{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where party = \"Republican\", state = \"TX\" and year = 2017 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["http://flores.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399054", "Waco Tribune: New tax bill paves way for era of prosperity in 2018 and beyond", "2017-12-30", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Bill Flores", "F000461", "flores.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "By U.S. Rep. Bill Flores There has been an incredible amount of false rhetoric regarding tax reform recently. As a Texas Certified Public Accountant (CPA), former energy CEO and a former chief financial officer for three multi-national businesses, I have a comprehensive and deep real world understanding on the impact of tax policy on American wage growth, economic activity and international competitiveness. I rely on that expertise to write and set the record straight regarding tax reform. As we begin 2018, we have set the framework to usher in a new era of American prosperity. Relief is on the way for working-class American families, many of whom now live paycheck to paycheck. According to recent studies, a majority of these families have less than a $400 cash reserve to handle financial emergencies. In addition, many of these individuals and families have experienced little to no growth in their take-home pay during the 2006-2016 time period. During that time, income inequality grew at the fastest rate in decades, while these families were left behind and saddled with higher health-care costs and higher costs of living. When the House of Representatives started working on tax reform in 2011, these are the families and individuals that we kept in the forefront of our thinking. Our goals during the tax-reform process were twofold  first, to help working-class families keep more of their paychecks, and second, and most importantly, to provide a tax infrastructure that would grow jobs and economic opportunities for these families. History proves empirically that tax reform and tax cuts, when properly executed, will generate higher economic growth, more job opportunities and larger paychecks. A quick review of gross domestic product (GDP) growth, employment growth and wage growth following the tax cut/tax reform initiatives of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 (enacted in 1964); President Ronald Reagan in 1981-1982; and again under Reagan in 1986 shows that working-class families experience substantial economic benefits when America fixes its tax system. In particular, the last comprehensive overhaul of our tax code, during the Reagan administration in 1986, led to a significant boost in our nations economic activity. During that time, American GDP growth averaged about 3.9 percent and reached as high as 4.2 percent. This economic opportunity is substantially better than the 2009-2016 period when average GDP growth was an anemic 1.5 percent. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law on Dec. 22, creates a tax code for the 21st century that will lead to more jobs, bigger paychecks and fairer taxes for these hardworking American families. Under the new tax code, which will start on January 1, a typical family of four earning the median family income of $73,000 per year would see a 58 percent reduction in their tax bill. For this family, it means they get to keep over $2,000 more of their take-home pay. A family of four with annual income of $59,000 will see their taxes drop about 75 percent from approximately $1,600 to about $400. While some on the left have criticized these cuts, it is important to think about the impact that this increased take-home pay will have on these families. This increased cash flow is particularly impactful when looking at the average $400 cash reserves held by these families who struggle to get by on a paycheck-to-paycheck basis. These families will begin feeling these benefits in February as the IRS adjusts tax withholding tables; and April 15, 2018, the last date they will have to file their tax returns under todays broken tax code. Their tax filings for 2018 and subsequent years will be much easier and simpler. These families are helped by four major reforms. First, by nearly doubling the standard deduction  to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for joint filers  their tax-free earnings are significantly larger. Second, doubling the Child Tax Credit will give parents extra money to meet their families living expenses. Third, lowering tax rates across the board allows every American to receive a long-overdue tax cut. Fourth, and most importantly, the tax reforms for American businesses will generate hundreds of thousands of new jobs and larger paychecks. Despite false claims to the contrary, this tax reform was NOT rushed through Congress. