Howdy Texan –

This was the first week back in Congress after the August district work period, so I wanted to update you on my work for Texas' 31st district in the House.

ON THE DOCKET:

Combatting the CCP
Meeting with VFW
What do you think?
Meeting Local Credit Unions
Service Academy Nominations

THE BRIEF:

The Mexican government has started busing migrants to the U.S. border if they have appointments under a controversial use of a phone app implemented by the Biden administration that allows migrants to be paroled into the U.S.
The Federal Railroad Administration gave Amtrak more than $63 million last month for the much-anticipated Dallas to Houston bullet train project.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is preparing to reopen the Bartlett prison facility as the state’s first ‘Innovation’ Unit, promising inmates a future in the workforce and promising the city of Bartlett infrastructure and economic improvements.

COMBATTING THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY

This week, House Republicans brought a series of bills to the floor to combat the threat of the Chinese Communist Party and restore the strength and dominance of the United States. Over 25 bills were passed to secure our supply chains, protect American technology, and defend our values. China is the biggest threat to the United States, and insulating the United States against CCP aggression is paramount. I was proud to vote in favor of these bills to make for a stronger America. Below are just a few of the most important bills that were considered this week:

H.R. 1516 – DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act - This bill restricts funding to American institutions of higher education that maintain a relationship with a Chinese entity of concern or Confucius Institute, making them ineligible to receive any funds.
H.R. 1398 – Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024 - This bill reinstates and renames the China Initiative as the CCP Initiative to counter the CCP and Chinese government’s espionage efforts on U.S. intellectual property and academic institutions, helps prosecute those who engage in the theft of trade secrets and espionage, and defends U.S. critical infrastructure from threats from our adversaries.
H.R. 9456 – Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 – This bill supports the country’s food security and national security, combating foreign adversaries’ attempts to buy up America’s farmland by improving the tracking of foreign-owned land and requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to review agricultural transactions and purchases made by these adversaries.
H.R. 1425 – No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act - This bill requires that any agreement reached by the World Health Assembly be treated as a treaty and, therefore, be ratified by a supermajority of the Senate as outlined in the Constitution.
H.R. 7980 – End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act of 2024 – This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude vehicles with batteries that contain materials sourced from foreign entities of concern from the clean vehicle credit, and closes the ‘Chinese Billionaire Loophole’ and the ‘Chinese Manufacturing Loophole.’

MEETING WITH THE VFW

This week, Mitch Fuller, the national and state legislative chairman of the Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) visited to discuss several veterans issues. As chairman of the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Appropriations, I'm always listening to veterans to hear directly about their needs. I'm committed to taking care of our veterans and ensuring they have access to the benefits and high-quality care they earned.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Do you support Tim Walz's policy allowing illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses?

Yes

MEETING WITH LOCAL CREDIT UNIONS

This week, I met with representatives from local credit unions in Texas' 31st district. We discussed important topics like overdraft protection and the Credit Card Competition Act. Credit unions are important financial institutions in communities and give consumers an alternative to traditional banks. I enjoyed meeting with these constituents and discussing the issues important to them.

SERVICE ACADEMY NOMINATIONS

As a reminder, the deadline to apply for a U.S. Service Academy nomination is October 3, 2024, at 5:00 pm. I encourage all young men and women interested in attending the United States Military Academy, Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy, Merchant Marine Academy or Air Force Academy to start their application early. If you want more information about the application process, I encourage you to attend the Central Texas Service Academy Forum on September 14, 2024, at Cedar Ridge High School from 8:30 am- 12:00 pm. You don't need to make a reservation, and it is a free event to learn about the application process and talk with each service academy.