Dear Neighbor,
I returned to Washington this week, ready to work to reopen the government. The House was not called back into session. Still, I worked with colleagues and met with constituents about the government shutdown and other issues. Here is my report from the week in Washington. |
Seventeen days have passed since government funding lapsed and the federal government entered a shutdown. I returned to Washington to meet with my House Democratic colleagues, demonstrating our desire to work to end the shutdown and address the health care crisis. On Wednesday, we gathered on the steps of the Capitol to hear from our fellow citizens affected by the healthcare crisis, urging our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to return to town and work with us. |
While Speaker Johnson kept the House out of session for its fourth week, the Senate continued to vote on government funding proposals, but none of the bills met the 60-vote threshold required to pass the Senate. Yesterday, the Senate voted on the bill the House passed for the 10th time and it failed for the 10th time.
Even though the government is shut down, a lot of things are happening that are not good. Last Friday, the Trump administration attempted to fire more than 4,000 federal workers.
On Wednesday, a Federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a temporary restraining order (TRO), ordering the Trump administration to halt immediately the mass firing of more than 4,000 federal workers during the government shutdown. In a case brought by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the district court ordered the administration to issue no further Reduction-in-Force (RIF) notices and take no action to enforce the RIF notices already issued in offices at the defendant agencies where the unions represent employees. The district court also ordered the administration to provide detailed information within two days on the RIF notices it has issued. The court ruled that the Trump administration’s actions were illegal, were in excess of its authority, and were “arbitrary and capricious.”
Among the federal workers targeted in the layoffs was the Department of Health and Human Services’ entire Office of Population Affairs, effectively halting federal support for Title X family planning services. Many have heard me say before, Title X was born in TX07—introduced in Congress by Congressman George H.W. Bush. The program that Congress created makes Title X-funded health centers lifelines in American communities, providing high-quality family planning and sexual health care, including cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV testing, contraceptive services and supplies, pregnancy testing, and other essential health care services. The dismantling of this office deprives Americans of critical services at 3,853 health centers across the country.
Also last week, the Office of Management and Budget suggested that furloughed federal workers are not entitled to back pay once the government shutdown ends. After the 2018-2019 government shutdown, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 to guarantee back pay for all furloughed government employees. Now, the Trump administration is claiming that this law may not provide furloughed federal workers with backpay. This has caused concern for many furloughed government employees. This week, I joined my colleagues in sending a letter to OMB Director Russell Vought demanding that the Trump administration guarantee that furloughed government employees will receive back pay once the shutdown ends, as the law requires.
Also, today, the United States Courts announced that, beginning next Monday, it will no longer have funding to sustain full, paid operations, and that federal courts will be open only for limited operations, which will be determined by each court. |
I am sorry to report that our team is continuing to see delays in raising and resolving constituent matters at key federal agencies. As we end the third week without government funding, our constituent advocates are experiencing delays in getting responses, and in some cases agencies have announced that they will not respond to inquiries from congressional offices during the shutdown. This week, we learned that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have all stopped issuing congressional casework responses during the shutdown. Each of these agencies, the SSA, VA, and HUD, have relayed that they will assist citizens directly, but delays should be expected. We also learned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not accepting congressional inquiries at this time.
Our team is committed to helping you and keeping you informed. We will continue to update the shutdown information page of my website as we learn new information about what to expect and how the ongoing shutdown may impact you. Our team has compiled answers to specific and anticipated Frequently Asked Questions on the website. |
While I was back in D.C., I was glad to meet with members of the Texas-Africa Chamber of Commerce (TXACC), based here in TX07, to discuss issues of interest and concern to chamber members, including renewal of the US-Africa trade agreement (AGOA), and other issues of the day. |
Before I headed back to Washington this week, I joined Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and Harris County leaders for the announcement of Harris County’s lawsuit against the Trump administration, an important effort essential to fairness, energy independence, and the rule of law. |
In 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). I voted for it, and more important, I worked on its provisions with the input of many Houstonians. Among its many provisions, the IRA established the Solar for All program, a $7 billion investment to help working families lower their electricity bills, strengthen local economies, and build a more resilient future. It is one of the most important renewable energy programs in our country’s history, designed to bring residential and community solar to 900,000 households across our country—saving families an estimated $350 million every year on energy costs.
Here in Texas, Harris County led a statewide coalition that won one of the five largest awards in the country: $250 million to deliver solar and battery storage to more than 28,000 low-income and working-class households. But on August 7th, the Trump administration announced—without legal authority and without justification—that it was eliminating the Solar for All program entirely. Overnight, 60 grantees across the country, including Harris County, got a message that their programs were terminated. That decision was not just reckless — it was unlawful.
Congress established the Solar for All program. Congress appropriated the funds for it. Congress directed the EPA to implement it. No president, no political appointee, can unilaterally eliminate a program Congress created. Doing so violates the law and the U.S. Constitution.
The Inflation Reduction Act was written to serve every American, in red states and blue states alike. When we passed the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats ensured its benefits would reach every corner of this country. We wanted to make sure that families from El Paso to Elkhart, Amarillo to Austin, Houston to Harlingen could all share in the prosperity of America’s energy future.
That is why Harris County is suing — not for politics, but for principle. The County’s lawsuit asks the court to declare what Congress already made clear: that the EPA’s elimination of this program is unlawful, unconstitutional, and must be reversed. |
People across TX-07 and around the world will celebrate Diwali on Monday! Diwali is a season of light, a celebration of the triumph of light over darkness. I wish all those celebrating joy, good fortune, and brighter days ahead. |
Speaker Johnson has not called the House back for legislative work for next week, and he said again this week that he does not intend to call the House back to any work of any kind until the Senate passes some kind of government funding bill. As I’ve said before, this failure to return to Washington does not make sense. The bill the House passed only funds the government until late November, which is a few weeks away. The idea was that a short extension of time would allow the House and Senate to work on the full-year appropriations bills. But House Republicans are not in Washington to work on them, or anything else. During the last government shutdown, in 2019, the House met regularly and voted repeatedly to reopen the government. There is no apparent reason to suspend all the work of the House. But in doing so, the Speaker has delayed the swearing in of a newly elected Democratic member of Congress and avoided taking action on the release of the Epstein files. I will keep you updated as we continue navigating this shutdown. I look forward to spending some time at home in the district to visit with people across our community about these issues and more. Until next time, please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email here at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes, |
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