom $2.7 trillion; France $2.6 trillion; Italy $1.9 trillion; and Spain $1.3 trillion.  As far as a border dispute in Europe is concerned, why are American taxpayers on the hook for $100 billion in war aid (and growing) while wealthy European countries sit on the sidelines offering a pittance if anything?  Why does the Biden regime and its supporters think the United States is a blank check book to spend our tax money, go further into debt, and risk war with Russia when the wealthiest countries in Europe laugh at us paying the tab?  These wealthy countries are hardly contributing to a war effort that is a lot closer to their borders and interests than ours.  And how long until Mr. Biden sends our troops to Ukraine, not just tanks, planes and bombs, to defend Ukraine borders while our border is under invasion?

Lie number one:  Russia’s invasion was “unprovoked.”  If you are like me, that is all you have heard for over a year.  But the truth is different and, like many events, the answer is not a black and white situation, but very grey.  If you think “Russians are all bad” and “Ukrainians are all good” you’ve been lied to and duped.  I do not have to, and will not, defend Russian military strategy or Ukrainian geopolitics.  That is between them.  I will, however, voice an opinion when I am asked to vote on billions of your dollars to join a conflict we have no interest in.  Let’s look at the lie that there was no provocation.

The European Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) does many things, including monitor border conflicts and is a neutral and independent fact gatherer.  Fifty-seven countries are members.  The OSCE sent an official Observer Mission to the Ukraine border.  For a week prior to the Russian invasion, in February 2022, the OSCE documented hundreds of cease fire violations by the Ukraine government forces.  These including artillery bombardments on civilian neighborhoods targeting ethnic Russians, shootings and bombings.  You can start reading the daily reports here, starting with February 15, 2022 and here on February 17, 2022 and here on February 19, 2022.

Between February 18 and 19, 2022, the OSCE mission recorded 2,158 ceasefire violations, including 1,100 explosions.   On February 22, 2022, the OSCE reported:  “In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 703 ceasefire violations, including 332 explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 579 ceasefire violations in the region.  In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 1,224 ceasefire violations, including 1,149 explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 333 ceasefire violations in the region.  The SMM followed up on reports of damage to four inhabited properties in government-controlled Novohnativka and to a children’s centre in government-controlled Marinka, Donetsk region.”

This is just a sample of what was going on at their border.  Rest assured if Mexico was firing artillery into Texas or Arizona and shooting at our people on the border, we would not wait too long to eliminate the threat. Russia invaded on February 24, 2022 after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a “special military operation” seeking the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine.  But there was more than just a week or artillery and shooting before the invasion that provoked Russia.   In 2014, the United States, through the Obama State Department and a war monger named Victoria Nuland, engaged in a coup of the democratically elected president of Ukraine.  These are the same people who claim that democracy is sacred and every vote must be enshrined.  But when there was a foreign leader democratically elected they did not like, they did not hesitate to foment a coup.  Then President Yanukovych had been duly elected in balloting that international observers considered free and fair.  His term was to end in 2016.  But President Obama and Nuland despised Yanukovych and supported an insurrection and coup to take him out prior to 2016 and instead install an American patsy.  The think tank CATO Institute reported the following:

“The United States had no right to try to orchestrate political outcomes in another country—especially one on the border of another great power. It is no wonder that Russia reacted badly to the unconstitutional ouster of an elected, pro‐Russian government—an ouster that occurred not only with Washington’s blessing, but apparently with its assistance.”  

In order to remove a democratically and lawfully elected leader, the United States supported, condoned and worked with a group of national socialists who promoted Nazi ideology.   The violence committed in the Ukraine coup was coordinated by the Svoboda party — “whose leader once complained Ukraine was run by a “Muscovite-Jewish mafia” and which includes a politician who admires Joseph Goebbels — were the most active agents in the protests. They were also more likely to take part in violent actions than any group but one: Right Sector, a collection of far-right activists that traces its lineage to genocidal Nazi collaborators.

