Today, the House of Representatives passed the Strategic Production Response Act, will prevent further abuse of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The bill requires any future non-emergency drawdowns to be accompanied by a plan from the Secretary of Energy to replace the drawdowns with an increase in domestic petroleum production. H.R. 21 provides a path towards making energy more affordable and reliable for Americans by preserving the SPR’s vital and central purpose—to provide the oil supplies Americans need during true emergencies, not drain them away for non-emergency, political purposes.

This issue is personal to our Gulf Coast district since we house almost 60% of America’s SPR, and I will continue to ensure that our SPR is used for STRATEGIC purposes. President Biden is singlehandedly responsible for our energy crisis, and that is why House Republicans are taking important steps to hold him accountable. I am proud to see this bill pass the House. 

This week, House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans held two roundtables to discuss the dangers Big Tech pose to American children amidst the fentanyl poisoning crisis and the importance of American energy security. 

On Wednesday, I heard from a mother who lost her 14-year-old son, Alexander, in June 2020 due to fentanyl poisoning. The fentanyl crisis has real-world impacts on American families and the ease of access people, especially children, have via social media is deeply concerning. We were able to learn from advocates on how the Energy and Commerce Committee can advance policy solutions to help combat this devastating problem. 

Yesterday, I heard from expert panelists that discussed how the U.S. has become dangerously dependent on countries like China and Russia and how we can reverse this trend by unleashing American energy and securing our grid. America can and should be leading on the energy and transportation policies that will shape our future and that of the world. We have abundant natural resources, leading innovations, and American ingenuity. We should not be reliant upon foreign adversaries for our energy, energy technology, or our supply chains. House Republicans will continue to do just that. 

According to Border Patrol sources, more than 1.2 MILLION illegal immigrants have evaded apprehension at our southern border in the chaos of Joe Biden’s border crisis. Unfortunately, there is no telling how many more were not known to authorities. 

This damning report follows the release of the December 2022 Monthly Operational Report by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which contained the highest monthly total of illegal encounters at our southern border in CBP history. There were 251,487 crossings in just ONE month.  

Joe Biden’s historic border crisis is only getting worse under this administration’s failing open-border policies, but accountability is here. House Republicans have already hit the ground running on conducting crucial Congressional oversight—and we will not stop until we get full transparency for the American people.

This week, I joined the Texas Republican delegation to send a letter to President Biden to reimburse Texas for our efforts to secure the southern border. We also requested a meeting with President Biden to hear the solutions Texans are proposing to end this security crisis. 

• H.R. 21 - Strategic Production Response Act
• H.R. 261 - Article I Regulatory Budget Act
• H.R. 314 - FORCE Act
• H.R. 331 - To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a Border Enforcement Security Task Force unit to investigate transnational criminal organization arms smuggling across the international border between the United States and Mexico, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 429 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to deny the trade or business expense deduction for the reimbursement of employee costs of child gender transition procedure or travel to obtain an abortion.
• H.R. 484 - To repeal the natural gas tax.
• H.R. 486 - To prohibit the government of the District of Columbia from using Federal funds to allow individuals who are not citizens of the United States to vote in any election, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 487 - To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to prohibit a State from registering an individual to vote in elections for Federal office held in the State unless the individual provides documentary proof that the individual is a citizen of the United States.
• H.Res. 52 - Memorializing the unborn by lowering the United States flag to half-staff on the 22d day of January each year.
• H.R. 267 - Ceasing Age-Based Trucking Restrictions Act
• H.R. 497 - To eliminate the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on health care providers furnishing items and services under certain Federal health care programs.
• H.R. 509 - To prevent class-based loan forgiveness for Federal student loans under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 without the explicit appropriation of funds by Congress for such purpose.
• H.R. 513 - To amend the Defense Production Act of 1950 to prevent harm and disruption to the United States agriculture industry by protecting against foreign influence over agriculture production and supply chains, and for other purposes.
• H.Con.Res. 9 - Denouncing the horrors of socialism.
• H.Con.Res. 10 - Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should resume normal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, negotiate a bilateral free trade agreement with Taiwan, and support Taiwan's membership in international organizations.
• H.R. 38 - Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
• H.R. 173 - Home Defense and Competitive Shooting Act of 2023
• H.R. 336 - To immediately resume construction of the border wall system along the international border between the United States and Mexico to secure the border, enforce the rule of law, and expend appropriated funds as mandated by Congress, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 354 - To amend title 18, United States Code, to improve the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act and provisions relating to the carrying of concealed weapons by law enforcement officers, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 381 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to update the definition of rifles, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 398 - To amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services from conducting or supporting any research involving human fetal tissue that is obtained pursuant to an induced abortion, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 407 - To prohibit the use of Federal funds to implement Executive order relating to reproductive health services.
• H.R. 412 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 620 East Pecan Boulevard in McAllen, Texas, as the "Agent Raul H. Gonzalez Jr. Memorial Post Office".
• H.R. 416 - To amend title IV of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit sale or transactions relating to human fetal tissue.
• H.R. 421 - To prohibit chemical abortions performed without the presence of a healthcare provider, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 424 - To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for penalties for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information by officers or employees of the Supreme Court, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 425 - To amend the Revised Statutes of the United States to prevent the use of the legal system in a manner that extorts money from State and local governments, and the Federal Government, and inhibits such governments' constitutional actions under the first, tenth, and fourteenth amendments.
• H.R. 427 - To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the approval of new abortion drugs, to prohibit investigational use exemptions for abortion drugs, and to impose additional regulatory requirements with respect to previously approved abortion drugs, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 431 - To implement equal protection under the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution for the right to life of each born and preborn human person.
• H.R. 435 - To prohibit the award of Federal funds to an institution of higher education that hosts or is affiliated with a student-based service site that provides abortion drugs or abortions to students of the institution or to employees of the institution or site, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 441 - To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to the concealment, removal, or mutilation of a Supreme Court opinion or draft opinion, and for other purposes.
• H.Res. 8 - Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
• H.Res. 48 - Expressing support for the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
• H.Res. 50 - Recognizing that Article I, Section 10 of the United States Constitution explicitly reserves to the States the sovereign power to repel an invasion and defend their citizenry from the overwhelming and "imminent danger" posed by paramilitary, narco-terrorist cartels, terrorists and criminal actors who have seized control of our southern border.
• H.Res. 51 - Expressing support for the designation of the week of January 22 through January 28, 2023, as "National School Choice Week".

It is a privilege to represent our district in Congress.  While we’ve faced many challenges in recent years, through strength and prayer, we have persevered. 

Please know that we are always a resource for you.  Call or stop by any of the offices (YOUR offices, we work for you), whenever you need assistance or want to talk about an issue before Congress.

For assistance or more information, please call or go online to visit us at weber.house.gov.

God Bless you and God Bless Texas!