A Tennessee Republican is taking aim at American athletes who turn their backs on the United States to compete for foreign nations, introducing legislation that would hit these traitors where it hurts most – their wallets.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) has introduced the "Officially Limiting Yearly Money Procured by Individuals Concerning Sportsmanship Act" – or OLYMPICS Act – which would impose taxes on income earned by U.S. athletes who choose to represent "foreign entities of concern" in international competition.
The legislation directly targets situations like that of Eileen Gu, the American-born freestyle skier who shamefully abandoned Team USA to compete for Communist China in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. While American taxpayers funded her development through U.S. training programs and facilities, Gu took Chinese money and gold medals that should have belonged to America.
"American athletes who benefit from our world-class training facilities, coaching, and development programs shouldn't be able to turn around and compete against us for our adversaries," a source familiar with the legislation told reporters. "If they want to sell out their country for foreign cash, they should pay a price for that betrayal."
Long Overdue Accountability
The OLYMPICS Act represents exactly the kind of America First thinking that patriots have been demanding. For too long, we've watched American athletes take advantage of everything our great nation offers, only to stab us in the back when it's convenient or profitable.
This isn't about preventing dual citizenship or international competition – it's about ensuring there are consequences when Americans choose foreign adversaries over their homeland. Why should taxpayers subsidize the training of athletes who will compete against American interests?
Under the Trump-Vance administration's America First agenda, legislation like this fits perfectly with the broader effort to put American interests above globalist virtue signaling and foreign influence.
The question every patriotic American should be asking is simple: If you're good enough to compete at the highest levels because of American investment in your development, shouldn't you have enough pride to wear the red, white, and blue?