Dear friends,

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Independence Day surrounded by loved ones, plenty of good food, and patriotic fun. I wanted to give you an update about my work over the past few weeks working on your behalf in Congress. Here’s the latest edition of Brett’s Bulletin. 

Finalizing the One, Big, Beautiful Bill

Over the past several months, Republicans in the House and Senate have worked to craft the One, Big, Beautiful Bill and get it to President Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July. I’m happy to report that we accomplished our goal and delivered a bill that retains and expands on historic tax cuts, unleashes American energy, secures our borders, invests in our military, and strengthens Medicaid for the most vulnerable. Take a look below to learn more about what President Trump signed into law on Independence Day!

For America to continue leading through the 21st Century, we must have the energy to power new technologies. As Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, I was proud to lead the charge to rescind billions of dollars from extreme Washington liberals’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) slush funds, start the process of refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, strengthen grid reliability, and secure energy supply chains. Unleashing America’s energy dominance isn’t just a smart policy decision; it’s a national security measure!

President Trump has made it a priority to secure the southern border and keep our communities safe.  Illegal border crossings are the lowest in decades, dropping roughly 90% compared to just one year ago, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 

According to the House Committee on Homeland Security majority, their section of the One, Big, Beautiful Bill supports President Trump’s goal by investing $46 billion in border security measures, including 701 miles of wall, 900 miles of river barriers, and a $2.7 billion investment in technology that secures the border. It also provides funding to hire thousands of new Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

The American military is the strongest fighting force on the face of the earth. Our bill invests in military readiness and bolsters the defense industry to counter the growing threat of China and other adversaries.

In our One, Big, Beautiful Bill, Congress committed $29 billion to revitalize our shipbuilding capabilities and our munitions stockpiles, and constructs President Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense system. 

Recently, the House passed our first of twelve appropriations bills to fund the government for fiscal year 2026. The House-passed bill allocates funding for military construction projects, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other related agencies.

I was proud to vote for this bill that will help ensure our veterans have access to the benefits that are owed to them and that our active duty servicemembers have the highest quality facilities to support their mission. This legislation also includes funding to upgrade existing infrastructure at Fort Knox, ensuring local soldiers are in the best possible position to carry out their duties in Kentucky and beyond. 

Last week, I joined my colleagues in introducing the SCORE Act as a part of a bipartisan joint committee process to stabilize the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) marketplace for college athletics.

NIL offers an endless array of opportunities for student-athletes to make the most of their college experience, but the lack of clear guardrails has left athletes and universities on unstable ground. The SCORE Act creates a national framework that supports student-athletes and recenters the educational mission of college athletics. I was proud that we passed this bill out of the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee earlier this week. Learn more about our bill here.

Protecting Fairness in Women's Athletics

I recently joined Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr and several of our colleagues in introducing the Defending Girls in Athletics Act to ensure that educational institutions that do not comply with President Trump’s Executive Order preventing men from competing against female athletes don’t receive federal tax dollars. It’s common sense; biological men have no place in women’s sports.

I stopped by Communicare in Hardin County to learn more about their work. Thanks for having me!

Big congratulations to Brian Becker from Etown on being awarded the Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year Award! We had a productive conversation this week about the challenges that small businesses are facing and the ways that Congress is working to streamline regulations and cut taxes so businesses can do what they do best: serve their customers!

I stopped by the Glasgow Boys and Girls Club to see their summer enrichment programs in action, and discuss ways that I can partner with you to support your work from Congress. Thanks for having me.

1.2 million Kentuckians rely on Rural Electric Co-ops to power their homes and businesses. Last week, I spoke to the members of the Farmers RECC Annual Business Meeting to discuss the ways that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is working to unleash American energy dominance and get energy prices down for KY families!

Last week, I joined Terry Meiners to set the record straight on the One, Big, Beautiful Bill. Take a listen by clicking the image below or pressing here. 

As Kentucky continues to recover and rebuild after the severe weather that has impacted the Commonwealth, I wanted to provide an important update regarding the deadline to apply for individual assistance for property damage from the April storms. 

The Federal Emergency Management Administration, or FEMA, has announced that they have extended the deadline to apply for individual assistance to July 25th. This extension gives Kentuckians more time to apply for and receive federal assistance.

There are three ways to apply for FEMA assistance:

• Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov.
• Call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Services (VRS), captioned telephone or other services, give FEMA your number for that service. 
• Visit a Disaster Recovery Center. To find a Disaster Recovery Center, visit fema.gov/DRC or text DRC along with your ZIP code to 43362 (Example: “DRC 29169”).
• As a part of their efforts to distribute assistance, FEMA has opened ten Disaster Recovery Centers across Kentucky’s Second District. These centers will give local residents the ability to speak with FEMA representatives about the assistance programs that are available to them as well as get connected with additional recovery resources.

For more information about Kentucky Emergency Management resources, click here. To learn more about who is eligible for and how to register for assistance through FEMA, click here.