250 years ago, in Philadelphia, our Founders gathered to declare a truth that would change the course of history: that our rights come not from government, but from God; that all are created equal; and that liberty is both America’s inheritance and America’s calling. Today, I had the profound honor of standing in their footsteps at Independence Hall, alongside a bipartisan delegation of my colleagues and Governor Shapiro, to deliver the opening invocation as our nation prepares to mark America’s 250th year. To stand in that hallowed hall— where an idea became a Declaration, where conviction became a Republic, and where the work of America began—was a moment I will never forget. At this historic threshold, may we look back with gratitude and forward with renewed commitment to the sacred charge entrusted to every generation: to remain one people, bound by one Republic, and called to carry America’s promise forward together. My sincere thanks to my friends and partners, @CongBoyle and @RepJeffries, for the hosting this historic occasion.

Today in Historic Bristol Borough, we honored one of the quiet beginnings of the American story. In 1775, before our independence was won and before our Constitution was written, the Second Continental Congress established a national postal system under Benjamin Franklin, our first Postmaster General. Bristol was chosen as one of the original 61 Postal Service offices—a vital link on the route between Philadelphia and New York at a time when communication was not a convenience, but a lifeline for liberty. Through revolution and reunion, war and peace, hardship and prosperity, the Bristol Borough Post Office has carried more than mail. It has carried news from home, word from the front, notices of birth and loss, commerce for small businesses, and the daily threads that bind neighbors, families, and a nation together. That is the beauty of this anniversary. It reminds us that America was built not only by the names etched in marble, but by generations of citizens and public servants who did their duty faithfully, quietly, and well. For 250 years, the men and women of the Bristol Borough Post Office have served this community with dedication and pride. And across our nation, postal workers continue that same essential mission every day, connecting Americans from the largest cities to the smallest towns, from one doorstep to the next. As we continue marching towards America’s 250th birthday, please join me in thanking every incredible postal worker who has served Historic Bristol Borough across these two and a half centuries, and all of America’s postal workers who continue to keep our communities, our commerce, and our country connected. Their service is honorable, and their legacy is deeply American.

I joined my friend and bipartisan partner @RepGoodlander on Meet the Press to discuss our first-of-its-kind Public Service Accountability Act. After introducing the Restore Trust in Congress Act earlier this year to ban Members of Congress from trading individual stocks, this new legislation takes the next step: one clear ethics standard for senior officials across Congress, the executive branch, and the federal judiciary. The principle is simple: public office is a public trust. Those with access to sensitive information and the power to shape policy should not be trading individual stocks, participating in prediction markets, or using positions of public service for personal financial gain. The American people deserve a government that serves them—not itself. Watch our full conversation below ⬇️:

Today, our Problem Solvers Caucus unveiled a bipartisan Gerrymandering Reform Framework rooted in a principle I have long worked to advance: voters should choose their representatives—not the other way around. Two hundred and fifty years after our founding, American self-government still depends on the sovereignty of the people. That promise is weakened when congressional lines are drawn to protect politicians, predetermine outcomes, or empower the extremes. Real reform requires one standard worthy of a representative democracy. This framework is a serious bipartisan step toward restoring trust, ending partisan manipulation, and putting voters back at the center of our democracy. 🔗 Read more here: problemsolverscaucus.house.g…

🚨 Additional Update on the Bensalem Freight Derailment: The emergency response phase has concluded, and the scene has now transitioned to CSX for the investigation, cleanup, and restoration work ahead. CSX is mobilizing cranes, rail equipment, and overnight crews to begin removing the derailed cars and restoring the track. That work is expected to continue over the next several days. Commuter rail has not been not impacted, and SEPTA has informed us that their service on the West Trenton Line is resuming, with some residual delays expected as normal service is restored. For the safety of residents and crews, the public should continue to avoid the area and stay clear of the railroad tracks. Bristol Road remains closed between Old Lincoln Highway and Spruce Avenue until further notice. Our office remains in contact with local and federal officials, CSX, and SEPTA, and will continue working to support a safe, orderly recovery.

🚨Attention PA-1: Update on the Bensalem Freight Derailment We can share that the shelter-in-place order has been lifted, no hazardous materials were found, there were no leaks or spills, and no injuries have been reported. An investigation into the cause of the derailment is now underway. In moments like this, every minute matters. Response time, coordination, calm under pressure, bravery, and professionalism are what keep people safe. Bensalem Township, Bucks County Emergency Services, Bensalem Police, fire, EMS, Hazmat personnel, and all our first responders acted without hesitation to secure the area, assess the risk, and protect our community. We are grateful for the safe outcome, and for the incredible men and women on scene this afternoon who protect our community day in and day out.

