A government’s primary duty is to its citizens. The role of government begins with protecting the citizenry from harm and ends before those protections violate our liberties. Unfortunately, it seems that in modern America, our government has forsaken its most sacred duty.

It was Ronald Reagan who said that “Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” Yet today our federal government overreaches its boundaries and teeters on the edge of tyranny. It seems as though those in Washington are more concerned with lining their own pocketbooks and pursuing political power than they are with providing for the prosperity of our people.

It is time that we as a nation stand up and say, “no more.” No more foreign policy decisions that sacrifice the needs of Americans without achieving any greater strategic benefit. No more corporate bailouts that place the needs of an elite ruling class over the needs of working Americans. No more bending the knee to China, Russia, and others on the global stage. Our citizens have had enough of bowing to the mob and kneeling to the left. It is time to stand up for our country.

We will stand for this nation and put America First by emphasizing our national interests in the following areas:

China: For the past four years our nation has stood up to China like never before. President Donald Trump emphasized American interests and refused to kneel to the Communist Party in Beijing. Our foreign policy progress is now at risk. Recent events have revealed that Chinese intelligence has infiltrated the highest levels of government. Congressmen and presidential nominees have been corrupted and influenced by Chinese foreign agents. We cannot risk losing all the ground we have gained in our battle against China. We must press forward with plans to bring back manufacturing jobs from China and place them back within NC-11. We must hold China accountable for its record of lies which resulted in a global pandemic, and most importantly, we must never kneel to Chinese business interests in the way that high-profile politicians have in the past.

The Economy: Prior to the mandated closure of our economy by far-left politicians, our nation was experiencing an economic upturn under the leadership of an economically focused Republican Administration. Job growth was on the rise, American jobs that had been lost overseas through failed trade deals were coming home. Our nation was on a path towards true economic prosperity. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the left saw a chance to stall out the American economy and attempted to hamstring small business owners across this country for political gain. Enough is enough. We understand this virus, a vaccine has arrived, and any further posturing by left-leaning leaders against opening our economy must be treated as a direct desire to punish American businesses. We must put the American worker first and we must implement jobs-focused regulatory reform without catering to corporate interests.

Immigration: We must emphasize the needs of the American people as our primary goal when it comes to immigration. We cannot place the needs of foreign nationals over those of American citizens. For too long, those on the left have advocated for higher privileges and benefits for illegal immigrants than for American citizens. Free healthcare, free college, zero taxes, and other left-wing policies subsidize the business of illegal border crossings and have no place in American domestic policy. Those who refuse to place our citizen’s interests first have no place representing the citizenry.

Madison Cawthorn is a firm believer in legal immigration. At the Republican National Convention, Cawthorn spoke about retaking the Shining City on a Hill. Presidents from both parties, including Reagan and Kennedy, have used that image to describe America. Reagan said that city had to have walls but doors that will be open to people with the will and heart to come here legally. That’s why Madison would summarize his immigration position as “walls and doors.”

Walls:

Our immigration system is in crisis. Along with thousands of illegal immigrants flooding across the border, our nation also faces a looming threat from the illegal drug trade. A porous border is the first step towards losing the American dream, the very dream that motivates men, women, and children each year to enter this country legally. We need to secure our borders and we need the rule of law.

Human trafficking and enslavement are the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in the world. Here, in Western North Carolina, the cartels have a major influence on the drug trade. North Carolina ranks 16th for most kidnappings nationwide. Recently, Madison had the opportunity to meet with border patrol agents, leaders of ICE, and border sheriffs. Cawthorn sat with these modern American heroes and asked their opinion on the American border crisis. In Congress, Madison will fight tooth and nail to shine a light on the evil of modern-day slavery. Human trafficking must be stopped.

Doors:

America has always been a land of opportunity, and this nation continues to stand as a beacon of hope for millions around the globe. We lawfully admit over a million immigrants each year, which far exceeds other countries. Madison Cawthorn firmly advocates for legal immigration, Madison Cawthorn believes that the American dream will always beckon to those who seek to come to the land of the free.