Investigation into Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell.  This week in Washington started off on an alarming note, with news of the Department of Justice opening a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell, purportedly related to his testimony before the Senate on renovations at the Federal Reserve headquarters.  In case it’s not obvious, this is beyond unusual.  And, it did not come at the request of the Senate, as it would and should in cases of testimony to Congress.  But it is in other ways not surprising: President Trump has spent his year in office pressuring Powell and the Federal Reserve Board to lower interest rates, and this investigation, Chairman Powell recognized, appears to be another attempt to use the power of the federal government to intimidate him into lowering interest rates.  One of the Federal Reserve’s mandates is to fight inflation, and its main tool to do so is the power to control interest rates.  Congress established the Federal Reserve as an independent agency so that it could do its work with the long-term interest of the American economy in mind—without having to worry about meddling politicians who want to cut interest rates right before an election to solve their short-term political problems.  Chairman Powell reaffirmed his commitment to setting monetary policy based on the best interest of the American people—not on the preferences of any president—but the effort to intimidate and pressure has become part and parcel of the Trump administration.

Widespread Protests in Iran.  News of the rapidly escalating protests in Iran and the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown against protestors, including violent military force and widespread internet blackouts, was also on the mind of lawmakers.  More than 2,000 people are estimated to have been killed since the demonstrations began late last month, although the true magnitude is unclear because of the shutdown of internet and phone access from within Iran.  I support the right of the Iranian people to protest peacefully, and share concerns of many regarding the actions of the Iranian regime.  At the same time, I remain concerned about President Trump’s statements about unilaterally ordering offensive military action in foreign countries without the consent of Congress.  Throughout the week, President Trump has repeatedly threatened military intervention against the Iranian government, alarming lawmakers in Congress, our allies, and countries around the world.  Our Constitution grants Congress—not the President—the sole authority and solemn responsibility to declare war and engage in foreign conflicts.  Should President Trump choose to violate our Constitution once again with military action in Iran, it risks pulling our country into a war.  Any direct attacks threaten to escalate hostilities and endanger U.S. forces in the region as well as Americans around the world.  (And, it bears mentioning that the President is claiming to support free speech in Iran while he and his administration are objecting to it at home, using force against Americans exercising their Constitutional right to protest immigration enforcement agency efforts and tactics in Minneapolis, another issue on the minds of all this week.)

Threats Against Greenland.  Lawmakers in Washington are also concerned regarding the Trump administration’s repeated threats to take over Greenland, which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, a U.S. treaty ally and founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).  President Trump’s fixation on purchasing or even seizing Greenland has escalated tensions with our long-time European allies, and could cause irreparable rifts in the United States’ relationship with Greenland, Denmark, and the European Union.  Despite Greenland’s government repeatedly declining the Trump administration’s calls to join the United States, President Trump continues to state that anything less than bringing Greenland under American control is unacceptable.

Government Funding.  On Wednesday, the House considered two government funding (appropriations) bills for certain federal agencies and government programs for Fiscal Year 2026 packaged together into one vote, the Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026, H.R. 7006. 

While I am glad that the Congress is again working on appropriations bills, and while I appreciate the hard work of my Democratic colleagues on the House Committee on Appropriations to improve these bills from where they started, I voted against these funding bills because they fail to meet the moment and to respond to the Trump administration’s many abuses and do not have sufficient protections against future abuses from the President and his administration.  Among its provisions, H.R. 7006:

• Fails to restrain President Trump’s escalating use of military force in Venezuela and Iran, or his threats of potential military action in Greenland, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, and other countries;
• Fails to challenge Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought’s politically motivated withholding of taxpayer funds by fully funding OMB without additional restraints;
• Rubberstamps the Trump administration’s dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID);
• Provides $8 million for Elon Musk’s failed DOGE project;
• Cuts $438.6 million from the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) budget to enforce tax laws; and
• Creates an $850 million slush fund for President Trump called the “America First Opportunity Fund.”

The bill passed the House by a vote of 341-79 and now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.

Also this week, the House was set to consider a slate of Republican bills that would weaken the Fair Labor Standards Act, a law that created worker protections including child labor restrictions, overtime pay standards, and the federal minimum wage.  If enacted, the bills scheduled for consideration this week would allow employers to bypass many of these protections and weaken standards for overtime pay, collective bargaining rights, and wages for tipped workers.  These bills would take money out of workers’ pockets during an affordability crisis.  Fortunately, six Republicans agreed with me and other Democrats in the House, voting against the first of these bills, the Flexibility for Workers Education Act (H.R. 2262), which failed in a 215-209 vote.  After that bill failed on the floor, Speaker Johnson pulled the rest of the bills from consideration. 

It may be timely to discuss the very narrow margins in the House of Representatives at the moment.  The partisan breakdown in the House stands at 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats, with four seats vacant (including Texas’ 18^th Congressional District next door to ours, which will be filled following a special election at the end of this month).  If every Member of Congress is present and voting, House Republicans can only afford to have three members of their conference vote against a bill for the bill to fail.  Following some special elections and runoffs, that number could be even smaller.  I mention this to remind you of the importance of engaging with people who may not agree with you on every issue and sharing that message with friends and neighbors everywhere.  It only takes a few members to stand up to House leadership to stop some of the harmful things making their way through Congress.  This week provided a good example of the power of engagement and using your voice. 

