US Rep Receives Highest Civilian Honor

(UnitedVoice.com) – A retiring GOP congressman has been awarded a prestigious US Navy honor. The award comes at the same time as Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) delayed his retirement so he could vote for Biden’s latest aid package for Ukraine. Is it just a coincidence that the Biden Administration honored a Republican who just happened to vote for two of its bills?

On April 17, Gallagher’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, announced that the congressman, who revealed last month that he would be resigning on April 19, had just been presented with the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. This is the highest award the Navy Department can give to a civilian they don’t employ. A former US Marine Corps intelligence officer who served in Iraq, Gallagher has been a strong supporter of the Navy throughout his seven-year congressional career, which could explain the award. But it’s not the only possible explanation.

Earlier this month, Gallagher voted against a Republican amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that would have forced intelligence agencies to get a warrant before intercepting communications between American citizens and foreign suspects. Then, despite his planned resignation date, he said he would remain in the House until at least April 20, so he could vote in favor of a $95 billion aid package for Israel and Ukraine that Biden has been strongly pushing for.

Gallagher’s office said he had the “flexibility to stay and support the aid package.” That’s a problem for the House GOP, which is now down to a one-seat majority. All it takes is one other Republican to vote with the Democrats, and Biden will be able to push the spending bill through. And now, one has just been given a top award. It could be a coincidence … or maybe not.