In other words, the United States assisted neo-Nazis in a violent coup to overthrow a pro-Russian elected leader of Ukraine.  From that point forward (2014 to today) neo-Nazis’ have had a prominent role in running Ukraine.

Lie Number Two: “There are No Nazis in Ukraine.”  It is well documented that the current Ukraine regime is run by and supported in large part by neo-Nazis, both in civilian government roles and in a variety of military militias.  That means $100 billion of you tax money is going to help Nazis.  You may want to ask yourself if we are really the good guys here.   I will never support Nazis and I condemn our country’s support and military aid to Nazis.   And honestly, it’s difficult to believe I have to say that in 2023.

“But Congressman, there can’t be Nazis in Ukraine, we defeated the Nazis in World War II?”  You don’t have to believe the news reports and think tank studies over the last 10 years, here are some pictures of Ukrainian Nazis to whom we are aiding and abetting this very day:

Finally, in terms of deciding whether Russia had cause to invade, consider that 3,404 of its civilians were killed by Ukraine forces between 2014 and the invasion.  Defending one’s population has been a legitimate and legal basis for war for centuries.  ABC News put the total at 14,000 (but that includes military deaths, not just civilian): “About 14,000 people have been killed in the eight years of fighting in Donbas, and more than a million residents of the area have been displaced since the fighting broke, according to the Ukrainian government.”

The fact remains, there has been open and sustained conflict between Russia and Ukraine ever since the United States meddled in Ukraine affairs and caused a coup of a lawfully elected leader.  If Russia supported and armed a coup in Mexico and installed a hostile and aggressive Mexican government, we would have concerns too.  To be blunt—we would see this a provocation, which is exactly how Russia saw the events in Ukraine.  It is not for me, or you, to decide if the Russian invasion met the standards of Article 51 of the U.N. Charter—Russia claims it did, Ukraine says it did not.  Article 51 allows for an invasion in “anticipatory” self-defense or an actual armed attack.  The artillery barrages and ceasefire violations, and violation of the Minsk Accords could qualify as actions precedent for a Russian self-defense claim.  Or they may not.  My point in all this is to note that you are being lied to when you hear or read our media claiming the invasion lacked provocation.  The Russians were most certainly provoked (and I am not including our own role in moving our NATO expansion closer and closer to Russia, which Russia sees as provocation).  Whether it is legally sufficient is immaterial to the fact that we are getting propaganda, not news.

Lie Number Three: “We are Defending Democracy.”  The media also claims we are “defending democracy.”  That too is a blatant lie and propaganda.   Zelenskyy was installed after the 2014 coup that the United States helped and caused.  As I previously noted, we actually removed by force the democratically-elected president of Ukraine.  Ukraine today is far from a democracy.  My main opposition to our involvement in Ukraine has little to do with the fact we are supporting Nazis, or that we are supporting an authoritarian regime (Zelenskyy has banned opposition parties, free media, elections and other matters).  My opposition is not solely reliant on the fact that the Ukraine regime is one of the most corrupt in the world, and appears to have bribed Hunter and Joe Biden quite handsomely with millions of dollars.  My objection is not limited to the fact that we really don’t have a grasp on what is occurring there.  My objection has been consistent: we are under a sustained invasion in the United States.  Our border is wide open.  Over six million illegal aliens have walked across our border since Mr. Biden took office, carrying drugs, diseases, and using our social services and imposing great social costs on us.  We have our own problems to solve.  Ukraine started its problems with Russia and it can resolve them without us.

We need to focus on America First and use our money to fix our problems, not engage in coups, insurrections and wars abroad.  Let’s not pretend we are saving a democracy from some predator.   We are not. 

I started this essay by explaining how my country has been at war in some fashion or another most of my life.  At some point we have to say enough.  Enough death and destruction.  Enough killing of our good soldiers.  Enough of spending ourselves blind on trillions and trillions of dollars on making war.  It is hard to fathom what our country would look like if we had spent the $2 trillion we spent in Afghanistan here in America.  New schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, airports, etc.   We will never know, because Biden, Victoria Nuland and thousands of others in leadership position in this country have chosen war over peace.  Worse, they made that decision without the approval of Congress.