On Thursday, the House voted on one additional bill, the Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act (H.R. 2988).  This bill, contrary to its name, seeks to place arbitrary barriers on retirement plan investments that use certain criteria in making investment decisions, often referred to as ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) to refer to a broad set of factors including sustainability, ethics, and management practices to make investment decisions.  Americans should have the freedom to invest as they please.  I voted against this bill, but it passed the House by a vote of 213-205.

The House also passed several bills without much debate, including a bill I cosponsored, the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025 (H.R. 909).  This bipartisan legislation ensures consistent, year-to-year funding for the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), which serves as the primary federal funding source for Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants.  The CVF is financed through criminal fines and penalties rather than congressional appropriations, providing essential services like crisis counseling, emergency shelter, legal assistance, and advocacy for victims and their families. 

The House also considered two bills related to foreign trade, the AGOA Extension Act (H.R. 6500) and the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act (H.R. 6504).  These bills reauthorize longstanding programs to provide duty-free access to the U.S. market for eligible Sub-Saharan countries and products and on Haitian apparel exports.  These bills protect and strengthen America’s strategic, economic, and national security interests in these regions. I have been working with TX-07’s Texas-Africa Chamber of Commerce on the important reauthorization of AGOA, and was glad to cast my vote for both of these bills, which passed the House 340-54 and 345-45, respectively.

As a reminder, you can always find a list of all of the votes I have taken for the district on my website.

On Monday, I joined my colleagues Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11), Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33), and Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01) in introducing the Mystic Alerts Act (H.R. 7022) to improve Americans’ access to Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs).  This legislation requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to encourage mobile service providers to adopt satellite alerting capabilities—technology that allows more people to receive life-saving alerts, even if they lack cellular service.  No one should miss a life-saving emergency alert because they do not have cell service.  Satellite alerting technology has the potential to close dangerous gaps in our emergency communications system, and by encouraging mobile providers to adopt these capabilities, this bill helps ensure that emergency alerts can reach people no matter where they live or what signal they have. On Thursday, the Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology advanced the bill, where it now heads to the full Committee for consideration. 

I cosponsored several other bills and resolutions this week on issues important to our community, including:

• a resolution to direct the removal of the United States Armed Forces from Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress, H.Con.Res 68;
• the Save Healthcare Workers Act, H.R. 3178, to appropriate funds to protect hospital workers from violence;
• the Public Health Air Quality Act, H.R. 6782, to protect clean air and public health by expanding air monitoring protections and access to air quality information for communities affected by air pollution; to require hazardous air pollutant monitoring at the facilities whose emissions are linked to local health threats; to ensure the Environmental Protection Agency promulgates rules that require hazardous air pollutant data measurement and electronic submission at fencelines and stacks of industrial source categories; to expand and strengthen the national ambient air quality monitoring network; and to deploy air quality systems in communities affected by air pollution;
• the National Gun Violence Research Act of 2025, H.R. 5622, to provide for a coordinated national research program to examine the nature, causes, consequences, and prevention of violence and unintended injury and death relating to gun ownership, use, and trafficking; and
• the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, H.R. 1329, to permit for a Smithsonian Women’s History Museum to be located within the National Mall;
• a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Korean American Day, H.Res. 995; and

On Tuesday, the Trump administration terminated thousands of discretionary grants at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  These grants fund critical mental health and addiction treatment programs across our country and our community.  I was deeply concerned by the termination of these grants, which is why I joined my colleagues in sending a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging him to rescind the grant terminations.  On Wednesday, the Trump administration reinstated the cancelled grants, thanks to the pressure from Congress and others.  Rescinding and then reinstating critical mental health funding once again demonstrated the chaos, confusion, and cruelty that have become hallmarks of the Trump administration.

In addition to this letter, I joined my colleagues in sending other letters to the administration, including:

• a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons demanding transparency and accountability following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota and requesting an independent investigation; and
• a letter to President Donald Trump calling on him to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

On Tuesday, the Energy & Commerce Committee Energy Subcommittee held a hearing with Acting Undersecretary of Energy Alex Fitzsimmons.  At the end of a long hearing, I asked him to explain the “deal” he testified existed in connection following the United States’ military action in Venezuela.  The national security implications of any “deal” are significant, and the Trump administration appears to be moving forward without the input of Congress.  I’m sorry to report that Undersecretary Fitzsimmons had little detail to provide, but I will continue to ask questions about the nature and scope of the work in Venezuela and many issues it raises for people in our district, across the country, and around the world.  You can watch our exchange below.

Thanks to everyone who joined in for my virtual town hall on Monday evening!  I was glad to share my thoughts on recent events and how the events over the last year in particular got us to where we are today.  I appreciate the thoughtful input from so many people in our district who sent in more than 100 questions in advance to help guide the report.  Many of these questions we will answer together in the weeks, months, and years ahead—and that’s why it’s so important for me to hear from you. 

I covered some of these issues in my 2025 Annual Report, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, I hope you will here.

Our constituent advocates are everywhere!  Next Friday, they will be at the Gulfton Management District to meet with residents and help answer questions about matters regarding federal agencies.  They'll be there to help from 1:00-3:00 p.m.  Stop by!

Looking ahead to next month, help us share the love with Houston's veterans by making Valentines for Veterans. Cards are due January 30—sign up here.

The House will be back in session next Tuesday, and I will be in Washington for hearings, meetings and anticipated votes on more government funding legislation.  We are currently scheduled to be back home in the district the following week, and I look forward to being at home and seeing and meeting with many of you.

As always, I am proud to represent you and I am here to help you.  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,