MADISON — U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) was the featured speaker at Thursday's Republican Women of Madison meeting held at Movement Church in Madison. This "Quarterly Meet Up" was intended to provide Madison County Republicans with an opportunity to hear from the District 5 congressman about the work being done in Washington, D.C., regarding the One Big Beautiful Law, the Space Force and plans for Redstone Arsenal.
The event was initially promoted as open to the public, but the parameters were changed ahead of the meeting, largely due to the uproar at a Wednesday town hall hosted by U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise), where protesters with Indivisible Baldwin County disrupted the meeting with heckling, chants and other verbal interruptions.
The Madison County Sheriff's Department and the Madison City Police Department were present at Movement Church and had the perimeter secured before attendees arrived. About 30 attendees formed a line 30 minutes before the event started to be checked in for entry. Some of them said they were here to represent the Madison County Democrats. However, a member of the church came outside and announced that only attendees who had registered for the event and received an email confirmation would be allowed to enter. A local news crew showed up expecting entry, but was also denied.
This last-minute change caused quite a stir among the small group, necessitating the presence of a Madison Police officer to stand guard at the door to ensure only registered attendees gained entrance.
Once all registered persons were checked in, club president Sheila Banister opened the meeting and explained the last-minute change.
"After seeing what happened with Barry Moore recently, after much discussion and prayer, we decided to close the event [to the public] to accommodate only our members, local Republican members in the area, and their guests," she said. "... It was very last-minute, but going back to our mission, our first mission is to educate our own group, and it's important that we're able to have a good, open dialogue with Congressman Strong."
SEE: Media, leftwing activists celebrate astroturf disruption at Barry Moore town hall
Safety was also a factor, particularly in light of Wednesday's mass shooting attack at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, where two children were killed and 17 others were injured.
"Additionally, your safety is a concern. And I had several of our members reach out and were concerned about safety," Banister concluded.
Banister introduced Strong, who opened with a story about his beginnings as the first Republican chairman of the Madison County Commission. Strong said his team was "the original DOGE," combating fraud and waste in the county, and bringing in more businesses and tax revenue.
"There is a difference under Republican leadership," Strong declared. "There's no doubt."
Strong said that this humble beginning helped launch him into Congress, and he thanked the Republican Women of Madison for their hard work.
"I want to thank you for all of your hard work to elect Republicans from the courthouse to the statehouse to the White House,” he stated. "I'm telling you right now, America is back because of your hard work."
As a congressional freshman, Strong served on the House Armed Services Committee, the Science, Space and Technology Committee, and the Homeland Security Committee. Strong is also a trained EMT and volunteer firefighter. In August 2023, his quick action saved the life of a police officer in Fairfax County, Va. This act of selflessness brought him to the attention of the party leadership, where Strong was tapped to serve on the House Appropriations Committee, a plum committee assignment not typically offered to a freshman in the legislature.
"And today I serve on Appropriations as a sophomore and also in Homeland Security. And it takes a waiver. If you're on Appropriations, they generally don't let you serve on another committee," he said.
Strong related a humorous story about him inviting an Oklahoma representative on the committee to the Auburn-Oklahoma game, only to be asked by President Donald Trump if he was attending the Alabama-Georgia game in Tuscaloosa. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) came up with the solution of flying Strong over to Tuscaloosa under the radar and having him back to Auburn by the fourth quarter.
"That was a great idea until I walked into the box with the president, and he said, 'Here comes Dale Strong, and he wants to talk about Space Command.' I said, 'Mr. President, I don't want to talk about Space Command. I want to know if you'll come to Huntsville and cut the ribbon when we build that new building and we bring those people to our community.' That's what he likes... And a little did I realize, we took a picture, and before we got back to Auburn, that picture was already on the TVs in the president's box, so we got caught.
"But I'm telling you, it worked out."
Strong expressed high praise for President Trump's leadership and the team that surrounded him, highlighting the many accomplishments achieved in only seven months of Trump's presidency.
"Since President Trump took office, our border has become secure, maybe more secure than ever. You look at it: mass exportation of illegal criminals is underway, and our communities are safer because of it," he said.
"Inflation is down. Fuel prices are at a five-year low. Iran's nuclear program has been set back for years. Fentanyl poisonings are down by more than 30%. Trade agreements are being signed. Wars are being ended. Trump's tax cuts are permanent. You think about that vote with a three-vote, we had a three-vote majority. The tax cuts are permanent. That's a 22% savings to every American. The tax cuts are permanent. American energy is being unleashed."
Strong then related the drama surrounding former President Joe Biden's reversal of Trump's 2021 decision regarding Redstone Arsenal and how, in his second term, Trump is working to shore up national security.
"That's what it takes. Let's do what's right for this country. Let's do what's right for national security," Strong said.
"And I think that that's exactly what the president said. He said, we're going to do what's right for national security. That's why I recommended it the first time. And I'm telling you right now, it's coming to Redstone Arsenal because it's right for national security."
Strong rounded out his talk by touting the accomplishments made by the passage of the recission package, as well as the Alabama gains through the passage of the One Big Beautiful Law.
"The One Big Beautiful Bill brought generational investment to Alabama. Giving NASA $4.2 billion for Space Launch System, $150 billion for defense spending, $25 billion for Golden Dome, and $19 billion to restock our arsenal: because we've got to keep a full clip to be sure that we pray we don't have to fight on two fronts," he said. "...So, we can avert most wars by being ready. And so that's what we're doing."
Strong related more stories about his trips to the southern border, his travels to Israel, and the oversight work being done to bring deep state actors like former FBI director James Comey and former CIA director John Brennan to justice.
Strong concluded, "I make no apologies for what we're trying to do. I'm not trying to be popular. Let's do what's right. Let's take America back. Thank you. It's an honor to be here tonight."
Strong took questions, then posed for a photo with the Republican Women of Madison group.
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