In April 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency reported a proposed rule called "Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles" that places extreme standards on pollutants and greenhouse gasses for vehicles in an attempt to make all new vehicles electric by 2032 and to force Americans to switch to EVs.

Electric vehicles are considerably more expensive than gas vehicles and much less reliable in cold weather, and with our current grid instability, making them an unrealistic option for most American families. Additionally, the Chinese Communist Party controls over 90 percent of the processing and refining supply chain capacity for the minerals required to power electric vehicles, meaning American manufacturers currently rely on one of our biggest adversaries.

We cannot allow the Biden administration to take the choice out of consumer's hands, force unaffordable options on Americans, and risk our national security by making us reliant on our adversary for power.

This week, House Republicans passed H.R. 4468, the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2023, which protects consumer choice by prohibiting Biden's Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing any proposed rule regarding vehicle emissions.

I spoke on the House floor in favor of this bill. 

My remarks are as follows: 

The push to make EVs the ONLY choice for US car buyers, without first building out our domestic supply chains for critical minerals, is a recipe for dependence on China and, by extension, defaulting to their filthy environmental practices.

Aren't we already too beholden to China? Unfortunately, yes.

Moreover, Chinese EV companies have announced significant investments to manufacture EVs in Mexico, presumably to gain access to the North American car market.

Why is the Biden White House hellbent on shoving their EV mandates down Americans' throats? 

China is NOT our friend, and unlike China's treatment of their own citizens, we should not dictate to Americans what they can or cannot drive. In America, we let CONSUMERS choose the car they drive. It is that simple, and I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill.

Earlier this year, the Biden Administration introduced a new income-driven repayment plan for student loans called Saving on Valuable Education (SAVE) – a backdoor attempt to provide free college through executive overreach by shifting the burden of repayment from the person who took the loan to American taxpayers. This plan is estimated to cost taxpayers up to $559 billion—making it the most expensive regulation in history.

Under this irresponsible plan, most undergraduate borrowers with typical debt levels and almost 90 percent with certificates or degrees would get at least some of their loans forgiven; 91 percent of new student debt would be eligible for reduced payments and eventual "forgiveness."

By allowing borrowers not to have to pay any money back or drastically cutting the amount they do have to repay, Biden's SAVE would recklessly incentivize college students to borrow billions of dollars each year with the expectation that they will not have to pay off their debt. Additionally, the Biden plan does nothing to address the soaring cost of higher education and, if anything, incentivizes colleges and universities to continue their unsustainable price increases. 

This week, the House passed a bill prohibits the Department of Education's radical rule titled Improving Income-Driven Repayment for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, which creates a new income-driven repayment plan that would force American taxpayers to repay student loan debt that doesn't belong to them.

President Biden's disastrous free college plan is a slap in the face to Americans across the country who went to college and paid off their loans and to Americans who never went to college in the first place. Trying to undermine the authority of the Supreme Court, even after they ruled this plan was unconstitutional, shows us how little the President cares about our institutions. He will do whatever he can to force his radical agenda onto the nation.

The White House sent a "dire" warning that the U.S. will soon be out of money for Ukraine unless Congress acts. 

This past Tuesday, CBP saw more than 12,000 encounters with illegal immigrants along the border...in one day. There is a full-blown catastrophe at our southern border. I believe we shouldn't continue to fund a war in Ukraine until we uproot Biden's border policies that are allowing ILLEGAL immigrants to walk into this nation and resettle in OUR communities. 

This week, Team Weber attended the Child Abuse & Forensic Services' open house to discuss the work they are doing in our community to help those who have been sexually assaulted. They also attended Lamar University Cardinal Lights Kickoff and Light Up Vidor. In Galveston, they presented a certificate to the former presidents of the Propeller Club for their dedication to the club. They attended Friendswood Chamber and Rotary Club's Christmas Luncheon to end the week, where Friendswood High School Chiro performed Christmas Carols. 

Legislation cosponsored:

• H.R. 6619 - To prohibit the Department of Justice from bringing a civil action against a State under section 9 or 10 of the Act of March 3, 1899, for certain border security measures, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 6625 - To direct the Secretary of Defense to submit a report about the effects on national security of the surveillance conducted by the People's Republic of China via the high-altitude surveillance balloon shot down in the airspace of the United States in February 2023, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 6628 - To provide direct hire authority to the Director of the Bureau of Prisons.
• H.R. 6504 - To prohibit actions to carry out the Department of Commerce's pause in the issuance of new export licenses for certain exports under the Commerce Control List.
• H.R. 6192 - Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act
• H.Res. 905 - Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine.

It is a privilege to represent our district in Congress.  While we’ve faced many challenges in recent years, through strength and prayer, we have persevered. 

Please know that we are always a resource for you.  Call or stop by any of the offices (YOUR offices, we work for you), whenever you need assistance or want to talk about an issue before Congress.

For assistance or more information, please call or go online to visit us at weber.house.gov.

God Bless you and God Bless Texas!