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the result of years of work that began in earnest in 2011 when Republicans regained the majority in the House. Since then, the Senate and the House have held more than 100 tax-related hearings to ensure that input from all stakeholders including families, individuals, small businesses and the largest American companies would be included in shaping tax reform. I am particularly proud that constituents from the 17th Congressional District participated in this process by letting their voices be heard. Hearings even included compelling Ways and Means Committee hearing testimony from the leader of a women-owned business in our Central Texas congressional district. After a number of years and thousands of hours of input, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was formally introduced. The House and Senate tax-writing committees each spent four days considering and improving the bill. After each chamber passed its version of the bill, the conference committee began working to reconcile differences and to make the final bill stronger so that more hardworking Americans could feel the benefit of comprehensive tax reform. Immediately after the bill was signed by President Trump, several American businesses announced that they are issuing special 2017 employee bonuses, raising wage levels, investing in job-training and investing in America to grow their businesses. It is obvious that tax reform is already having a significant, positive impact on American families. These effects will expand and, when combined with the increase in GDP to 3.3 percent under the first year of President Trumps economic policies, our economy will continue to grow and American families will benefit. Critics of Americas new, improved tax code have also falsely claimed that it will create Armageddon consequences, including increased deficits, cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, etc. These claims are categorically false. They are beyond the pale and, worse, they are designed to create fear among American families who are just trying to recover from the broken economic policies of the past. History shows us that well-designed tax reform and tax cuts generate more economic activity, more income and more revenues for the federal government. In this regard, a recent study by the Department of Treasury (the folks who implement tax policy) shows that our new 21st century tax code will generate reduced federal deficits of approximately $300 billion over the next 10 years. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, safety net programs, etc. will not be adversely impacted by the new tax code. There are numerous other positive provisions of the new tax code that we could discuss. However, I want to focus on one that is important to higher education in our Central Texas region  the tax treatment of tuition discounts and waivers for graduate students. In this regard, I am pleased to report that throughout the legislative process of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, my team and I worked diligently on behalf of graduate students to preserve provisions that protect beneficial tax treatment for waived and discounted tuition incentives. We were successful in our efforts and the new tax code includes the beneficial tax treatment currently enjoyed by graduate students. The newly signed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will pave the way for economic gains across all sectors of our economy, jump-start wage growth and allow all Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money in their paychecks. It is a much-needed, fresh opportunity for hardworking American families across Texas and throughout the United States. To view this column as publishedCLICK HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://burgess.house.gov/blog/?postid=398539", "Burgess Releases 2017 Year End Report", "2017-12-29", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael Burgess", "B001248", "burgess.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Lake Dallas, T.X.   Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, released the following statement after publishing his 2017 Year End Report detailing key accomplishments and services for the 26th District. \r\n\r\nI commenced the 115th Congress with great hope for what we could accomplish for North Texas families in 2017. Reflecting on the last year, it is clear we have achieved several legislative victories and made significant strides in areas where work remains. From committee hearings to town halls, case work to media interviews, I am committed to serving the 26th District to the best of my ability. Since the start of my service in Congress, I have prioritized communicating with residents of the 26th District. This report is one way to hold myself accountable to my constituents, and I hope they will review it and let me know how I can best serve them and their families as we look ahead to 2018.\r\nThe complete 2017 Year End Report is available here.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://ratcliffe.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/delivering-tax-relief-northeast-texans", "Why I Voted for the Biggest Tax Cuts Since Reagan", "2017-12-29", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Ratcliffe", "R000601", "ratcliffe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "BY REP. JOHN RATCLIFFE (R-TEXAS)\n\nThree decades ago, Ronald Reagan delivered our country tax reform that spurred such enormous economic growth and prosperity, that it would distinguish him as one of the greatest presidents in our nations history. But since that time, the size and complexity of our tax code have multiplied immensely, and with this, so have the burdens it places on hard-working American families.