Episode Introduction
Two House Republicans joined Breaking Battlegrounds in summer 2025.
Rep. Tom McClintock of California chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. He discussed illegal immigration, the practical limits of deportation and repatriation, and two wildfire bills he authored. Both bills had just cleared the House Natural Resources Committee.
Rep. Addison McDowell of North Carolina, a freshman whose younger brother died of a fentanyl overdose, discussed the newly signed HALT Fentanyl Act and his own bill restricting presidential use of the autopen.
Gary Gygi closed the show by weighing whether the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates.
Quick Answer
In Breaking Battlegrounds Podcast 259, released in summer 2025, Rep. Tom McClintock discussed immigration enforcement and his Put Out the Fire Act and Proven Forest Management Act. Rep. Addison McDowell discussed the HALT Fentanyl Act and his BIDEN Act, which would ban autopen signatures on bills, executive orders and pardons. Financial expert Gary Gygi analyzed whether the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates.
Episode Overview
McClintock chairs the House subcommittee that oversees immigration enforcement. He discussed the realities of removing people who are in the country illegally, including the difference between repatriation and deportation. He then explained his two forestry bills. The Put Out the Fire Act would require the Forest Service to use all available resources to put out a wildfire within 24 hours of detection. The Proven Forest Management Act would expand a streamlined environmental review process, first used in the Lake Tahoe Basin, across the National Forest System.
McDowell said fighting the drug crisis is his top priority, motivated by the loss of his younger brother, Luke, to fentanyl. He discussed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. He also discussed the BIDEN Act, his bill to bar autopen signatures on key presidential actions.
Gygi assessed the case for and against a Federal Reserve rate cut and what one would mean for borrowers and the broader economy.
About Rep. Tom McClintock
Tom McClintock represents California’s 5th Congressional District, which runs from Placerville to Modesto and includes Yosemite Valley and Kings Canyon. He chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement and is a senior member of the House Natural Resources Committee. He chaired that committee’s Federal Lands Subcommittee from 2015 to 2018 and its Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee from 2011 to 2015. He also serves on the House Budget Committee.
The National Taxpayers Union has rated him the House’s best vote for taxpayers four times, most recently in 2020. Before Congress, he served 22 years in the California Legislature. He was the Republican nominee for state controller twice, losing in 2002 by about a quarter of a percentage point, and he ran for governor in the 2003 recall election.
About Rep. Addison McDowell
Addison McDowell represents North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District. He was first elected in 2024. His top legislative priority is the drug crisis, which he connects to the death of his younger brother, Luke, from a fentanyl overdose. He serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Budget committees. Before Congress, he worked on the staffs of then-Rep. (now Sen.) Ted Budd and Rep. Richard Hudson. A Lexington, North Carolina native and UNC Charlotte graduate, he lives in Davie County with his wife, Rachel, and their two daughters.
About Gary Gygi
Gary Gygi is a financial expert and recurring Breaking Battlegrounds guest who comments on the economy and markets.
Key Topics Discussed
- Illegal immigration and the realities of deportation and repatriation
- The Put Out the Fire Act and the Proven Forest Management Act
- The HALT Fentanyl Act and the fentanyl crisis
- The BIDEN Act and presidential autopen use
- Whether the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates
McClintock on Immigration Enforcement
As chair of the subcommittee that oversees immigration enforcement, McClintock is directly involved in setting federal removal policy. He discussed the practical realities of returning people to their home countries, which involves detention capacity, cooperation from foreign governments and legal process.
Fighting Wildfires: McClintock’s Two Forestry Bills
McClintock’s wildfire bills are a response to decades of debate over federal forest policy. The Put Out the Fire Act, H.R. 178, would require the Forest Service to use all available resources to put out a wildfire within 24 hours of detection, and would bar it from interfering with authorized state and local firefighting. McClintock has said the bill was prompted by the 2021 Tamarack Fire, which federal managers initially monitored instead of suppressing.
The Proven Forest Management Act, H.R. 179, would extend nationwide a categorical exclusion from certain environmental reviews for forest-thinning projects. That exclusion was first granted for the Tahoe Basin in a 2016 law signed by President Obama.
Both bills passed the House Natural Resources Committee on July 23, 2025, and were later included in the House-passed Farm Bill. Supporters say faster thinning and suppression will reduce catastrophic fires. Some environmental groups argue that expanding exemptions from environmental review limits public input and oversight.
McDowell on the Fentanyl Crisis
The HALT Fentanyl Act, signed into law July 16, 2025, permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. Before the law, traffickers could avoid prosecution by slightly altering fentanyl’s chemical structure, and a 2018 temporary classification had expired in March 2025. The law passed with bipartisan support. It does not affect legally manufactured fentanyl used in medicine.
McDowell discussed why the law matters to families who have lost someone to fentanyl, including his own.
