As the United States’ national security remains at risk from threats including adversaries like China and President Biden’s wide-open border, the men and women who serve in the United States military defend our freedom and democracy every day. These servicemembers and their families deserve to be properly supported and provided for by the country they fight to protect. 

Unfortunately, the House Armed Services Committee Quality of Life Panel found that servicemember quality of life has gotten increasingly worse, causing low morale amongst servicemembers, stressing military families, undermining recruitment and retention, and threatening our military readiness. 

Due to insufficient pay and housing allowances, servicemembers and their families have been forced to rely on food stamps and pantries to provide for their families and pay housing costs out of their own pockets. Unaccompanied housing for servicemembers is in terrible condition, exposing occupants to sewage overflows, bedbugs, mold, rats, gas leaks, and brown tap water. Servicemembers and their families are stuck with long wait times for both medical care and childcare. And, 22 percent of military spouses are unemployed thanks to constant movement and difficulty transferring licenses, causing many military families to leave active-duty service.

This year, House Republicans’ National Defense Authorization Act specifically focuses on servicemember quality of life improvement, in addition to strengthening our national security. The FY25 NDAA includes funding for housing maintenance, oversight, and upgrades; expands allowances and gives junior enlisted servicemembers a 19.5 percent raise; reduces healthcare wait times and improves access to childcare; and better supports employment for military spouses.

Additionally, the FY25 NDAA includes many measures to boost our national security by deterring China and preventing CCP espionage, getting rid of affirmative action at service academies, demanding promotions be based on merit, funding National Guard troop deployment at the southern border, defending Israel, and cutting inefficient programs and Pentagon bureaucracy. 

Our servicemembers are the backbone of our military and national security – it’s past time the brave men and women defending our nation’s freedom are provided for in the manner they deserve.  

I was proud to support the NDAA!

FACTS ABOUT THE SERVICEMEMBERS QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT AND NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FY25 

The FY25 NDAA Improves Servicemember Quality of Life:

• Boosting Compensation: The FY25 NDAA gives junior enlisted servicemembers a 19.5% pay raise, expands allowances for housing and food, and improves the cost of living calculation. 
• Improving Housing: The FY25 NDAA boosts funding for housing maintenance accounts, strengthens oversight of military housing programs, and pursues public-private partnerships to upgrade unaccompanied housing.
• Ensuring Access to Medical Care: The FY25 NDAA reduces dangerous healthcare wait times by expanding access to medical providers, especially mental health providers, and increases oversight of healthcare accessibility for servicemembers. 
• Enhancing Support for Military Spouses: The FY25 NDAA makes it easier for spouses to transfer professional licenses across states and expands DoD programs that provide employment support to military spouses.  
• Increasing Access to Childcare: The FY25 NDAA improves access to childcare for military families by mitigating childcare staffing shortages at DoD facilities and fully funding childcare fee assistance programs.  

The FY25 NDAA Restores American Deterrence:

• Deterring Communist China:
  • Prevents Communist China’s espionage in our military, supply chain, and research institutions.
  • Reforms DoD acquisitions to expedite the fielding of innovative technologies that we need to deter Communist China’s aggression.
  • Bolsters Taiwan’s defense, supports Indo-Pacific allies, and increases funding for U.S. defense initiatives in the Indo-Pacific.
• Restoring Lethality:
  • Requires promotions to be based on merit, ends affirmative action at service academies, and abolishes DEI bureaucracy at DoD schools. 
  • Prevents a military Green New Deal. 
• Defending Israel:
  • Expands U.S.-Israel military exercises and fully funds cooperative missile defense programs.
  • Increases funding for R&D of emerging technology and anti-tunneling programs with Israel. 
• Securing America’s Border:
  • Fully funds the deployment of National Guard troops at the southwest border. 
  • Expands authorities and increases funding for DoD counternarcotic activities.
• Oversight & Accountability:
  • Saves $30 billion cutting inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and Pentagon bureaucracy. 
  • Cracks down on contractor waste by cutting $4.3 billion in programs that aren’t meeting requirements. 