\nThis is just one reason why the people of Texas 4th District and folks all across the country rose up last year to install new leadership committed to reversing the economic malaise of the previous eight years. They believe  like Reagan did  that allowing folks to keep more of their hard-earned dollars is the right way to restore the economic competitiveness of our country and reopen the door to the American dream.\nAs a firm believer that more economic freedom is the key to more prosperity, I was proud to vote in Congress for the passage of the biggest tax cut package our country has seen since Reagan. More than 30 years in the making, the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act represents a huge win for the American people.\nOur legislation focuses on the middle- and lower-class Americans who are burdened most by our current tax code. It provides specific relief for American families, and it puts wind in the sails of small business owners striving to create new jobs. All of these provisions combined will act as jet fuel for our economy  truly making America competitive again.\nHere at home in the 4th District of Texas, these tax cuts will result in putting more than $700 million directly into the hands of the hardworking people I represent, instead of giving it to Washington bureaucrats. One of the primary ways well do this is by doubling the standard deduction from $6,350 to $12,000 for individuals and from $12,700 to $24,000 for married couples  effectively creating an expanded zero percent tax bracket. This will directly benefit and provide immediate relief to the 79 percent of tax filers in Texas' 4th Districtwho currently benefit from this deduction.\nWe will also repeal one of the most harmful Obamacare provisions: the individual mandate, which unfairly penalized middle- and lower-class families who just cant afford to pay for skyrocketing Obamacare premiums. Obamas individual mandate has been slamming folks with a tax equal to 2.5 percent of their household income  and 80 percent of those paying this unfair penalty make less than $50,000 a year. Our tax cut package puts this hard-earned money back into back into their hands where it belongs.\nAdditionally, our tax cut plan focuses on supporting families by expanding the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $2,000, so we can make sure families can cover their everyday expenses and prepare for the future. On top of this, I fought hard to maintain the Adoption Tax Credit, so we can continue encouraging families to open their homes to children in need.\nOur plan will also reduce burdens on small business owners who are responsible for creating two-thirds of our countrys new jobs each year. Specifically, well be lowering the tax rate on the hard-earned business income of Main Street job creators to the lowest level weve had in decades. By doing this, well bring 80,000 new jobs to the state of Texas.\nWell also make America more competitive on the world stage by lowering the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent  the largest reduction in our nations history. This will finally stop businesses from being forced to move overseas to escape the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world, which means more American jobs for the American people.\nBy tackling the challenges of an overly burdensome and overly complex tax code that have festered for more than 30 long years, were finally delivering Americans the relief theyve been asking for  the relief that Ronald Reagan advocated for when he said the American Dream belongs to you. Im grateful for the opportunity Ive been given to be engaged in this process on your behalf.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://ratcliffe.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/icymi-reps-ratcliffe-and-gowdy-discuss-doj-and-fbi-oversight-fox-news", "ICYMI: Reps. Ratcliffe and Gowdy discuss DOJ and FBI oversight on Fox News", "2017-12-29", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Ratcliffe", "R000601", "ratcliffe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) and Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) appeared on Fox News' Ingraham Angle Thursday with Jason Chaffetz to discuss theirwork on the House Judiciary and House Oversight Committeesto look into the many abnormalities stemming from DOJ and FBI decisions in 2016  including the handling of the Clinton email investigation.\n  Click here to watch the interview with Ratcliffe and Gowdy\nRatcliffe and Gowdy recently interviewed FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe about the many outstanding questions surrounding these decisions.\nThe lawmakers said they are committed to conducting appropriate Congressional oversight to ensure the integrity of the DOJ and FBI is properly restored.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://ratcliffe.