It's been another busy week in Washington and TX-23. I am proud to serve our district in Congress. Each day, I work to address your concerns and protect our liberties. From helping you navigate federal casework to addressing your concerns, my team and I are always here to help. Please read below for some updates on my recent work representing you in Washington, D.C. and back home in TX-23. Working for you in Washington Keeping Our Promise - Delivering for Servicemembers, Past & Present On Tuesday, I participated in the House Appropriations Committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The funding package includes $20 million to complete a child development center at JBSA-Lackland Air Base and $74 million to construct a new rail yard at Fort Bliss. These investments are essential for maintaining the resiliency of our military supply chains and taking care of military families. Ensuring that our nation’s past and present servicemembers have access to quality healthcare and reliable facilities on base is not a talking point for me. It’s personal. As a 20-year Navy veteran, I will continue to work with my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee to integrate funding for these priorities and deliver on the promises that our country has made to these men and women. To read my full statement, click here. To watch my opening statement during the Appropriations Committee markup, click here. Advocating for Agriculture in TX-23 On Wednesday, I participated in the House Appropriations Committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. I was pleased that I was able to secure several wins for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities throughout TX-23 - including $4 million to build a new multi-purpose community center in Natalia, which would serve local law enforcement officers and first responders as a training facility, and as an Emergency Operations Center during times of need. Additionally, I secured another $3 million that would be used to fund several projects across the district - including a new Kids Zone in Monahans, a new facility in Uvalde for Texas A&M AgriLife, and water enhancement projects in Presidio County. To read my full statement, click here. Reducing Executive Overreach - REINS Act A fundamental principle of our government is having a system of checks and balances to ensure one branch of government is not impeding on another. Wednesday, I voted for the REINS Act, which would address excessive overreach by the executive branch in the federal rulemaking process. Additionally, I was pleased to see my amendment be included in the overall bill. This provision requires any proposed rule by an executive agency to be joined with a statement highlighting the constitutional authority from which the agency believes gives them the justification to propose such a rule. In Congress, anytime a bill is introduced we have to provide a statement of this nature. If the executive branch wants to insert itself into the legislative process, they should be held to the same standards that Congress is. My amendment does just that. Click here or below to watch my remarks on this amendment. Confronting Chinese Aggression Last week, it was reported that China - with the backing of the Cuban government - has been spying on sensitive American communications from a base in Cuba since at least 2019. Not since the Cold War era of the 1960s has America faced this level of direct provocation in our backyard. Now is not the time to sit back and hope for the CCP to have a change of heart. Now is the time for America to send a strong message to China — we have no interest in repeating events of the past, but we certainly have learned from them. Now is the time to embolden our global allies, including Taiwan. America must return to the philosophy of the 1980s under President Reagan — peace through strength. Only then will China know that the United States will not let these threats go unanswered. Earlier this week, I spoke with Fox News and CNN to discuss my view of this issue and give my perspective as a 20-year Navy veteran on what our national response should be to these actions by the CCP. On the Road in TX-23 After a busy week in Washington, it was great to be back in TX-23 on Friday. I started the day in Uvalde to meet with Southwest Texas Junior College President, Dr. Hector Gonzales. Dr. Gonzales is working with stakeholders in Texas and nationwide to establish a facility to equip first responders with the training they need to keep their communities safe in the event of an active shooter situation. The training facility has made significant progress and is transitioning to a fully equipped center for first responders in the region. After meeting with Dr. Gonzales and his team in Uvalde, I visited Brackettville to meet with the hardworking union members of Union Pacific Southwestern. Our nation's freight and rail system is critical in transporting goods and materials across America. Thank you for meeting with me and sharing your thoughts regarding rail safety and how Congress can best serve our railroad crews. To round out the day, I joined the Zavala County Sheriff's Office for a ride along. Their office provided me with an update on how the border crisis is affecting the area. Since President Biden took office, there have been over 5 million illegal migrant crossings, and communities across TX-23 are taking on the brunt of President Biden's refusal to secure the border. I stand by our law enforcement officers and Border Patrol Agents working around the clock to compensate for the Biden Administration's failure. It is imperative that Washington politicians join us and come to the table to start having concrete policy discussions on border security. Protecting American Farmland from Foreign Espionage In recent years, some of America's most prominent foreign adversaries have targeted the purchase of American farmland near confidential military sites as a way to infiltrate our nation's defense capabilities. This is a problem that TX-23 has seen up close, and we cannot allow it to become the new normal. In 2021, GH America Energy’s Blue Hills Wind Farm - a foreign company with direct ties to the CCP - purchased land close to Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio. Thankfully, this attempt to spy on an American military installation was unsuccessful, and the company was forced to sell the land. In response to this brazen attempt to infiltrate our national defense capabilities, I have introduced the Protecting Military Installations from Foreign Espionage Act. I also voted in favor of a similar amendment that was included in the recent Appropriations Committee Agriculture Fiscal Year 2024 bill. Unfortunately, I was disappointed that 26 Democrats on the committee voted against this amendment. Keeping foreign adversaries - like China, Iran, and North Korea - from purchasing farmland in the U.S. should not be a partisan issue. My team and I are always available to assist you. Please feel free to contact my office at any time. Washington, D.C. 2244 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-4511 Del Rio 712 East Gibbs Street, Suite 101 Del Rio, TX 78840 830-308-6200 Fort Stockton 103 West Callaghan Street Fort Stockton, TX 79735 432-299-6200 San Antonio 4372 N. Loop 1604 W, Suite 205 San Antonio, TX 78249 210-806-9920 Socorro 10167 Socorro Road Socorro, TX 79927 915-990-1500 Uvalde 2401 Garner Field Road, Building Q Uvalde, TX 78801 830-333-7410 Visit our Website Rep. Gonzales | 2244 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington , DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]