I was glad to join Fort Bend County Commissioner Dexter McCoy for the ribbon cutting on the newly renovated Mission West Park in TX-07.  A joyful celebration of the park, and the partnership between residents and local government that made this long-needed renovation happen!

And it was great to connect with neighbors “Across the Aisles” at another Kroger store in Fort Bend County.  I appreciated the opportunity to share information with neighbors, answer questions, and hear concerns, and I appreciate our Kroger for giving us the chance to visit.

Our Team TX-07 members had a great time at Liberty Fest hosted by the Southwest Management District, connecting with constituents and sharing information about how we can help.  And we are helping. 

While I’ve been home, I’ve been checking in with our team on the constituent cases they are handling.  As I hope you know by now, our team of constituent advocates assists TX-07 residents every single day with matters before federal agencies, like obtaining benefits from Social Security, Medicare, and the VA, resolving matters with the IRS and USCIS, and more.  Recently, Constituent Advocate Fatimah helped TX-07 neighbor David F.,who shared this with us about his experience:

“I contacted the Congresswoman’s office to help us expedite my wife and my carry-back tax refunds.  The IRS had given us the runaround for almost two years between our personal and business refunds that were owed.  Our accountant and us were having a very difficult time dealing with the IRS directly and getting through to the right person over the phone was near impossible.  I had very little confidence that anyone could help us with the IRS bureaucracy but [Constituent Advocate] Fatimah exceeded expectations.  We received the final refunds from the IRS this week and were very pleased with Fatimah’s responsiveness and helping to facilitate a positive outcome.”

I’m glad to hear these stories and many more – and hope you know how hard our team in Houston is working on these matters for our neighbors in the district.  While we cannot guarantee a favorable outcome, we can promise you we will do our best to help you receive a fair and timely response.  To request assistance, click here. 

As I mentioned in a recent email, I have been focused on ensuring that we get the word out across our district about important work we did in the last Congress in the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.  The Honoring Our PACT Act expands presumptive health care benefits to more than 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service.  It is the most comprehensive legislation to date to address American servicemembers’ exposure to Agent Orange, burn pits, and other toxic substances.  It also provides toxic exposure screenings for veterans enrolled in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system at VA health facilities across the country, and the VA is actively working to reach out to veterans who are not enrolled to inform them about the expanded eligibility.

You can help!  Please share this information with veterans and their survivors you know who may be eligible. 

Eligible veterans and survivors who file their claims (or submit an intent to file) by August 9, 2023 may receive benefits backdated to August 10, 2022.  For more information or to file a claim online, click here or on the graphic above.  For questions, the VA can be reached directly at 800-698-2411.  Our TX-07 constituent advocates are also available to help you connect with the VA.

A key part of legislation that we passed in the last Congress last year, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), is now the law, and went into effect this week:

As of July 1, 2023, if you use an insulin pump that is covered under Medicare Part B’s durable medical equipment benefit, or you get your covered insulin through a Medicare Advantage Plan, your insulin costs will be capped at $35 for a full month’s supply.  (And, as of January 1, 2023, your Medicare drug plan can’t charge you more than $35 for a one-month supply of each Part-D covered insulin product, and you don’t have to pay a deductible for your insulin.)

Help is always available to learn more about Medicare’s coverage and your costs for insulin. 

• Visit Medicare.gov/coverage/insulin
• Visit Medicare.gov/about-us/inflation-reduction-act
• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) 
• TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048

And in other news out of Washington this week, Texas received an important federal investment from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA):  The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) will receive $60.6 million in grant funding from the IIJA to strengthen the state’s electricity grid to better withstand extreme weather events.  The Texas electrical grid remains vulnerable to severe weather events, and this investment of federal funds will help modernize the grid and reduce the impacts of these weather events. 

I am looking forward to a few more days at home, and a chance to cheer on the Astros this weekend, before heading back to Washington for most of the remainder of July.

We expect to take up the annual National Defense Authorization Act next week, and annual appropriations bills later this month.  I will update you on how those bills and any others proceed in my next updates. 

As always, I am proud to represent you and I am here to help you. Please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email here at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts.  I look forward to hearing from you.  

Sincerely,