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=213", "ICYMI: Reps. Ratcliffe and Gowdy discuss DOJ and FBI oversight on Fox News", "2017-12-29", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Ratcliffe", "R000601", "ratcliffe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", null, 0, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3572", "Sen. Cruz Issues Statement on Peaceful Protests in Iran", "2017-12-29", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "HOUSTON, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued the following statement in support of the peaceful protestors speaking out against the Iranian regime.\n\"I strongly support and stand in solidarity with the Iranian people who are bravely taking to the streets to speak out against their repressive, brutal government in Tehran. These protests reveal to the world that the Iranian regime would rather export and finance terror beyond its borders--especially to its terrorist proxies in Syria, Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen--than work to meet the basic needs of its own citizens. The Iranian people want freedom and an end to the ayatollahs' reign of terror. The sanctions relief provided under the disastrous Obama nuclear deal has done nothing but line the pockets of Iran's mullahs whose sole desire is to spread their hateful ideology and do everything they can to murder Americans, Israelis, and our allies across Europe and the Middle East. I urge the Trump Administration to do everything possible to support these courageous protestors, and I call upon freedom-loving nations everywhere to rally behind and publicly express their support for the Iranian people.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3570", "VIDEO: Another Incredible Year Fighting For Texans", "2017-12-27", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "HOUSTON, Texas  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today released the following video highlighting his service to 28 million Texans in 2017. From repealing Obamacares individual mandate in Congress historic tax reform bill, to securing five Cruz-authored pieces of legislation signed into law by President Trump, which included his bill to provide immediate tax relief to victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, Sen. Cruz has fought tirelessly for the Lone Star state.\nWatch the full video here.\nI wake up each day grateful to serve 28 million Texans, Sen. Cruz said. Though 2017 has brought its share of challenges to Texas, America has witnessed the resilient, can-do spirit of our state, as we work to rebuild our homes, neighborhoods, and communities. As we reflect on 2017, and look forward to the new year, I remain committed to fighting for Texans in 2018.\nSen. Cruz played a critical role in repealing Obamacares individual mandate in Congress historic tax reform bill. By repealing the mandate, 6.5 million Americans who have been unfairly fined by the IRS for not being able to afford health insurance, have immediate and significant relief. Sen. Cruz continues to fight for the millions of Americans who have been hurt under Obamacare, and remains a leader on health care reform efforts.\nEarlier this year, Sen. Cruz reintroduced Kates Law, which would amend federal law to impose a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for any illegal reentry offense.\nPresident Trump signed into law the FY 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included 13 Cruz amendments critical to Texas and U.S. national security.\nAs a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Cruz led the effort to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia. In a speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Cruz urged his colleagues to honor the will of the American people, and confirm Justice Gorsuch swiftly.\nSen. Cruz introduced the El Chapo Act, which would reserve any amounts forfeited to the U.S. Government as a result of the criminal prosecution of El Chapo (formally named Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Lorea) and other drug lords for border security assets and the completion of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.\nIn the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Sen. Cruz visited with victims, volunteers, first responders, and local officials in every region affected by the storm. Along with Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Cruz introduced a bill to provide crucial and immediate tax relief to storm survivors along the Gulf Coast, in Puerto Rico, and in the Virgin Islands. President Trump signed it into law shortly thereafter.\nPresident Trump signed the Cruz-Nelson NASA Transition Authorization Act, which reaffirms NASAs core mission, and ensures the Johnson Space Center remains the crown jewel of NASAs human spaceflight missions.\nLater, President Trump signed into law a bill sponsored by Sen. Cruz and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) to disapprove and nullify a drug-testing rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor under the previous administration. The rule undermined the ability of states to conduct drug testing in their unemployment programs.\nNorth Korea has grown more hostile toward America and our allies, and is committed to destabilizing the Asia-Pacific region. Sen. Cruz introduced legislation mandating the State Department report on designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, which was included in the bipartisan Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. President Trump signed this bill into law in August and in November affirmatively designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.