Let’s Vote On It:  “The United States has officially declared war 11 times during five separate military conflicts. According to the Constitution (Article I, Section 8), Congress has the exclusive power to declare war. The last time America declared war was during World War II. The Korean War, the War in Vietnam, and the extended campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq were never stamped with congressional declarations of war.”   To me, all of these wars and engagements are an unconstitutional abdication of Congressional power and accountability.  I want to have a vote on whether to declare war on Russia. There should be a debate before that vote.  That is our constitutional duty.  We are in fact engaging in war activities against Russia.  We need to get the people’s body to approve or disapprove.   I could be the only vote against going to war with Russia, but I doubt it.

I love this country more than I am told to hate Russia.  Russia and Ukraine can settle their affairs without us.  The other European countries can assist and do something.  Their borders and continents are much closer.  As for me, I will continue to vote against getting us involved in this mess.  

Gosar Rejects Ukraine’s Appeal for American Fighter Jets and Missiles

This leads me to my next point!  Recent news reports that Ukraine is requesting American fighter jets and long-range missiles are deeply troubling.

Congress has not authorized war or American involvement and I have repeatedly objected to the United States involvement in the war between Russia and Ukraine and have called for peace.

We should not be sending American jets and missiles to Ukraine while Americans suffer and our economy stumbles.  The Biden regime continues to flirt with a nuclear war over a region we have no business being in.  I strongly urge peace between Russia and Ukraine and call on the Biden administration to engage in peace efforts, not more killing and waste at taxpayer expense.

Click here to read my full statement on this concerning report.

Team Gosar Attends Inaugural Laughlin Bullhead Airshow

My amazing staff and I recently had the thrill of attending the inaugural Laughlin Bullhead Airshow and had an amazing time viewing the incredible aerial show in the sky.   The show celebrates United States aviation heritage and history and included high performance military demonstrations, warbird performance and civilian aerobatic displays.   We can’t wait to go back next year and hope to see you there!

It’s Mail Time!

I receive a ton of mail each week and I love hearing from everyone.  Here’s a small sample of the letters I received just this week:

Irma G. from Seligman, AZ disagrees:

And that is why Dentist Gosar will never get my vote again.

That he cannot separate world threat with national threat.

That he is ignorant of the WWI and WWII play book which is now in play by Russia.

That he is ignorant of the fact that these invasions, genocide and carnage will not stop with Ukraine.

And

That he doesn’t understand how China, N Korea and Iran are posing to make invasions and conquests of their own.

That Dentist Gosar is so ignorant that he doesn’t realize this is exactly history repeating itself and the dentist is putting the blinders on….. just the same way the USA did while Europe was being invaded and ravaged.   Until the USA itself was under attack.

Instead of rhetoric using our own long standing inaction on our own borders and its associated crimes,  the dentist should have proactively advocates to prepare for a possible future invasion, to increase the productions of weapons and ammunitions, not only for support to Ukraine and other allies but also for ourselves should the need arise.

On the unrelated but decades long neglected issues with our border, it just shows me how ineffective the dentist is as well as many of those who are elected to protect our states, cities and country.  Do something about that immediately.  But don’t use it as a talking point to NOT do anything on a world scale to prevent another Hitler to decimate and invade.

Dr. Ihor K. from Tucson also disagrees:

I have just read your statement calling on abandoning Ukraine to the corrupt and autocratic Russian invader. We, Ukrainian Americans are shocked by your statement! 

You are talking about the Southern border now and using Ukraine as a scapegoat, yet nothing has been done by you or the United States before the invasion of Russia on the Sovereign country of Ukraine. 

You might remember that when Hitler invaded the Sudetenland, the U.S. believed that there was nothing, as you stated with Ukraine, there to protect. When he bombed England, the United States did not act, because “there was nothing there to protect”. Then finally, when the United States decided to enter the war, we lost almost 300,000 of our young men! 

