Rep. Troy E. Nehls Votes YES to Hold AG Garland in Contempt of Congress 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 DC Chairman Troy E. Nehls Introduces The Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayer Act Chairman Troy E. Nehls Introduces The Amtrak... WASHINGTON, D.C. -Chairman Troy E. Read more nehls.house.gov The American people deserve to have a say in how their taxpayer funds are used in government-sponsored-style entities such as Amtrak. Over the past three-plus years under the disastrous policies of the Biden Administration, the American people have had to pay more for basic necessities and are struggling to stay afloat. Despite having run substantial fiscal deficits in 2021, Amtrak decided to give its executives six-figure bonuses. This is not only irresponsible, but out of touch. I introduced the Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayer Act this week. This legislation would require Amtrak to be subject to the same requirements of the Government in the Sunshine Act, more simply known as the Sunshine Act, as other federal agencies and government-sponsored-style entities. The Sunshine Act requires that meetings of certain federal agencies be open to public observation. While Amtrak is not deemed a federal agency, it is considered a government entity and receives funding from American taxpayers. Despite receiving significant taxpayer funding, meetings of the Amtrack Board of Directors (the “Board”) are often conducted without any opportunity for the American public or stakeholders to observe or comment. My bill would require Amtrak to notify the public of the time, place, and location of pending meetings and allow for public observation unless closed under a Sunshine Act exemption. If a meeting is closed for observation, Amtrak would be required to produce a set of minutes, providing a full and accurate summary of matters discussed and actions taken to the public. Read more about the legislation HERE. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Meets with Fort Bend ISD National History Competition Finalist This week, I met with Nabiha Ahmed with Travis High School in my Washington, D.C., office. Nabiha competed in the National History Day contest, where she finished first in Texas and advanced to the national competition. Students who compete in this contest create a project exhibiting a piece of history important to them. I am proud of her and wish her all the best in her future endeavors! Chairman Troy E. Nehls Holds a Subcommittee Hearing on "Amtrak and Intercity Passenger Rail Oversight: Promoting Performance, Safety, and Accountability" As Chairman of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, I held a hearing titled, "Amtrak and Intercity Passenger Rail Oversight: Promoting Performance, Safety, and Accountability." While Amtrak is not a federal agency, it is federally chartered, owned by the federal government, and governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the President and subject to confirmation by the United States Senate. As a recipient of taxpayer dollars to operate its system, it is crucial for Amtrak to focus on maintaining and improving its current services to increase revenue and achieve profitability. Instead, it seems Amtrak is content with losing roughly $1 billion per year and is choosing to pursue expensive and questionable acquisitions and route expansions that may not serve the best interests of the American people. Watch my questioning from the hearing HERE. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Votes YES on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 This week, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 8070, the Servicemembers Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. This legislation strengthens our military, improves our nation’s servicemembers' quality of life, and equips our military with the necessary tools and resources to counter the growing threats and aggression posed by our greatest adversaries around the globe. I proudly voted 'YES' to pass this legislation. The bill provides for a 19.5% pay raise for junior enlisted servicemembers, and combats the Biden Administration's radical, woke ideology infused in the Pentagon. The bill restores the focus of our military on readiness, lethality, and deterrence. This legislation also increases oversight and cracks down on waste, fraud, and abuse within the Pentagon, saving tens of billions of dollars for American taxpayers. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Meets with TX-22 Students Awarded the Congressional Award Two students from the 22nd Congressional District of Texas were awarded the Congressional Award, the highest honor given to a young civilian by the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. The Congressional Award is a non-partisan charity founded by Congress in 1979 that aims to recognize and promote excellence in young people. The program's goal is to encourage youth to set and achieve goals in four areas: Voluntary Public Service Personal Development Physical Fitness Expedition/Exploration Trisha Jha from Jordan High School and Nayonika Pande from Lawrence E. Elkins High School were awarded the Congressional Award. Most notably, Trisha started an International 501 c(3) Nonprofit and Nayonika trained for and ran multiple 5ks. I am proud of both of these exemplary students. I know their futures are bright! Rep. Troy E. Nehls Joins Lou Dobbs Tonight Watch the full interview HERE. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Votes 'YES' to Hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in Contempt of Congress On February 27, 2024, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan subpoenaed AG Garland for records, including transcripts, notes, video, and audio files, related to Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation of President Joe Biden’s willful mishandling of classified information. To this day, AG Garland has refused to turn over the audio tapes of Robert Hur's interview with President Biden. These tapes are vital to understanding exactly why Special Counsel Hur came to conclusion that a jury would find President Biden ‘sympathetic’ given his age and ‘poor memory,' and would reveal much more about the mental state of the President than the transcripts alone. This week, I voted 'YES' to pass the resolution to hold Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for his refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the House Judiciary Committee. The resolution passed the House by a 216-207 vote. AG Garland is the worst attorney general in the history of our country who is providing cover for President Biden, the worst president in the history of our country. The American people deserve to know what the audio tapes will reveal. Rep. Troy E. Nehls in SeafoodSource: US shrimping industry needs congressional help Foreign shrimp is being