\nAdditionally, Sen. Cruzs Student Opportunity Amendment, the most far-reaching federal school choice legislation ever passed, was included in Congress tax reform bill. This amendment expands 529 College Savings Plans to include K-12 elementary and secondary school tuition for public, private, and religious schools.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=video&id=3571", "2017", "2017-12-27", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Central TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(512) 916-5834  300 E 8th  Suite 961  Austin, TX 78701  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t North TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(214) 599-8749  Lee Park Tower II  3626 N. Hall St.  Suite 410  Dallas, TX 75219  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Southeast TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(713) 718-3057  808 Travis Street  Suite 1420  Houston, TX 77002  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South/Cen. TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(210) 340-2885  9901 IH-10W  Suite 950  San Antonio, TX 78230  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t East TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway  Suite 501  Tyler, TX 75702  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(956) 686-7339   200 S. 10th St   Suite 1603   McAllen, TX 78501   Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Washington, D.C. \n\t\t\t\t\t(202) 224-5922  404 Russell  Washington, DC 20510  Contact", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/year-in-review-chairman-mccaul-lauds-committee-s-2017-achievements", "Year in Review: Chairman McCaul Lauds Committees 2017 Achievements", "2017-12-23", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael McCaul", "M001157", "mccaul.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington D.C.  House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) released the following statement highlighting the Committees many legislative accomplishments in the first session of the 115thCongress. This includes legislation to secure Americas borders, protect against cyber-attacks, ensure that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) runs efficiently, and shield the homeland from both international and domestic threats. With 80 Committee bills passed this year, Politico recently named the House Homeland Security Committee the hardest working Committee in Congress.  \n\t\nChairman McCaul: With each passing day, the threats facing our homeland continue to grow. The House has passed dozens of Committee bills aimed at bolstering our efforts to fight terror at home and abroad, secure and defend our borders, protect our digital networks from cyber intruders, improve information sharing and support Americas first responders. In 2018, the House Homeland Security Committee will continue to lead the charge to do even more to protect our homeland. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues in both chambers of Congress, as well as our partners in the Executive Branch, next year to provide the direction and support needed to combat an ever-evolving threat landscape to keep the American people safe and secure.\n\nNotable legislation includes:  \n\t  H.R. 2825, Department of Homeland Security Reauthorization Act of 2017\n The first ever, comprehensive reauthorization of DHS passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support with a vote of 386-41. This bill eliminates and streamlines programs within DHS, re-asserts Congresss Article I authority, protects taxpayer dollars, and supports Americas first responders and front-line defenders.\n H.R. 3359, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2017\n This bill creates a stand-alone operational organization within the Department to elevate and prioritize its vital obligation to protect our cybersecurity networks.\n H.R. 3548, Border Security for America Act\n This bill is a strong, smart, multi-layered approach in providing Americans the secure border they have long deserved. This legislation calls for the building of additional physical barriers, including a wall, technology, and a surge in personnel that will make it nearly impossible for bad actors to enter our country illegally.\n H.R. 1370, Blue Campaign Authorization Act\n This bill bipartisan bill, passed in both the House and Senate, helps protect victims of human trafficking byproviding the right tools to federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as private sector organizations to increase awareness and better defend against this heinous threat. \n \nNOTE: A full list of bills to shield the homeland can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=blog&id=3573", "Cruz News: December 23, 2017", "2017-12-23", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 23, 2017\nGreetings,\nThis week, Congress passed historic and meaningful tax reform. This bill provides significant relief for working men and women, and job creators. For middle class families across Texas and the country, Christmas has come early.