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The Republican Recap: Week of March 16, 2026

Washington, March 19, 2026
Here’s a recap of what Republicans achieved on the House Floor this week:
 
Deporting Illegal Aliens that Commit Fraud and Safeguarding Taxpayer Dollars ✅

President Trump and House Republicans have been working to crack down on fraud, protect taxpayer-funded benefits, and hold those responsible accountable. Illegal immigrants have repeatedly defrauded the U.S. and taken advantage of benefit programs at the expense of taxpayers. Last year, several illegal immigrants were convicted in a fraud scheme scamming the elderly for millions of dollars. Later, another illegal alien from Nigeria was also sentenced for operating a nationwide fraud ring targeting the elderly and other vulnerable populations – again, for millions of dollars.

Despite the harm caused by fraud to hardworking and vulnerable Americans, certain fraudulent acts do not always result in an illegal immigrant being deemed inadmissible or removable from the U.S. Currently, the Immigration and Nationality Act does not explicitly define fraud against the United States as a deportable offense, potentially leaving aliens who commit fraud as still eligible for immigration relief and benefits like asylum that let them stay in the U.S. indefinitely. 

It should be common sense: if an illegal alien is exploiting our resources and stealing from Americans in need by defrauding the government, they should be removed from our country and never allowed to return. House Republicans passed legislation to ensure criminal illegal aliens that commit fraud are held accountable to the People and permanently removed from the United States.

Rep. Dave Taylor’s legislation, H.R. 1958, the Deporting Fraudsters Act of 2026, amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make illegal aliens who commit federal fraud or unlawfully receive public benefits inadmissible and removable from the United States, protecting federal programs from exploitation and defending taxpayer dollars.

“It’s a no-brainer – if an illegal alien defrauds the United States or steals benefits from our nation’s most vulnerable, they should be permanently removed from our country,” said Rep. Dave Taylor. “Americans work too hard to have their tax dollars and benefits stolen by illegal aliens who shouldn’t be here in the first place. My Deporting Fraudsters Act will bolster the Trump Administration’s efforts to do just that, and this week, I’m proud to see it take a major step toward becoming law.”

What Members Said:
 
Rep. Jeff Van Drew slammed the 186 Democrats that voted against H.R. 1958 and, in turn, deporting illegal immigrants who defraud American taxpayers. 
 

 
Rep. Randy Feenstra emphasized that H.R. 1958 safeguards taxpayer dollars and holds criminal aliens who knowingly defraud Americans accountable.
 
 
Deporting Illegal Aliens that Abuse Law Enforcement Animals ✅

Dogs and horses serve as critical assets in federal law enforcement and immigration operations. Unfortunately, along with the severe and concerning rise of attacks on federal law enforcement officers – assaults against ICE agents have risen by over 1,300 percent – have come attacks on their animal partners. 

In June 2025, a five-year-old beagle and Customs and Border Patrol detector dog named Freddie was violently kicked by an Egyptian national arriving at Dulles International Airport from Cairo after Freddie alerted authorities to the man’s suitcases, which contained prohibited agricultural products. Freddie sustained injuries and was unable to return to work for two weeks. Similarly, during the violent L.A. riots against ICE that same month, two protesters assaulted L.A. County Sheriff’s Department horses by repeatedly pushing a horse, hitting the horse’s muzzle, pulling on a horse's reins, and pulling on another horse's bridle.

These animals should be respected and protected, not cruelly abused. House Republicans passed legislation to ensure that any foreign national that assaults a law enforcement animal like Freddie is inadmissible and removable from our country. 

H.R. 4638, the Federal Working Animal Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Ken Calvert, creates a ground of inadmissibility and a ground of deportability explicitly for aliens who harm law enforcement animals to prevent animal abusers from entering the U.S. and streamline their removal from our nation.

“I appreciate my House colleagues passing the Federal Working Animal Protection Act and joining me in standing up for our law enforcement animals who help keep Americans safe,” said Rep. Ken Calvert. “Coming to America is a privilege, not a right. Anyone who assaults a law enforcement animal, like Freddie, simply has no place in our country. Animals like Freddie work to keep us safe, so it’s only right for us to take steps to protect them.”

What Members Said:
 
Rep. Tom Tiffany called out the 190 Democrats that voted to protect illegal aliens that abuse animals.  
 

 
Speaker Mike Johnson highlighted that by voting against H.R. 4638, Democrats voted to give illegal immigrants the right to physically abuse American service dogs working to protect American citizens.
 


Defending Hunters and Anglers’ Access to Recreation ✅

Each year, hunters and fishers contribute over a billion dollars to conservation funding through excise taxes on recreational hunting and fishing equipment like tackle and ammunition – the most cost-effective options being lead ammunition and fishing tackle. Raw material alternatives to lead tackle and ammo are significantly more expensive: in 2021, the National Shooting Sports Foundation found that lead-free hunting ammo is on average 24.66 percent more expensive than lead ammo, and non-lead fishing tackle like tungsten tackle is up to ten times more expensive than lead fishing tackle.

Despite the substantially higher financial burden, Biden’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed banning the use of lead ammo and fishing tackle on federal land – increasing costs on sportsmen and women and potentially resulting in a significant decrease in hunting and fishing participation. A ban like this would affect millions of Americans who use traditional lead ammo and tackle and put wildlife conservation funding sources at risk. 

Sportsmen and women know what it means to sustainably utilize America’s natural resources and great outdoors so our lands are left in better condition than before. Banning lead ammunition and tackle will do nothing to help conserve our lands: it will only prevent conservationists who can’t afford to spend more on ammo or tackle from continuing healthy recreational use of federal lands.

H.R. 556, the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act, introduced by Rep. Rob Wittman, stops the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service from banning lead ammunition or tackle on federal lands and waters for hunting and fishing.

“As a lifelong hunter and recreational fisherman, I understand the importance of balancing conservation with preserving access for sportsmen,” said Rep. Rob Wittman. “The Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2025 achieves that balance by ensuring future generations of hunters and anglers can continue to participate in these activities while promoting responsible stewardship. By preventing executive overreach in the future, this legislation is critical to preserving access for sportsmen and women who rely on traditional lead fishing tackle and ammunition, and it reinforces the use of sound science in decision-making. I am pleased that the House has passed this legislation, and I look forward to seeing it advance to the Senate.”

What Members Said:
 
Rep. Jeff Hurd called attention to how H.R. 556 ensures continued access to hunting and fishing and prevents unnecessary federal restrictions on ammunition and tackle. 
 

 
Rep. Steve Womack celebrated the passage of H.R. 556 and how it puts us one step closer to preventing arbitrary bans on lead ammunition or tackle that make hunting and fishing less accessible to the sportsmen and women who help fund the conservation of our lands.