The BIDEN Act and the Autopen Debate
McDowell introduced the Ban on Inkless Directives and Executive Notarizations (BIDEN) Act, H.R. 4411, in July 2025. It would require the president to personally sign engrossed bills, executive orders, pardons and commutations, and would bar the use of an autopen for those documents. It would also declare documents signed in violation of the rule invalid, including those signed before the bill takes effect.
McDowell introduced the bill after former President Biden told The New York Times that staff had used an autopen to sign clemency warrants late in his term. McDowell argued that voters elect a president to govern, not staff.
There are open legal questions. The pardon power comes from the Constitution, and whether Congress can restrict it or retroactively void pardons by statute is contested. In 2005, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel concluded that a president does not need to physically sign a bill for it to become law.
Gary Gygi on Whether the Fed Should Cut Rates
When this episode was recorded, the Federal Reserve was weighing its first rate cut of 2025. Gygi discussed the trade-offs: lower rates could ease borrowing costs for households and businesses, but cutting too soon risks reigniting inflation. The Fed lowered its benchmark rate on September 17, 2025.
Key Takeaways From the Conversation
- McClintock’s two wildfire bills would shift federal policy toward immediate suppression and faster forest thinning. Both advanced through committee in July 2025.
- The HALT Fentanyl Act, which McDowell supported, made the Schedule I classification for fentanyl analogues permanent.
- McDowell’s BIDEN Act would ban autopen signatures on key presidential actions. Its retroactive provision raises constitutional questions.
Related Breaking Battlegrounds Episodes
For more on the fentanyl crisis, see Rep. Russell Fry on tackling the fentanyl epidemic. For more on economic policy, Chuck Flint explained why price controls backfire. California policy also came up in an episode on California’s energy crisis. Gary Gygi returned to the show in October 2025 to discuss inflation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Put Out the Fire Act?
The Put Out the Fire Act, H.R. 178, is a bill by Rep. Tom McClintock that would require the U.S. Forest Service to use all available resources to put out a wildfire within 24 hours of detection, and would bar it from interfering with authorized state and local firefighting. It passed the House Natural Resources Committee in July 2025.
What is the HALT Fentanyl Act?
The HALT Fentanyl Act is a bipartisan law signed by President Trump on July 16, 2025. It permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, closing a loophole traffickers used by slightly altering fentanyl’s chemical structure. It does not affect legally manufactured fentanyl used in medicine.
What is the BIDEN Act?
The BIDEN Act, H.R. 4411, is a bill introduced in July 2025 by Rep. Addison McDowell. It would require presidents to personally sign bills, executive orders, pardons and commutations, bar autopen use for them, and void documents previously signed by autopen. Its retroactive provision raises constitutional questions.
Who is Addison McDowell?
Addison McDowell is a Republican congressman representing North Carolina’s 6th District, first elected in 2024. His top priority is the fentanyl crisis, which he connects to his younger brother’s death from an overdose. He serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Budget committees.
Who is Tom McClintock?
Tom McClintock is a Republican congressman representing California’s 5th District. He chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement and is a senior member of the Natural Resources Committee. He served 22 years in the California Legislature and ran for governor in the 2003 recall election.
Conclusion
Podcast 259 brought two House Republicans on during a busy legislative stretch. McClintock described how he would change federal wildfire policy and discussed the practical limits of immigration enforcement. McDowell spoke about the fentanyl crisis that cost him his brother, and about his bill to limit presidential autopen use. Gary Gygi’s look at rate cuts came weeks before the Fed acted. The episode documents several measures that kept moving after it aired.
Related Reads
- Russell Fry on Tackling the Fentanyl Epidemic
- Socialism, the Charlie Kirk Case, Chalino Sánchez and Arizona’s ESA Fight
- Iran’s Unrest, U.S. Security, California’s Energy Crisis and Arizona’s Treasurer Race
Sources
- The White House, “President Trump Signs HALT Fentanyl Act into Law” (July 16, 2025)
- Sen. John Cornyn, statement on the HALT Fentanyl Act (July 16, 2025)
- Addiction Policy Forum, “President Signs HALT Fentanyl Act into Law”
- Office of Rep. Tom McClintock, “McClintock Led Forest Management Bills Pass Committee” (July 23, 2025)
- San Joaquin Valley Sun, coverage of McClintock’s forestry bills and the Farm Bill
- Fox News, coverage of the BIDEN Act’s introduction (July 2025)
- Office of Rep. Addison McDowell, BIDEN Act press release (July 2025)
- Congress.gov, H.R. 178, H.R. 179 and H.R. 4411 (recommended primary sources)
- Federal Reserve, FOMC statement (September 17, 2025): https://www.federalreserve.gov (recommended primary source)
Editorial Note: This article is intended for informational and analytical purposes. Political developments, policies, polling, and public statements can change over time. Readers should consult primary sources and official government information for the latest details.