\nThese tax cuts champion small business owners, job creators, and farmers and ranchers by taking our high corporate tax rate  the highest in the developed world  and bringing it back down to a level that will generate jobs here at home and unleash the American economy by bringing roughly $2.9 trillion in capitol back to our economy. That is why it was no surprise that within 24 hours of Congress passing the tax bill, several major American companies, including Texas own AT&T, announced bonuses and pay raises for their employees, as well as further investments into their communities.\nThese tax cuts will benefit people from all walks of life by nearly doubling the standard deduction and cutting rates for individual taxpayers in all brackets, ensuring that Americans in every tax bracket will see their take home pay go up and their taxes go down. And Texas taxpayers will be able to write off up to $10,000 in their property taxes, a measure I fought to maintain.\nThis historic tax reform bill will be a boon to working families across the country by doubling the child tax credit  from $1,000 a child, to $2,000 a child  and by the inclusion of my Student Opportunity Amendment in the final bill, an amendment which expands 529 College Savings Plans by allowing parents to now save up to $10K per year per child to use for K-12 education expenses in public, private, and religious schools.\nAnd by repealing Obamacares individual mandate, this tax reform bill ensures that the 6.5 million Americans who have been unfairly fined by the IRS for not being able to afford health insurance will now have immediate and significant relief.\nThis legislation was a significant step in fulfilling the promise we made to the American people to give them real, fundamental tax relief, and I was proud to fight to ensure that it came to pass.\nMy Senate office also continues to work to ensure swift and effective service to Texans and Texas communities in need of federal assistance following the storm. If you need additional information or assistance during the recovery and rebuilding process, please do not hesitate to contact my office or utilize the federal and state resources listedhere.\nPlease read below for an update from this last week.\nKeep Texas Strong,\n  Ted Cruz\nSen Cruz: The Love and Kindness of Texans Helping Texans Shines Bright This Christmas\nSen. Cruz issued the following statement in advance of Christmas Day.Read more...\nVIDEO: Five Cruz Laws in 2017\nSen. Cruz released the followingvideohighlighting his five pieces of legislation signed into law by President Trump in 2017.Read more...\nICYMI: Sen. Cruz Op-Ed in The Corpus Christi Caller Times: D.C.s Role in the Texas Recovery\nSen. Cruz on Thursday penned an op-ed for the Corpus Christi Caller Times outlining Congress support for Texas recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, including the Cruz-Cornyn-Rubio tax relief bill, which provides additional tax deductions and waives penalties for withdrawals from tax-advantaged accounts for those in storm affected areas, allowing storm victims to keep more of their money as they work to rebuild.Read more...\nSen. Cruz: Congress Must Ensure the Promises Made to Texas Are Fulfilled and Resources Are There to Help Our State Rebuild\nSen. Cruz on Thursday delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to deliver on storm funding for victims of Hurricane Harvey.Read more...\nSen. Cruz: This Tax Reform Bill is a Victory for Middle Class Families Across Texas and the Country\nSen. Cruz on Wednesday issued the following statement after voting in favor of Congress final tax reform bill.Read more...\nICYMI: Sen. Cruz: Congress Tax Reform Bill is a Major Victory for Working Men and Women and American Families\nSen. Cruz on Wednesday appeared on Fox News Fox and Friends, and KTSAs The Morning Edge With Trey Ware to discuss key victories for American taxpayers in Congress final tax reform bill.Read more...\nICYMI: Sen. Cruz Op-Ed in The Dallas Morning News: Tax Reform Will Benefit Texans In More Ways Than One\nSen. Cruz on Wednesday penned an op-ed for the Dallas Morning News outlining victories for Texas jobs, Texas wages, and Texas family budgets in Congress recently passed historic tax reform bill.Read more...\nICYMI: Sen. Cruz: The Victory of Tax Reform Will Be in the Pay Stubs of Working Men and Women\nSen. Cruz on Thursday appeared on several national and local Texas radio shows to discuss key victories for Texas and American taxpayers in Congress final tax reform bill, including his Student Opportunity Amendment.Read more...\nSen. Cruz: American Strength and Confidence Are the Best Means for Deterring War and Promoting Peace\nSen. Cruz on Tuesday issued the following statement regarding President Trumps announced National Security Strategy.Read more...\nSen. Cruz Commends President Trump and Ambassador Haleys Defense of U.S. Sovereignty, Decision to Recognize Jerusalem as Israels Capital at the U.N.\nSen. Cruz on Tuesday issued the following statement commending President Trump and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley for vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the United States recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.Read more...