My office is working directly with local officials and first responders, as well as the Department of Transportation, following the freight train derailment in Bensalem near Street Road and the Neshaminy Falls Train Station. This was a freight derailment and did not occur on commuter rail lines. Local officials have reported several cars involved, which may contain hazardous materials. At this time, no injuries have been reported. We will not have further confirmed information until the Hazmat Team is on scene and able to assess the rail cars. A one-mile shelter-in-place order is currently in effect. Anyone within that area should remain indoors, bring pets and other animals inside, close windows, doors, and vents, and turn off heating and air conditioning systems until further notice. Those outside the shelter-in-place area should avoid the scene, keep surrounding roads clear, and allow police, fire, EMS, and Hazmat personnel to respond safely. We will remain closely engaged with federal and local officials and will continue to provide updates as the situation develops and more information becomes available. We are incredibly grateful for every first responder and emergency personnel on the scene, and we ask you to join us in praying for their safety.

As a reminder of the brokenness of the two-party system, the extreme factions from both parties continue to block reauthorization of FISA Section 702. As an FBI Agent, I’ve used Section 702 to save countless American lives. Mark my words—the extremists from both parties who continue to stall this reauthorization are putting our nation at grave risk of another terror attack. I am urging my colleagues, from across the spectrum, to put your differences aside and reauthorize this most critical and most essential national security tool, before it’s too late.

Edgely is known as Bristol Township’s historic riverfront neighborhood—a community of families, homes, history, and character that must be protected and preserved. When residents came to me with serious concerns about the proposed Delaware River Turnpike Bridge expansion, I understood immediately how serious this was— for their homes, property rights, and the future of their neighborhood. Replacing critical infrastructure must never equate to uprooting families, disregarding private property rights, or sacrificing a tight-knit, deeply rooted community. We have already called upon the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Federal Highway Administration, and their partner agencies to fully evaluate alternatives that avoid and minimize community impact, protect private property rights, and take into account the needs of our Edgely residents. This morning, I convened in Edgely with the incredible Debbie Gratz, Bristol Township Manager Randee Mazur, Councilman Bowen, Councilwoman Murphy, and local residents to walk the neighborhood, see the impacts firsthand, and continue working together on what our next steps will be. Infrastructure matters. But the test of progress is not only what we build—it is whether we protect the people, homes, and communities in its path. We can both have safe infrastructure and protect Edgely. We can and must do both. Every feasible alignment, design option, staging plan, and community impact must be fully examined before any family is asked to bear the cost of this project. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to protect our Edgely community, demand transparency and accountability, and ensure Edgely residents have the voice, respect, and answers they deserve.

A look into our conversation with Braver Angels on the truth that has carried America from the beginning: before we are Republicans or Democrats, we are Americans. It is the spirit that founded this great nation, the bond that has sustained it for 250 years, and the only way we will move forward together.

Today would have been my big brother Mike’s 63rd birthday. Mike was the kind of man whose absence is felt so deeply because his presence meant so much. He was steady, selfless, faithful, and good—a leader in our family, a servant to our community, and an example to all of us blessed to know and love him. To know Mike Fitzpatrick was to know a friend. A true friend. He had a way of showing up for people—quietly, consistently, completely. He believed in doing the work, keeping your word, and leaving things better than you found them. He was more than my big brother. He was the man I looked up to, learned from, and still try to honor in how I live and serve. He is so missed—in the big moments, the quiet ones, and in all the spaces his love once filled. Today, we hold my sister-in-law, nieces and nephews, and entire family especially close, and give thanks for Mike’s life, his love, and the legacy that still lights the way.

For 53 years, Jessica McDonald of Holland has done one of the most important jobs in America: teach our children. As the beloved longtime third grade teacher at St. Katherine Drexel School, Mrs. McDonald’s work reached far beyond the classroom. Year after year, she helped shape young minds, build confidence, encourage kindness, and form the habits of character that stay with students long after they leave third grade. Teaching is demanding, deeply human work. Its impact is not always measured in a single school year, but in the confidence, character, and direction students carry for the rest of their lives. To give 53 years to that calling is extraordinary. Please join me in congratulating Mrs. McDonald on her remarkable retirement, and in thanking all of our PA-1 teachers for the service, sacrifice, and steady dedication they give to our students all year long.

They said it best: the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is “the best thing that has happened to housing in America in three decades” and will “change housing affordability in America.” That is exactly why @ProbSolveCaucus put housing front and center in our Affordability Agenda. We sat down with families, local leaders, builders, realtors, advocates, seniors, veterans, and first-time homebuyers; identified what was broken; and helped turn those solutions into one of the most transformative federal housing reform packages in generations. A major bipartisan win for affordability. A generational step toward putting the American Dream back within reach. And exactly what the Problem Solvers Caucus Affordability Agenda was built to deliver.

The most remarkable story of redemption I came across in my years writing Courage Can Save US. “If I put on one hand the people I care most about in this world,” ex-convict, former NY State Assemblyman, and onetime prospective candidate for Mayor of NYC Brian McLaughlin told me early one morning in 2025 at a Starbucks in Manhattan. It had been nearly 19 years since then Special Agent Brian Fitzpatrick put McLaughlin behind bars, ending his political career and beginning a chapter of covert cooperation with the FBI that would eventually help bring down Sheldon Silver, the powerful Speaker of the New York State Assembly, and scores of others across organized crime and politics. “There’s my mutha, my fatha, my brutha, my kids, and there’s Brian Fitzpatrick.”

