Dear John,

Welcome back to my West Texas Wrap-Up. Please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for regular updates on how I am serving the people of West Texas!

Eliseo Jimenez Walks to Washington

Last week, 17-year-old Lubbock High School Senior Eliseo Jimenez completed his more than 1,600 mile walk from Lubbock to Washington, D.C. to advocate for Social Security reform and addressing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) - an imprecise formula that has resulted in public service employees, such as police officers, firefighters, and public-school teachers, losing out on the Social Security benefits they have earned.

Eliseo arrived during the August legislative recess, but even though Members of Congress are back in their Congressional districts, my team and other staff from Texas offices ensured he received a warm welcome to the United States Capitol.

Upon his arrival, Eliseo was welcomed into my office where we spoke via zoom about his journey from West Texas to the nation’s capital, what motivated him to take this journey, and discuss different questions and policy perspectives related to WEP. You can view our full conversation below:

Click HERE to view

God's Country

The August legislative recess provides me a great opportunity to spend time with the God-fearing, freedom loving men and women of West Texas.

Last week, I spent a morning with my friends in Lynn County discussing rural health care and some of the challenges our rural providers face when fighting to deliver the highest quality care to West Texans.

It’s simple: we don’t have the next generation of cowboys and plowboys in West Texas providing America with food security and energy independence without affordable and accessible high quality rural health care.

I also enjoyed visiting with my friends in Borden County.

We all agree, there needs to be a sense of urgency because our country is at an historic inflection point: we will either renew our faith in God and freedom or submit to the rise of socialism and the tyranny of a woke and weaponized federal government.

I had a special moment in Gail when I stopped by Borden County School to honor our WTX Olympian Ryann Phillips.

Ryann represented God’s Country in this year’s Summer Olympics in France, and while she is now back in school at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, I was able to FaceTime her and present her mother with an American flag that was flown over the United States Capitol in honor of Ryann’s incredible achievements.

I finished up the day with a meeting in Post with local business owners and Garza County leaders.

We know that the key to prosperity - especially in Rural America - is less taxes, fewer regulations, and more freedom… not Soviet-style price controls and more government intervention.

Remembering Our 13 Heroes

Recently, we acknowledged the 3 year anniversary of when weeks of one of the most disastrous, embarrassing, self-inflicted disasters in our nation’s history culminated in the tragic death of 13 brave U.S. servicemembers at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan.

The entire chain of events - our reckless retreat, the shortsighted withdrawal from Bagram Air Base (which led to the ISIS-K suicide bomber at Kabul Airport being released from prison), the abandonment of American citizens and allies, and capitulation of the Taliban - is unforgivable. 

We must learn from this failure, but also, most importantly, never forget the valor of those 13 servicemembers killed in the line of duty and their Gold Star families. Remember them.

Big Tech Censorship

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg penned a letter to Chairman Jim Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee admitting that:

1. The Biden-Harris Administration "pressured" Facebook to censor Americans;
2. Facebook censored Americans; and
3. Facebook should not have censored the Hunter Biden laptop story before the 2020 election.

The Biden-Harris regime used their political power to pressure Big Tech to censor Americans and interfere in the 2020 election.

RFK Jr. said as much: the Democrat Party is no longer a defender of individual liberty, but has become a Leftist propaganda organization for central power and control. Facebook knew better, but they went along because they were pressured by AND politically aligned with the Democrats.

This is Big Government coordinating with Big Tech and Big Media to infringe on our freedom and undermine democracy.

MLK's Dream - 61 Years Later

61 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most important speeches in American history.

As we remember this speech and his legacy, we should be reminded that it's time to put an end to identity politics and unite in love for our country and fellow countrymen.

It's time to remember Dr. King's admonition to judge, not on the color of someone's skin, but on the content of their character.

I am grateful for MLK helping us live up to our American ideals.

Bigger than Politics

I was saddened to learn of the passing of my friend and democratic colleague, Bill Pascrell.

Congressman Bill Pascrell was a loud and proud voice for the people of New Jersey, and I always had great respect for him as a colleague and one of the most passionate and articulate members of the United States House.

Bill was always willing to reach across the aisle for the betterment of our great country, and he will be missed by many, including one of his Republican colleagues on Ways and Means.

On behalf of the people of West Texas, God Bless the Pascrell family and may God comfort them in their grief.

On Social Media

In the News

It is an honor and privilege to represent you in Congress. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to our fellow West Texans and encourage them to sign up here for this update.

Your friend and fellow West Texan,

Jodey C. Arrington
Member of Congress