Washington, D.C. – On Monday, I returned to D.C. to keep fighting for our North Texas values! I continued my work to slash burdensome regulations and fight back against executive overreach.

On Tuesday, I joined my Small Business Committee colleagues for a hearing focused on ensuring our tax code promotes American innovation and competitiveness. I highlighted the importance of extending research and development tax credits to increase our global competitiveness and empower American businesses to innovate! You can watch my line of questioning here.

Later in the day, I was able to reconnect with anesthesiologists from the Dallas area!

Wednesday was busy! I started the day off in a Ways and Means Committee markup, during which I voted to advance multiple common-sense bills to help Americans whose Social Security numbers have been stolen and offer more health care flexibility.

We spent six hours debating and working to improve the bills. Ultimately, we adopted SIX bills that will give workers and small businesses more flexibility and choice in their health insurance benefits. You can watch the markup here.

Americans are fed up with the federal government’s repeated abuses of power – from harassing private citizens to censoring others based on political ideology. I’m leading oversight efforts to stop this nonsense and protect our constitutional rights. This week, I led a letter along with Chairman Roger Williams (TX-25) to the State Department’s Global Engagement Center demanding they stop this practice of using taxpayer dollars to unconstitutionally stifle speech online.

On Thursday, I worked with Reps. Terri Sewell (D-AL), Bill Johnson (R-OH), and Frank Mrvan (D-IN) to introduce the Leveling the Playing Field Act 2.0, which will strengthen our trade remedy laws. Our bill will protect American workers and combat China’s unfair, anti-free market trade practices that distort the global market.

I also met with Jamie Toogood to discuss ideas for reforming the Small Business Administration.

This morning, I introduced the Protecting American Farmland Act, which will which will prevent foreign adversaries from purchasing American farm and ranch land through a 60% excise tax paid by the buyer. Foreign ownership of U.S. farmland has risen steadily over the years, threatening the future of small family farms, and testing the strength of our agricultural supply chain.

China is relentlessly trying to undermine our country – whether it’s poisoning our citizens with fentanyl smuggled in through our southern border, spying on us, or filling the global stage that has been left empty by the Biden Administration. American farmland – especially here in Texas – is the new frontline in our fight against the Chinese Communist Party’s aggressions.

I was grateful to earn the support of several of my Ways and Means Committee colleagues, including Chairman Jason Smith, on my bill to keep our farmland from enemy hands, protecting our nation’s farmers, supply chains, and security.

This week’s Texas-24 Hometown Hero is the Colleyville Heritage High School Softball Team who recently, won the 2023 UIL Class 5A Regional 1 championship. This is the first time in school history that the softball team has advanced to the UIL 5A State Tournament. 

Congratulations on your hard work and success this season!

Do you know someone who goes above and beyond for our community? Nominate a Texas-24 Hometown Hero here.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your voice in Washington. To stay up to date on what's happening each week, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, GETTR, Parler, Rumble, and YouTube. 

Please do not hesitate to contact our office if we can ever be of service to you. 

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (TX-24)