On Wednesday, I traveled to the southern border with the House Energy and Commerce Committee to hold a field hearing in McAllen to expose the Biden administration's public health crisis fueled by fentanyl being trafficked through the southern border. President Biden's open-borders agenda is putting Americans across this country at risk every day, turning every town into a border town.

More people than ever are dying from fentanyl poisonings, and the most heart-wrenching is that fentanyl attacks the young generation. It's the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45.

Most illicit fentanyl and fentanyl analogues being smuggled across the border are being produced by cartels in Mexico—with precursor ingredients sourced from China. Criminals and drug dealers are selling these deadly substances in communities and are killing a record number of Americans—71,000 in 2021. So far in 2023, DEA has seized 4.5 million fake pills laced with fentanyl, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seized more than 1400 pounds of fentanyl. And this is just the amount that has been seized – how much is being missed? This is a public health crisis. 

Republicans are offering alternatives to keep people safe and save lives. I am a proud co-sponsor of the HALT Fentanyl Act to permanently place fentanyl-related substances into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. This will ensure that our law enforcement officials have the tools they need to keep these poisons off our streets.

After our field hearing at the southern border, we headed to Midland to discuss the importance of American energy expansion. There is no better place to have a field hearing on energy than Texas. We are the energy powerhouse of the world.

Our primary energy objective is to ensure reliable, secure, and affordable delivery of energy to Americans to their homes, to their businesses, the grocery stores, and everywhere in between. We must build upon our nation’s diverse and abundant natural resources to create more secure supplies and dependable power. 

The House Energy and Commerce Committee wanted to go to Texas to see where it all begins. In TX-14, we know it starts with the workers, the families, and all the people living and working in energy-producing communities. We cannot achieve a more secure energy future, create more jobs, and increase affordability without the people who do this work and take the risks to produce American energy. Thank you to all of our hardworking men and women in TX-14! 

Texas ports are critical to the economic growth of the state and are key components of Texas' transportation system. As hubs of international trade, Texas ports support nearly $450 billion in economic activity in the state and $1 trillion in the nation. In TX-14 we are home to 7 ports! 

Together, Texas ports move more cargo than any other state, more than 607 million tons in 2020, including 464 million tons of international cargo and 143 million tons of domestic cargo. Texas ports also moved nearly three million containers and served nearly 500,000 cruise passengers, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Five of the state’s ports are ranked in the top 20 U.S. ports by total tonnage: Houston, Corpus Christi, Beaumont, Texas City, and Port Arthur. 

I am proud to be the co-chair of the bipartisan House Ports Opportunity, Renewal, Trade, and Security (PORTS) Caucus with Rep. Robert Garcia (CA-42). I look forward to the continued work on the caucus to find ways to promote and protect our ports.

• H.R. 976 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make permanent certain provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affecting individuals, families, and small businesses, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 998 - To amend section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify congressional intent with respect to agreements under such section, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 1007 - To amend the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act to assist small businesses that seek to engage in the research, development, and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors by delaying onerous licensing fees, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 1011 - To require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to conduct an audit of any unobligated coronavirus-related funding and to rescind all such funding, and for other purposes.
• H.R. 1018 - To amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring an issuer to disclose information related to certain greenhouse gas emissions, and for other purposes.
• H.Res. 124 - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should support the expansion of domestic nuclear energy and advanced nuclear technology as a viable source of power in order to promote United States nuclear energy leadership and global energy independence.
• H.R. 983 - To ensure that a woman seeking a chemical abortion is informed that it may be possible to reverse the intended effects of the abortion if the woman changes her mind, and for other purposes.

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!