dumped into our country's markets, making it extremely difficult for our nation's domestic shrimpers to stay in business. Additionally, it has been revealed that American taxpayer dollars are being used to finance foreign shrimp operations through International Financial Institutions (IFIs), such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), contributing to the demise of our shrimping industry. Federal law USC 262 (h) stipulates the U.S. Department of the Treasury shall instruct United States Executive Directors at International Monetary Institutions to vote against any assistance by such institutions that facilitates an export commodity surplus that causes injury or harm to United States producers. Unfortunately, there have been limited circumstances where the Treasury has complied with this law, and it is difficult to trace how U.S. Executive Directors at IFIs have complied or not complied with this no-vote mandate. This week, I penned an op-ed in SeafoodSource discussing my legislation, the Save Our Shrimpers Act, which would prohibit federal funds from being made available to IFIs to finance any activity relating to shrimp farming, shrimp processing, or the export of shrimp in any foreign country to the United States. Additionally, this legislation would trigger an investigation within the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) and require annual reports to Congress to track how U.S. Executive Directors at IFIs comply with USC 262(h). To save our nation's shrimping industry, Congress must exhaust every legislative option on the table.  Read my op-ed HERE. Rep. Troy E. Nehls Meets with TX-22 Students Participating in the Junior Achievement Entrepreneurship Exposition in Our Nation's Capital This week, I met with students from Elkins, Dulles, and George Ranch High School who were participating in the Junior Achievement Entrepreneurship Exposition in Washington, D.C. Every year, the nation's capital hosts a remarkable event as exceptional student companies from Junior Achievement gather to compete in the 2024 Junior Achievement National Student Leadership Summit (NSLS). All three teams from TX-22 who competed in the Junior Achievement NSLS each won a top award in the competition: National Company of the Year Competition 2024, SECOND PLACE overall – EVO (Elkins High School) National Social Innovation Challenge 2024, SECOND PLACE overall – Locked (Institute of Chinese Culture + DeBakey High School for Health Professionals) Winner of the Delta Social Impact Award for the Company of the Year Competition 2024 – The F.L.I.N Company (Dulles High School) During the meeting, I spoke to them about what's been going on in Congress, and we discussed their projects. Thank you for coming by my office! Rep. Troy E. Nehls Receives Award From National Law Enforcement Fund I received the "2023 Legislative Champion Award" for being the lead sponsor of H.R. 3381, the National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support, and Community Outreach Act, from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. My legislation would establish a formal program within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to support and enhance community outreach, public education, and officer safety and wellness programs of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF or "the Fund"), including programs to memorialize and honor law enforcement, compile data on law enforcement fatalities and injuries, increase public understanding of and support for law enforcement, enhance and improve law enforcement officer safety and wellness, and programs to bring law enforcement closer to the communities they serve. Over a year after its introduction, my legislation has over 150 bipartisan cosponsors. I am proud to fight for pro-law enforcement policies in the United States House of Representatives. I will always back the blue. This Week in TX-22 Casework Highlight: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm and Explosives (ATF) Have you been experiencing delays in your ATF Form application processing? My office is here to help. While my office cannot expedite this process, we can ensure your application is not caught behind red tape. You can check normal processing times here. If you have any questions or feel your application is out of normal processing time, please fill out this release form on my website. My casework team will reach out within the next business day. For any other questions, please call my district office at 346-762-6600. Service Academy Nominations Are Now Open My office is now accepting Service Academy Nominations. One of the privileges of serving in the United States House of Representatives is the opportunity to nominate outstanding young people from the 22nd Congressional District of Texas to be considered for appointment to our nation’s service academies. Admission to a service academy is a two-tiered process. First, the candidate must meet the minimum standards set by the individual academy. Second, the candidate must complete the congressional application by October 11, 2024, to be considered for an interview in our office with the nomination review board. Please note, the ultimate selection of appointees rests solely with academy officials and is based on their competitive evaluation of all nominees. Please fill out the web form HERE to receive all of the application information. If you have any further questions, please email [email protected] or call my district office at (346) 762-6600. Congressional App Challenge Submissions Are Now Open I am pleased to announce that my office is hosting the 2024 Congressional App Challenge. The Congressional App Challenge is a competition designed to encourage student participation in computer science and coding. Students are encouraged to register online and submit their app by October 24, 2024. The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school students in the 22nd Congressional District of Texas. Students entering the competition must submit their app to CongressionalAppChallenge.us during the Competition Submission Period through Thursday, October 24, 2024, at 12 P.M. Eastern Time. The winner from the 22nd Congressional District, chosen by a panel of expert judges, will be featured on CongressionalAppChallenge.us. The winning app will also be eligible to be on display in the U.S. Capitol, honoring the winners from across the country. For more information, please visit the official Congressional App Challenge website email [email protected], or email my office at [email protected]. Do you believe Dr. Fauci should be held accountable for his COVID-19 policies?  YES 75.7% NO 24.3% 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 think our country is heading in the right direction under President Biden's "leadership"? 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. 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