** HYR Weekly
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** Political Update
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** A NEWSLETTER FROM THE HOUSTON YOUNG REPUBLICANS
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** (View this email in your browser ([link removed]) )
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** MAR. 30
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Welcome to this week’s newsletter!

The Houston Cougars have made it to the Final Four and need two more victories to claim their first basketball national championship. GO COOGS!

In Washington, the White House launched successful military strikes in Yemen that were undermined by media pundits, the Senate edged closer to a budget bill, and in the House a Dallas-area Congresswoman asserted herself as “leader” of the Democrat party.

In Texas, Houston City Councilwoman Amy Peck was targeted by radical activists at an HYR event, and failed Democrat candidates for high office came to town.

We break it down below.


** Matt Murphy
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** Political Director
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** Signalgate
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By now you’ve heard of “Signalgate,” the media-driven saga kicked off by vehement Trump hater Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic–who published a piece ([link removed]) regarding a group chat between several high ranking Trump White House officials and Cabinet members debating and detailing US military strikes in Yemen. Goldberg purports that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz inadvertently added him to said group chat.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has pointed out a glaring error ([link removed]) in Goldberg’s reporting, and he has a long combative history with the Trump administration. Goldberg’s political leanings aside, he brought receipts. The ~2 short pages of texts ([link removed]) he was looped in on weren’t meant for the eyes of a Democrat activist masquerading as an investigative journalist.

Regarding the use of Signal in the first place: as DNI Gabbard testified this week, Signal is an app that comes pre-installed on work phones issued for certain branches of the federal government. The Atlantic even published a piece in 2017 calling Signal “the gold standard of encrypted messaging…used by staffers who work for President Trump, Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton… ([link removed]) ”. Journalists and political communications shops on both sides of the aisle routinely use Signal.

The outrage from the left over using the app to interface is selective and performative; I don’t recall this kind of Democrat backlash over the catastrophic national security failure in Afghanistan a few years ago–which left 13 American soldiers (and an untold number of our number of our Middle East allies from Operation Enduring Freedom) dead and billions of dollars of military equipment in the hands of the Taliban.

Lastly, the Signal debacle has distracted from a significant counter-terrorism and economic victory. The Houthis are a radical islamic terrorist organization, largely funded and backed by Iran. For years the Houthis have been indiscriminately attacking international shipping vessels in the Red Sea around the Suez Canal. The canal accounts for ~10-15% of annual global trade–at least 65 different countries have been victimized by Houthi attacks. Decimating the Houthi footprint in the region sends a strong message to Iran and opens up one of the world’s largest commercial channels.


** Budget Reconciliation on the Horizon?
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Majority Leader Thune has been working with Speaker Johnson on a compromise framework for budget reconciliation, in order to reach a feasible consensus on implementing President Trump’s fiscal and policy agenda.

The main point of contention between the Senate and House plans centers around spending cuts–the Senate wants $3B, and the House $1.5T. Raising the debt limit will also be a sticking point. Leader Thune has indicated he hopes to have actionable specifics hammered down before the next Congressional recess period. Stay tuned.


** Jasmine Crockett “Ascends”
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Texas’ own (feel free to blame Dallas-area voters) Rep. Jasmine Crockett [D-TX-30] has recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

She started a wild week with an interview with the Dallas Morning News, saying “It’s Ted Cruz. I mean, like, this dude has to be knocked over the head, like, hard, right?”

Crockett continued to attack Texas Republicans in a speech–ironically, at a Human Rights Council event, in which she referred to our wheelchair-bound Governor Greg Abbott as “Governor Hot Wheels.” Questionable messaging to say the least from the party that supposedly champions underrepresented and marginalized people.

In the same speech, Crockett declared herself the heir apparent to the Democrat party. HYR wishes her luck in her journey, and hopes Democrat party leadership and voters feel the same.

Worth noting Rep. Crockett’s recently adopted firebrand persona is purely political theater–she spoke with an entirely different cadence and accent before joining the ranks of Congress. ([link removed])

In response to her incendiary rhetoric, southeast Texas Congressman Randy Weber [R-TX-14] queued up a proposal to formally censure Crockett. Here’s hoping she joins Houston Congressman Al Green [D-TX-9] on the House censure list soon.

Update: In an appearance on the widely syndicated podcast, The Breakfast Club, Crockett personally attacked Rep. Byron Donalds ([link removed]) [R-FL-19] over his inter-racial marriage–implying his wife had “whitewashed” him. Does this same principle apply to Crockett’s colleagues with white spouses (Kamala Harris, Ilhan Omar, AOC etc.), or only Republicans?


** Taxpayer Funded Media on the Hot-seat
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The House Oversight Committee held a contentious hearing featuring the heads of NPR and PBS. Both organizations have historically received federal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; you don’t need to regularly listen to either outlet to appreciate their disdain for conservative principles. Republicans who bravely subject themselves to NPR/PBS programming have even been able to boil down their anti-GOP propaganda to a simple formula ([link removed]) .

Two Texas Congressmen, Pat Fallon [R-TX-4] and Brandon Gill [R-TX-26], rose to the occasion interrogating the head of NPR–putting her partisanship and hypocrisy on clear display. The footage speaks for itself: Fallon ([link removed]) and Gill ([link removed]) ’s lines of questioning respectively.

