Mark's Weekly UpdateDiscussing the Latest Government Agency 'Hard Drive Crash' on Fox News First it was Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official Lois Lerner's emails that went missing due to a mysterious "hard drive crash." Then Congress was informed that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also lost emails relevant to an ongoing investigation. This week, it came to light that an employee of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), who was a former colleague of Lois Lerner's and was under investigation also experienced a convenient "hard drive crash." April Sands was an attorney for the FEC who admitted to violating the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity using government resources. Sands posted on social media calling Republicans the "enemy" and soliciting support for President Obama's reelection. This lawlessness and corruption needs to stop. I'll continue to investigate this cover up and help provide answers to the American people. Introducing a Bill to Combat Human Trafficking On Tuesday evening, I introduced the bipartisan Human Trafficking Detection Act aimed at combating human trafficking. Did you know that 17,500 people are trafficked through the United States each year—half of which are children? Human trafficking is truly the great tragedy of our time. This bill would equip officials who directly interface with potential traffickers and victims at our nation's borders and in airports with important detection training. The bill will also require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to annually report to Congress the number of potential human trafficking cases reported by its federal agents. We must do all that we can to end modern day slavery.
Standing with Israel As the conflict between Israelis and Hamas terrorists continues to escalate, my prayers are with the families of innocent victims on both sides. I continue to pray for peace. I hope we all do. But until that peace comes, I will continue to remain unwavering in my support of Israel's right to defend itself. Hamas has used innocent civilians as human shields, while Israel has gone to great lengths to warn civilians before attacks to try to avoid casualties. Israel agreed to an Egypt-brokered agreement to halt the conflict, but Hamas declined and continued to shower Israel with rocket attacks. On Wednesday evening, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, only for Hamas to break it after just two hours. We must continue to pray for peace but in the meantime stand with our ally Israel. You can read an op-ed I wrote in the Jerusalem Post on the need to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel here. Working with North Carolina Farmers It was a pleasure to meet with Kaleb Rathbone of the Carolina Farm Credit. Many farms in Western North Carolina rely on their financial assistance and helpful services.
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