This is the same situation with Ukraine today (please do not repeat the unfounded statement that Ukraine is one of the most corrupt regimes.. check the facts)  By the way, your staff should probably check whether or not,  President Zelynskyy, who is Jewish, is a card-carrying nazi! 

If you do not stop the Russian Hitler now, God forbid that thousands of our young men might perish because of your position. He only respects strength not appeasement.

Irma and Dr. Ihor, I think this “dentist” explained himself quite thoroughly in this newsletter and elsewhere.  I understand why, as a Ukrainian immigrant, Dr. Ihor has picked a side and sees Ukraine as good and Russia as bad.  I’m neither Ukrainian nor Russian so I have no ethnic or national stake that causes me to pick a winner.

Irma is unfortunately woefully ignorant of what Biden’s actions, all done without War Powers Act consent, has cost this country.  China, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Iran and multiple African countries are forming trade groups to go around the United States.  Our dollar may suffer catastrophic losses as a result.  The global view of Joe Biden and the U.S. is that we are weak, feckless and immoral.  The Saudi Crown Prince stated he is done listening to the U.S. He said this after four years of close ties under President Trump.  In short, Irma, you are supporting an ignorant view that is harming this country – the very definition of “America Last.”  

Robert O. from Yuma shares my view:

Totally agree!
Biden’s actions are unifying Russia, China and the Arab oil producers against the USA. We don’t need more enemies in the world. We are on the road to more conflicts we don’t need and can’t win. In the meantime, my kids are paying a ransom for health insurance for their families and inflation is rampant. I live in Yuma, so the border issues are evident daily, while our legal system is more interested in pursuing Catholics and stifling
the freedom of religion that helped found the country.
Sorry state of affairs!

Carolyn H. from Yuma had this to say:

Thank you so much for everything you do. You seem to have more sense than most in Washington DC. Anyway, is there any way to stop the flow of our tax dollars to Ukraine? The war should be between Russia and Ukraine only.  If we get involved, I am afraid it will turn into World War III. I am afraid of it becoming a nuclear war at that. We don’t need to risk our soldiers’ lives by getting involved. Thank you for your consideration.

Carolyn, I don’t disagree.  You might be interested in reading this compelling article that echoes your concerns: Zelenskyy Tried To Push America Into World War III

Patricia H. kept her thoughts short but to the point:

         Rejection of fighters to Ukraine, YES!

         Dear Patricia: AGREED!

Tweet of the Week:

Photo of the Week:

Sandy Combs from Williamson Valley, AZ shared this beautiful and snowy photograph!  Spectacular, thanks for sharing, Sandy!

Now, who is next!? Do you have photography skills?  Do you want the chance for your photograph to be featured as our “Picture of the Week?”   If so, send your best shots of our great state to Anthony.foti@mail.house.gov.  Remember to include your name and where you live.  We have a beautiful state, let’s show her off!

Gosar in the News and Other Must-Read Stories:

Prescott e-News: Biden Signs Gosar Legislation Ending COVID-19 National Emergency – Rep Paul Gosar

Sierra Sun Times: Congressman Paul Gosar Rejects Ukraine’s Appeal for American Fighter Jets and Missiles

AZ Central: Biden signs Gosar bill ending COVID emergency

Townhall: Banning TikTok Ignores Other Abusers

Veterans Today: Congressman Gosar: Warmongers Nuland & Blinken ‘Are Dangerous Fools Who Can Get Us All Killed’

Arizona Republic: Kris Mayes said she’d uphold the death penalty. Don’t let her renege now

The Christian Post: 63 churches attacked in the first 3 months of 2023: report

Washington Examiner: Veterans dispute Biden’s Afghanistan whitewash

Fox News: Democrats dealt another blow: third lawmaker leaves party, switches to Republican within a month

The Hill: Key moments from the GOP-controlled House’s first 100 days