On Tuesday, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittee held a hearing about emerging technology in autonomous maritime vehicles. I'm proud to represent a district that has become a hub for this kind of research.

Two of the more recent additions to our coastal innovation ecosystem are major players in this space, and both are located at the Port of Gulfport.

On the East Pier, Ocean Aero is building autonomous vehicles capable of operating both on the surface and under water. Ocean Aero chose to move its headquarters from San Diego, CA, to Gulfport because of all that South Mississippi offers — hard workers, an affordable cost-of-living, and a willingness to innovate.

Around the corner, is the University of Southern Mississippi's Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise, which opened earlier this year. While USM has always been a leader in coastal research, the Wicker Center expands their ability to support unmanned maritime vehicles. It opens doors for collaboration between the university, corporations, and government agencies like NOAA to focus on both research and workforce development.

I highlighted some of these assets while talking with military and civilian leaders during the hearing. The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies must continue to support the growth of new technologies to tackle ever-changing problems in the Gulf. As cartels and other enemies continue to innovate, technology such as autonomous maritime vehicles will help the Coast Guard better defend our coastal borders.

You can watch the first part of the hearing here and the second part of the hearing here.

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing on the financial cost of this administration's border policies.

I had the opportunity to ask Jonathan Lines, a county supervisor from Yuma, Arizona, about the burdens illegal immigration places on our communities.

The Biden-Mayorkas border disaster costs our nation around $151 BILLION per year. That's more than $400 million each day. 

By comparison, a border wall would cost just $20 billion. While that's a lot of money, it's just 1/8th of the amount we're spending annually, meaning it would save taxpayers billions of dollars over the next decade.

This administration's border policy doesn't make fiscal sense — but it's clear this is exactly the outcome they want.

Mr. Lines testified that the Biden administration REMOVED existing surveillance equipment from the southern border.

Our nation's service academies offer an incredible education to admitted students and prepare them to be leaders in our military and in life. If you're a student (8th grade and up), parent, teacher, or administrator, we'd love to have you attend to hear more about these opportunities.

Applying to and attending a service academy is both rigorous and rewarding. If you know any South Mississippi students who might be interested, please help my office serve them by forwarding this information to them.

I'm proud to serve you in the United States Congress. If you have any questions about pending legislation or need help with a federal agency, please contact my office.

Sincerely,