On February 5, 2024 Special Counsel Robert Hur released his report on the Biden classified documents probe, revealing that President Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen.” Additionally, Special Counsel Hur observed President Biden experiencing significant memory issues during his interviews, stating that the President’s ‘‘memory was significantly limited,’’ and he ‘‘did not remember when he was vice president,’’ and ‘‘did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died.’’ 

As part of their impeachment inquiry, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, the Judiciary Committee, and the Committee on Ways and Means engaged with the Department of Justice to request more information, documents, materials, and records from the Hur Report relevant to their investigations.

After initial refusals from the Department of Justice to provide said information, the Judiciary and Oversight Committees issued subpoenas to the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland compelling production of these relevant documents and records, including the audio and video of President Biden’s interviews with Special Counsel Hur. However, AG Garland has chosen not to turn over the subpoenaed records. 

Now, the Biden Administration has decided to assert executive privilege over the audio recordings of the President’s interview with Special Counsel Hur. Clearly, President Biden has something to hide, or else why block the release of the audio recordings of his interviews when we already have the transcripts? Once again, President Biden is fighting against transparency for the American people.

If Merrick Garland continues to refuse to comply with Congressional subpoenas and deny American citizens the transparency and information they deserve to determine the truth, he will face the consequences.

That is why I voted to hold Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress this week. 

Background: 

• The House Committees on Oversight and Accountability and Judiciary issued subpoenas to Attorney General Garland on February 27, 2024 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.
• Attorney General Garland has refused to provide the audio files of President Biden’s interview with the Special Counsel.
• On May 16, 2024, President Biden asserted executive privilege over the recordings ahead of the markup of the contempt resolutions in the Judiciary and Oversight Committees.
• The resolution finds Attorney General Merrick Garland in criminal contempt under 2 U.S.C. 192 and 194 and authorizes the Speaker to take all appropriate action to enforce the subpoena, including filing suit in civil court.

Today, I introduced a resolution condemning the Biden Administration’s recent ban of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits to non-free trade agreement countries.

The Biden Administration’s decision to ban LNG export permits is a blatant attempt to fulfill campaign promises at the expense of American jobs and economic prosperity. This outrageous ban directly harms Southeast Texas, threatening our national security and devastating our local communities. Our hardworking families and critical energy infrastructure should not be sacrificed for political agendas. I am proud to lead my colleagues in condemning this misguided administration and their destructive energy policies. Together, we will fight to protect American jobs, ensure our energy independence, and support the communities that rely on a thriving LNG industry.

The resolution will:

1. Condemn the Biden administration’s reckless suspension of LNG export permits.
2. Call for the immediate lifting of the ban to restore confidence in the U.S. energy sector.
3. Urge the administration to prioritize American workers and communities over partisan political agendas.
4. Transmit copies of the resolution to the President of the United States, the Secretary of Energy, and relevant stakeholders to underscore the critical importance of supporting and advancing the U.S. LNG industry.

This week, Team Weber was active in our community, attending several important events. We joined the Texas City-La Marque Chamber in welcoming The Beauty & Barber Hubb to the area and celebrated the opening of Enhance Wellness Sip’n’Social with the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau. We also toured Westside Elementary School in Angleton, observing the various summer program activities offered to the children of the Boys and Girls Club of Brazoria County, which serves kids from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Additionally, we attended the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce's Remarkable Businesswomen of Beaumont luncheon, where we honored pioneering leaders in our community. At the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon, we listened to an inspiring address from Mayor Brandon Noto.

In Washington, I had the pleasure of hosting students from Central Middle School in Nederland in YOUR office. Best of luck as you move on to Nederland High School next year—go Bulldogs! Always remember, this is your office, and I am here to serve you.