Nearly twenty years ago, Brian McLaughlin and I met under circumstances neither of us could have imagined would one day lead to friendship. I was a young FBI Special Agent in New York City, working my first field assignment. Brian was the Subject of the FBI public corruption case I was assigned to investigate. He was ultimately arrested, convicted, and sentenced to ten years in prison. That is where many people would have ended the story. But our country, at its best, has always believed in something larger than a person’s worst chapter. It believes in accountability, but also in redemption. It believes in consequences, but also in grace. It believes that lives can be rebuilt when truth is faced with courage. Last night, I had the honor of sitting down with Brian—now my friend, and someone who attended my wedding just last weekend—to tell that story together. Brian has said that I changed his life. The truth is, he changed mine, too. Thank you to my friend, @WithHonorAction Founder @ryebarcott , for profiling me in your inspiring new book. Courage can, in fact, save us.

Just a few miles from Independence Hall, where our nation first declared its belief in liberty, self-government, and a common American destiny, we gathered today at Temple University to do something deeply patriotic: listen to one another. What an incredible afternoon spent with @braverangels, community members, and my @ProbSolveCaucus Co-Chair and friend, @RepTomSuozzi, for a thoughtful discussion moderated by @maurygiles about how we lower the temperature, find common ground, and remember that disagreement does not have to mean division. As we approach America’s 250th birthday, today was a powerful reminder that patriotism is not uniformity. It is unity of purpose. It is dialogue over division. It is choosing, again and again, to believe in our great nation and our shared future. Thank you to Braver Angels for always leading with that spirit and to all who came ready to be part of the work.

Looks like you do have the cards after all, @ZelenskyyUa! We have your back 👊🏻 #PeaceThroughStrength 🇺🇸🇺🇦 foxnews.com/world/ukraine-la…

Not every call for help comes over the radio. Sometimes it comes in the middle of an ordinary afternoon, when families are gathered, children are playing, and suddenly every second matters. Each week, we honor Hometown Heroes from across our district—men and women whose lives reflect the courage, character, and spirit of the communities we are proud to call home. Today, we honor Newtown Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Rory LaRosa and Buckingham Township Police Department Officer Chris Shaffer, whose training, courage, and instinct to act helped save the life of a young child in Newtown. Deputy Chief LaRosa was spending the afternoon with his daughters. Officer Shaffer was there with his family. Neither was on duty. But when a young child was pulled from the water unresponsive, both men answered the call without hesitation. Chief LaRosa immediately assessed the child, found no pulse, and began CPR. Moments later, Officer Shaffer joined him, providing rescue breaths as they continued chest compressions. In those critical moments, their training took over. Their calm mattered. Their courage mattered. And because they acted, the child’s pulse returned. The child began breathing, became conscious and alert, and survived. A family still has their child today because two first responders were ready when every second counted. That is what makes this story so powerful. Chief LaRosa and Officer Shaffer were there as fathers, spending time with their own families. But when another family needed them most, they stepped forward with the skill, composure, and selflessness that define the very best of public service. Their actions remind us that our first responders carry their calling with them wherever they go. Whether in uniform or not, whether on duty or not, they are trained to bring order to panic, steadiness to fear, and hope to moments that could otherwise end in tragedy. This is what true heroism looks like: not loud, not expected, and not done for recognition—just two people seeing a life in danger and doing everything in their power to save it. Please join me in thanking Deputy Fire Chief Rory LaRosa and Officer Chris Shaffer for their lifesaving actions, and in honoring all of our heroic first responders who protect, serve, and save lives across our community and country every day.

Great meeting with the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies and Indian American constituent advocates from across our PA-1 community—Prasanna Jog and Ishan Jog of North Wales, Aniket Deodhar and Anushka Deodhar of Warrington, Chaiti Banerjee of Yardley, Rishi Jani of Bensalem, and Youg Thaker of Chalfont. The U.S.-India partnership is one of the most important relationships of this century, rooted in shared democratic values, strengthened by deep people-to-people ties, and critical to America’s security and competitiveness in a changing world. Our discussion focused key aspects of that partnership: securing the Indo-Pacific, strengthening access to the critical minerals that power our defense and technology future, expanding trade with trusted democratic partners, and defending religious freedom here at home. Those priorities are at the center of the work I am leading in through H.R. 4391, H.R. 3307, and H.Res. 69–efforts focused on building more secure supply chains, strengthening economic ties with trusted partners, and making clear that Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry have no place in our country. No faith community in America should ever be targeted, marginalized, or attacked because of how they worship. That principle is fundamental to religious freedom, and it must be defended clearly and consistently. I am grateful to FIIDS and our PA-1 advocates for their insight and leadership as we continue working together to strengthen the U.S.-India partnership, defend religious freedom, and advance policies that keep America secure, competitive, and united.

When both sides choose to work together, big things can get done. Tonight, the House passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act with overwhelming bipartisan support, advancing a bicameral effort to address one of the biggest challenges facing American families: housing affordability. Addressing our toughest challenges requires collaboration, and tonight’s vote is a strong example of what that can achieve.