Howdy Texan –

I'd like to take this opportunity to give you an update on what's happening in the U.S. House and Texas' 31st district.

ON THE DOCKET:

Protecting America's Students
My Work on the Appropriations Committee
Joint Session of Congress
TX-31 Congressional Veteran Commendation

THE BRIEF:

Texas' streak of consecutive months of job gains is at 27 and counting.
Border Patrol agents have caught 127 noncitizens from the FBI's terror watchlist trying to enter the United States illegally in the last eight months.
Grocery prices were 5.8% more expensive in May than they were a year ago.

PROTECTING AMERICA'S STUDENTS

There's a historic surge in illegal immigration at our southern and northern borders, turning every state into a border state. To deal with it, Democrat-run states are housing illegal immigrants in public school facilities, putting students' safety at risk and compromising learning. This week, I voted to prohibit the housing of illegal immigrants on public school campuses, because this administration's immigration policies shouldn't be a burden on America's children.

MY WORK ON THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

This week, the House Appropriations Committee met to consider the fiscal year 2024 bills for Defense, Homeland Security, Energy and Water, and the Legislative Branch. All four solidly conservative pieces of legislation passed the full committee with Republican support.

DEFENSE:

The Appropriations Committee passed a Defense bill that sends a clear message to our adversaries that the U.S. military will have the tools it needs to win any fight. The package:

Provides 5.2% pay raises for all service members, including a nearly 30% increase for junior enlisted.
Prioritizes investments in military superiority to counter threats like China, Russia, and Iran.
Shifts money that President Biden was wasting on liberal priorities toward necessary quality-of-life improvements for service members and their families.
Prohibits funding for activities that bring discredit to the United States military, like drag queen recruiting.

HOMELAND SECURITY:

I was proud to support the House Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security bill which takes crucial steps to secure the border and counter China. The package:

Funds 22,000 border patrol agents, the highest level ever.
Provides increased investments in border security technology, including state-of-the-art surveillance equipment.
Increases the number of detention beds to 41,000.
Forces the Biden administration to finish the border wall.
Saves $97 million by preventing funding for President Biden’s electric vehicle initiative.
Rescinds $312 million for climate change activities and cuts $105.2 million from the Secretary’s office for wasteful bureaucratic programming and staff.

JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS

This week, I welcomed Venu Gopal Uppala, from Leander, TX, as my guest for the joint session of Congress with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is Prime Minister Modi’s second address to the United States Congress, which speaks to the importance of the relationship between the United States and India. It was wonderful to have Venu in Washington to witness this historic joint session.

CONGRESSIONAL VETERAN COMMENDATION

The TX-31 Congressional Veteran Commendation (CVC) is a nominations-based program designed to recognize Texas’ 31st Congressional District veterans for their wartime sacrifices and peacetime community involvement. If you know an outstanding TX-31 veteran, please nominate them for my CVC. The deadline to nominate a veteran is Thursday, September 7 at 5:00 PM.

You can learn more here.

Nominate an outstanding veteran here.

As always, thank you for taking the time to stay updated on what's happening in Texas' 31st congressional district. Follow my Facebook and Twitter accounts for more updates.

It is an honor and privilege to represent you and Texas in the United States House, and I wish all of the TX-31 dads a Happy Father's Day!

Sincerely,