By Rep. Paul A Gosar America is at a standstill; our economy is paused, and while there is light at the end of the tunnel, it is time to craft a plan to reach it. America is at her best when she is tested and we are rising to the occasion like never before. Let's continue that American spirit as we chart a path back toward economic prosperity. In January, as the Wuhan coronavirus spread around the world, President Trump made the decision to restrict entry to the United States from all travelers who had recently been in China. This decisive action bought the United States valuable time, and Dr. Anthony Fauci of the Coronavirus Task Force said it "absolutely" made a difference. This bold action was criticised by the World Health Organization as "not needed," Nancy Pelosi labeled it "racist" and Joe Biden called it "xenophobic." In an unprecedented response to the spreading pandemic, the United States implemented strict social distancing measures designed to slow the spread of the virus. These guidelines undoubtedly saved millions of lives, but they have also effectively shut down our entire economy. Universities, local school districts, manufacturers, sports teams, offices, restaurants, malls, hotels, and every type of American business has suffered. When America's small businesses suffer, we all do. Models projected a complete doomsday scenario with overrun healthcare facilities, millions of dead Americans, and mass graves. These models were way off, and they continue to scale back projections on a daily basis. Everyone agrees that when addressing treatment for a disease, the "cure" should not be worse than the disease itself. By staying home we are reducing the spread and impact of the coronavirus on Americans but we are also killing our businesses and the livelihoods of millions of American families. As a healthcare provider, I think we now have enough data available to us to conclude that there are high risk groups, medium risk and low risk groups. Telling lower risk groups, such as healthy people under age 50, to stay home, when the data show that this group is not impacted, is a cure that is worse than the disease. We know that people over 70 are at highest risk, and they should stay home until the pandemic passes or we have a working vaccine. Data also tells us that individuals with diabetes, high blood pressure or people who are otherwise immunosuppressed (cancer patients, HIV patients, etc.) are at higher risk at any age and should stay home. We also know that some parts of the country are hardly impacted while other parts are hit quite hard. Cities like New York, the epicenter of the pandemic in our country, should remain under quarantine. Conversely, there are states like West Virginia where the pandemic has hardly had any health impact. It makes little sense to treat Morgantown and New York city the same way, the former having zero deaths while the latter has thousands. I am encouraging President Trump, the Centers for Disease Control and FEMA to evaluate the data closely and implement a plan for Americans to return to work based on risk groups and risk locations. We have the information now and we know how to do this. In a recent briefing with the Coronavirus Task Force, President Trump pointed out that he built the greatest economy in the world, and he would do it again if he needed to. It's time to start the process of getting America back to work and rebuilding the greatest economy in the world.

By Rep. Paul Gosar As the Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, I have a unique insight into many of America's energy issues. Since 1993, the bipartisan Western Caucus has been on the front lines of tackling some of the biggest energy issues facing America. The Western Caucus led the fight against the fundamentally flawed Green New Deal, a socialist manifesto masquerading as a pro-environment proposal seeking to fundamentally transform America. Besides leading the charge against the Green New Deal, the Caucus and I have also been fighting some of the atrocious bills and ideas being proposed by House Democrats, including spearheading the opposition to Nancy Pelosi's Paris Climate Agreement bill that would prevent President Trump from withdrawing from this unlawful accord. When Chairman Raul Grijalva pushed through Rep. Jared Huffman's bill repealing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas program, we stepped up to the plate to fight it tooth and nail. The local tribe of Kaktovik even derided Mr. Huffman as they have fought for decades to open responsible production in ANWR. The Western Caucus has sounded the alarm on the importance of including uranium on the United States' list of critical minerals. Not only is uranium essential to our national security and defense apparatus, it is also integral to our energy security. Working in tandem with the Trump administration, we have rolled back Obama-era job-killing regulations and continue to work tirelessly to unleash American energy dominance. Despite all the work we have accomplished, extremists are continuing to undermine these important projects at hearings by inserting political riders into appropriations bills to defund many of these important initiatives. Fortunately, the Western Caucus has a different vision for America. A vision that doesn't pick winners and losers and includes a true all-of-the-above energy strategy that embraces wind, solar, nuclear, hydropower, coal, oil and natural gas. Our vision encourages innovation and less burdensome mandates. We know responsible energy production and protecting our environment are not mutually exclusive goals. We are experiencing an energy renaissance in this America. It's a story of freedom, prosperity and opportunity. For the first time in 65 years, the United States is a net exporter of energy. We are no longer dependent on volatile foreign sources produced in Russia and Saudi Arabia, and American homes and vehicles are being powered by American energy. Recent innovation and technology improvements associated with fracking and horizontal drilling have allowed shale resources previously deemed uneconomical to be developed and are the main reason the U.S. was the world leader in carbon emissions reductions in 2015, 2016 and 2017. It is such an honor to lead the Western Caucus and represent the people of Arizona's 4th Congressional District. We will continue to fight day in and day out for American energy dominance, and we will protect our environment along the way.

Congress convened a joint session on January 6-7, 2021, to count electoral votes by state and confirm the results of the 2020 presidential election. Gosar voted against certifying the electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania. The House rejected both objections by a vote of 121-303 for Arizona and 138-282 for Pennsylvania.