Gill followed up his viral hearing performance by spearheading a Congressional letter ([link removed]) calling for an end to federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Additionally: We are tracking the ongoing battle between Congress and liberal activist judges seeking to impede the White House agenda. The situation is fluid and slowly developing, but Rep. Jim Jordan has a gameplan ([link removed]) in the works.


In Other News
* RIP Mia Love. The former Congresswoman [R-UT-4] was the first black Republican woman ever elected to Congress; she tragically lost her grueling 3 year battle with brain cancer, and leaves behind an impressive political and personal legacy ([link removed]) .
* Rep. Tim Burchett [R-TN-2] continued effortlessly roasting ([link removed]) a Democrat activist who regularly confronts him on Capitol Hill.
* Honor, support, and pray for local law enforcement. This week marked the 4th suicide in 6 weeks ([link removed]) amongst current or former Harris County deputies.
* Southeast Asia was hit by a devastating earthquake–the footage of the disaster and aftermath ([link removed]) is not for the faint of heart.
* HHS Secretary RFK has announced plans to ban pharmaceutical commercials on television—I for one welcome the day where I never have to watch another Skyrizi, Ozempic, Phizer, or Cialis commercial; I only wish he could do something about that godforsaken Geico pig ([link removed]) too.
* Louis DeJoy has resigned as US Postmaster General. Good luck to whoever his successor may be.
* Former Rep. Colin Allred [D-TX-32] (more like Colin Allblue ([link removed]) ), fresh off an 8.5 point Senate campaign loss to Houston’s own Sen. Ted Cruz [R-TX], is reportedly “seriously considering” a run for Sen. John Cornyn’s [R-TX] seat in 2026. I’m sure the second time will be the charm in an increasingly red state.
* Here’s another Babylon Bee headline sadly foreshadowing reality. ([link removed])
* The Trump administration has revoked the student visas of over 400 radical political activists across college campuses nationwide; Secretary Rubio explains why ([link removed]) .
* President Trump is canceling federal funding for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, an organization founded by Bill Gates. Surely Bill has the money to privately fund it himself–why did it need taxpayer money in the first place?
* Some brave and downtrodden Columbia alumni responded in kind by ripping up their diplomas in protest ([link removed]) –surely that’ll get the White House to reverse course.
* A toddler snuck through the White House ([link removed]) fence on the north lawn–he was caught by Secret Service and returned to his parents; maybe he was just trying to pitch President Trump another mowing service ([link removed]) ?



** Anti-Israeli Protestors Force Cancellation of Houston Young Republicans Event Featuring Jewish Councilwoman
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By Mark McCaig

The Texas Voice

Ringing loud bells and shouting phrases such as “You like dead babies, Amy Peck!”, “Free, free Palestine!” and “Fix, six, seven, eight, Israel is a racist state” through a bullhorn, a group of anti-Israel protestors forced the cancellation of a Houston Young Republicans meeting on Tuesday.

The meeting was supposed to feature Houston City Councilwoman Amy Peck and a discussion of issues facing Houston municipal government. However, shouting protestors surrounded Peck’s car, making it unsafe for her to enter the event venue. Houston police were called to the scene, allowing Peck to drive away from the venue safely. The protestors appeared to target the event because Peck is Jewish.

“The Houston Young Republicans proudly stand with Council Member Amy Peck—a fierce conservative voice and friend to our organization. The discriminatory disruption of our chapter’s event on account of Councilwoman Peck’s Jewish faith was vile and unacceptable—and has no place in our city or politics.

We will not be silenced. We remain committed to a political climate rooted in respect, civility, and the free flow of ideas. We look forward to hosting Council Member Peck at a later date,” said Courtney Trevino, President of Houston Young Republicans.

This was not the first time the Houston Young Republicans have been forced to cancel an event featuring a Jewish speaker due to safety concerns caused by anti-Israel activists. Last year, The Texas Voice reported on an incident where the Houston Young Republicans were forced to cancel a meeting featuring Livia Link-Raviv ([link removed]) , Consul General of Israel to the Southwest, after anti-Israel activists threatened to burn down the venue where the meeting was scheduled to be held. That event was later held at a different venue with heightened security, forcing the Houston Young Republicans to incur significant costs for the added security.


** Tim Walz and Beto O’Rourke Hold Event in Fort Bend County
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and former Congressman and perennial candidate Beto O’Rourke held a “town hall” event in Fort Bend County on Thursday where they doubled down on the far-left policies that have been attributed to the Democratic Party some of its worst polling numbers ever.

The event saw O’Rourke, who has run unsuccessful campaigns for the United States Senate, President, and Governor since 2018, attempt to cast himself as the leader of a resistance movement against President Trump.

“Though these may be dark days, and they most certainly are, and this President has pushed this country and our democracy to the very edge- to the precipice- I want you to know that we can push back,” said O’Rourke, who also compared his resistance movement to “those brave service members who landed on those beaches in Normandy of June of 1944 to defend democracy here at home while fighting fascism overseas.”

Walz endorsed the idea of a national strike that was raised by one of the speakers at the event. “I’m with this guy on the national strike,” said Walz. “The Europeans know how to do it.”

Walz and O’Rourke have both been soundly rejected by Texas voters in recent years. The Kamala Harris-Tim Walz Presidential ticket was defeated by nearly 14 points in Texas last year, while O’Rourke lost to Governor Greg Abbott by almost 11 points in 2022.

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Author: Matt Murphy, Political Director, Houston Young Republicans

Editor: Courtney Trevino, President, Houston Young Republicans

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