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.
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Chairman Nehls Holds a Subcommittee Hearing on Oversight and Examination of Railroad Grade Crossing Elimination and Safety |
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As Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, I held a hearing on Thursday to examine and improve the safety at highway-rail grade crossings.
Many of my constituents in the 22nd Congressional District of Texas have reached out to my office regarding issues they were experiencing with rail crossings being blocked for days on end, causing them to be unable to access properties. With approximately 212,000 highway-rail grade crossings in the United States, there were over 2,000 accidents at grade crossings. These accidents and fatalities are preventable. The elimination of a rail crossing, where necessary and possible, removes the possibility of a grade crossing incident.
The Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) manages the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program, designed to help states and communities with grade crossing elimination and safety. This program enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress, and last year the State of Texas received around $86 million for five grade crossing programs.
With the expected announcement of more funding for more grade crossing projects, I held this hearing to learn how existing programs can be improved, the resources states and communities need, and how we can significantly reduce government red tape to make these funds more accessible and the process less complicated.
Watch my opening remarks HERE, and my questioning of the witnesses HERE.
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Rep. Troy E. Nehls Votes ‘NO’ on Continuing Bloated Spending Levels with No Border Security |
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This week, the House and Senate passed a Continuing Resolution (CR), which extends government funding until March. I voted 'NO' on the CR. The American people cannot afford to continue suffering under Joe Biden and the Left’s reckless spending levels and failed policies that have led to the unprecedented crisis at our southern border.
Over 8 million illegal aliens have crossed our nation’s borders since Joe Biden took office in 2021. The State of Texas is doing everything it can to protect Texans and cities and towns across the country that are being overrun by the border crisis. Meanwhile, the Senate and the White House refuse to even acknowledge H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, the strongest border security package in our nation’s recent history. They refuse to do anything to relieve the American people from the border crisis that plagues our country.
While I commend Speaker Johnson’s efforts to claw back IRS and COVID-19 spending and fight for conservative policies, I simply cannot support another CR that enables Biden’s America Last policies, which have led to the worst border crisis in our nation’s history, waged war on American energy production and created a woke and weaponized bureaucracy.
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Rep. Troy E. Nehls Attends House Judiciary Committee Markup |
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The House Judiciary Committee held a markup this week to advance various pieces of legislation regarding federal accountability, gun rights, social security fraud, and illegal immigration.
Among the pieces of legislation, the committee advanced H.R. 5585, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act. On December 7, 2022, Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez, Jr. died in the line of duty after his ATV crashed while he pursued illegal aliens who were fleeing capture. This legislation would permanently prohibit any illegal alien who runs from Border Patrol from ever receiving any legal immigration status in the United States. Additionally, anyone who engages in a high-speed chase with Border Patrol, or law enforcement assisting Border Patrol, would face up to two years in prison. If someone is injured during the chase, the sentencing range would increase to 5 to 20 years, and if death results from the chase, the defendant would face up to life in prison. As a former sheriff, I’m proud to support this legislation that will honor Agent Gonzalez’s sacrifice, uphold the rule of law, and protect our law enforcement officers.
The House Judiciary Committee also advanced H.R. 6976, the Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act, which would make aliens convicted of a drunk driving offense inadmissible and deportable, as well as H.R. 6678, the Consequences for Social Security Fraud Act, which would make aliens convicted of, or admitting to, social security fraud inadmissible and deportable. I am a proud supporter of these simple, commonsense pieces of legislation. We must ensure aliens who break the law are stopped and deported.
Other pieces of legislation that passed out of committee include H.R. 5736, the Federal Accountability in Interviews Reform (FAIR) Act, H.R. 1508, the Traveler’s Gun Rights Act of 2024, H.R. 1709, the Tribal Firearms Access Act, and H.R. 6679, the No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act.
My House Judiciary Republican colleagues and I remain committed to America First policies.
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Department of State: Update on Passport Processing Times |
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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. |
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LAST WEEK'S POLL QUESTION RESULTS |
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Do you support the House Judiciary Committee's inquiry into Fani Willis' associate, Nathan Wade?
YES 79%
NO 21%
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I always appreciate learning about the issues that are important to you. If you have a concern, please contact me HERE.
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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.
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Do you support my decision to vote against the CR? |
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Troy E. Nehls
Member of Congress
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