Rep. Troy E. Nehls Introduces the Bipartisan DOCTORS Act Greetings! I wanted to take a moment to share with you a recap on what happened last week in Texas' 22nd District and the United States House of Representatives. This Week in Washington Reps. Troy E. Nehls and Brad Schneider Introduce the Bipartisan DOCTORS Act This week, I joined Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) in introducing the bipartisan Districting Our Country’s Transfer of Residency Slots (DOCTORS) Act, to help address nationwide physician shortages by reallocating unused waivers from the Conrad 30 waiver program to states who use their maximum number of waivers. This legislation was cosponsored by 14 members of Congress, including Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21). This legislation was introduced in the Senate by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on September 5, 2023. The Conrad 30 waiver program allows foreign-born medical school graduates who came to the United States on a J-1 visa to bypass the requirement that they return to their home country upon completion of the J-1 exchange visitor program. Conrad 30 waivers are distributed on the condition that J-1 recipients agree to practice medicine for three years in a Health Professional Shortage Area, Medically Underserved Area, or Medically Underserved Population. Each state receives 30 waivers. As of Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, only 24 states used their maximum 30 allocated slots, with 376 unused. The DOCTORS Act would require state agencies to report to the Secretary of State how many unused waivers they retained at the end of each fiscal year. The Secretary will calculate the total unused waivers and disburse those equally back to the states that used their maximum 30 slots in the previous fiscal year, divisible by three. For example, under the DOCTORS Act, the Secretary would report out 376 unused waivers in FY 2021, and divide by three, meaning 125 waivers would be retained for distribution to maximum cap states in the following fiscal year. The United States is expected to face a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2033. This legislation would allow foreign-trained doctors in the United States to not only offset workforce shortages but incentivize high-quality medical professionals to practice in rural and underserved communities, such as the 22nd Congressional District of Texas. Since 2009, over 50 waivers have been given to foreign-born medical school graduates to practice in counties in TX-22. That’s 50 more doctors, who specialize in areas including anesthesiology, cardiology, infectious disease, internal medicine, neurology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, transplants, urology, and more. Reclaiming unused waivers from the previous fiscal year is a simple, common-sense approach to address the critical nationwide physician shortages, without increasing the number of visas. I’m proud to introduce this critical bipartisan legislation with my colleague, Congressman Schneider, to assist our rural and underserved communities. Read more about the legislation HERE. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Leads Letter to Biden Administration to Streamline Presidential Permitting Process for Cross-Border Projects This week, I led a letter, along with 12 of my Republican colleagues, to the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, highlighting the importance of cross-border energy projects, and demanding answers regarding the Presidential permitting process for cross-border projects at the Canadian and Mexican borders. The U.S. Department of State is responsible for receiving all applications for the issuance or amendment of Presidential permits for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance at the international boundaries of the United States for certain cross-border projects. These projects play an important role in not only the United States’ energy security but the entirety of North American energy security. Unfortunately, the State Department and other parts of the Executive Branch have left many Presidential permits for critical pipeline projects unaddressed. Despite the Biden Administration’s attempts to modernize the process to secure Presidential permits for cross-border projects, only one Presidential permit has been issued since 2021. This is unacceptable. Energy security is national security, plain and simple. I look forward to hearing from Secretary Blinken regarding this pressing issue. Read the full letter HERE. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Attends House Judiciary Committee Markup to Hold Hunter Biden in Contempt of Congress No one is above the law, and that includes the president's son, Hunter Biden. This week, the House Judiciary Committee held a markup on a resolution recommending that the U.S. House of Representatives find Hunter in contempt of Congress for his blatant refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena issued by the Committee on Judiciary for testimony relevant to the impeachment inquiry into President Biden and the Committee’s investigations. On December 13, 2023, instead of showing up for his scheduled deposition, Hunter held a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol and left. It's simple: He refused to comply with congressional subpoenas, he broke federal law, and he must be held accountable. That is why I proudly voted 'YES' on the resolution to hold Hunter in contempt of Congress, which passed out of the House Judiciary Committee favorably on Wednesday. The Biden Crime Family is not above the law. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Joins Mornings with Maria Watch my interview HERE. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Speaks at House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Immigration on the Impact of Illegal Immigration on Social Services This week, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement held a hearing to examine how Biden's border crisis overwhelms American communities’ schools, hospitals, emergency services, law enforcement, housing, and other social services at the expense of American citizens and lawful residents. During the hearing, members of the Judiciary Committee discussed the cost of illegal immigration for taxpayers. Currently, the annual net cost of illegal immigration to the United States is at least $150.7 billion, due to the presence of more than 15.5 million illegal aliens and counting. At the federal, state, and local levels, taxpayers shell out approximately $182 billion to cover the costs incurred, while illegal immigrants only contribute roughly $32 billion in taxes. The burden of illegal immigration on U.S. taxpayers is both staggering and crippling, with the gross cost per taxpayer at $1,156 every year. Meanwhile, several Democrat mayors from across America who previously welcomed the surge of aliens into their cities continue to beg President Biden for additional federal dollars to house and care for the influx of illegal aliens in their cities. The State of Texas has been overwhelmed for the past three years by Joe Biden’s border crisis, and we’ve heard nothing from the Democrats. Now that we are 10 months from a general election, and President Biden’s approval rating is in the toilet, suddenly they “care.” My advice to the Democrats? Call Joe. Watch my remarks from the hearing HERE. This Week in TX-22 Department of State: Update on Passport Processing Times The Department of State is reporting passport processing times can be up to 6 to 8 weeks for routine processing and 2 to 3 weeks for expedited processing. These times do not include mail delivery service estimates. My team would be happy to assist you with your passport issues. If you are planning on traveling internationally soon, please reach out to my district office, (346) 762-6600, at least two weeks in advance of your travel date to allow my casework team optimal time to communicate with Passport Agencies. LAST WEEK'S POLL QUESTION RESULTS Should Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress?  YES 83% NO 17% Follow Us ‌ ‌ ‌ We Want to Hear From You I always appreciate learning about the issues that are important to you. If you have a concern, please contact me HERE. Use this QR code to follow my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts and join my Newsletter for updates. It's an honor to represent you and the great state of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. Do you support the House Judiciary Committee's inquiry into Fani Willis' associate, Nathan Wade? Let me know below Yes Select No Select Sincerely, Troy E. Nehls Member of Congress ‌ By participating in the survey, you are opting into further communication from Rep. Nehls Rep. Nehls | 1104 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]