\nSen. Cruz Urges Colleagues to Ensure Homeschooling Families Are Included in the Student Opportunity Amendment\nSen. Cruz on Wednesday delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to ensure his Student Opportunity Amendment extends its tax-free savings benefits to homeschooling families.Read more...\nCruz, Cornyn Praise Confirmation of Ryan Patrick for U.S. Attorney in Houston\nSens. Cruz and John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Thursday released the following statements after the Senate confirmed Ryan Patrick as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.Read more...\nThe full press releases may be viewedhere.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3568", "Sen Cruz: The Love and Kindness of Texans Helping Texans Shines Bright This Christmas", "2017-12-23", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "HOUSTON, Texas  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued the following statement in advance of Christmas Day:\nAcross the Lone Star state, Texans are sharing the joy of Christmas with their neighbors. In Spring, Orphan Care Solutions is supporting foster families who were hit by Hurricane Harvey. In Fort Worth, families are sending Christmas cards to loved ones through the Tarrant Area Food Bank, while providing meals to many local Texans. In Austin, families are sponsoring families in need through SAFE Austins Project Santa. And all across the state, Texans are sending Christmas cards and prayers to lift up Ryland Ward, the young boy who lost his mother and two sisters in the horrific shooting in Sutherland Springs.\nAll of these are incredible ways that Texans are living out the true meaning of Christmas  sacrificial giving, demonstrated when God gave us His only Son through the birth of Jesus Christ. The generosity of Texans is also a reminder of Christs faithfulness in our time of need.\nHeidi and I pray that each and every one of you find peace and joy this Christmas and have a blessed New Year with your friends and family. May God be with you all and may He continue to watch over our great State of Texas.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://carter.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=40&itemid=2295", "Carter Pledges Support for the ME TOO Congress Act", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Carter", "C001051", "carter.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman John Carter (TX-31) cosponsored H.R. 4396, the Member and Employee Training and Oversight on Congress Act of 2017 (ME TOO Congress Act).\r\n\r\n\tWith the recent allegations of misconduct, its painfully obvious that Congress needs serious reforms, Congressman Carter said. Any Member that abuses their power is inexcusable, and the secret use of taxpayer dollars to settle these cases is indefensible. The ME TOO Congress Act introduces transparency into the settlement process, and empowers individuals to come forward by putting reforms in place to end undue burdens on victims. Every woman and man in America should be able to work in a safe and respectful environment, and Congress should lead by example.\r\n\r\n\tRep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=98", "Arrington Statement on Tax Reform Becoming Law", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Jodey C. Arrington", "A000375", "arrington.house.gov", "arrington", "https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) today released the following statement after President Donald J. Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R.1) into law. \u201cWith the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act officially signed into law, we\u2019ll be ringing in the new year with a simplified tax code that promises bigger paychecks and better jobs for the American people. In fact, just days after passage, we\u2019re already seeing a renewed sense of optimism as job creators commit to offering bonuses, raising wages, and increasing investments here at home as a result of tax reform. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to President Trump and Chairman Brady for their leadership and delivering on this promised tax relief, and I look forward to witnessing a comeback of the greatest economy in the world.\u201d BACKGROUND The median household income (married couple with two children) of $67,002 in District 19 will see a $1,346 tax cut. The median household income (all households) of $47,875 in District 19 will see a $1,127 tax cut. As a result of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\n\nAT&T is giving 200,000 employees a $1,000 bonus and investing $1 billion more in the US.\n\nBoeing is going to make a $300 million investment.\n\nWells Fargo and Fifth Third Bancorp are both hiking minimum wage pay to $15/hour.\n\nComcast is awarding a $1,000 bonus to more than 100,000 frontline and non-executive employees and investing $50 billion over the next five years in infrastructure.\n\nBank of America is rewarding roughly 145,000 employees with bonuses.\n\nSinclair Broadcast says it will pay $1,000 bonuses to almost 9,000 employees.\n\nClick HERE for a summary of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\n\n###\n\nOPINION: Here\u2019s how we put America on a path to fiscal balance\n\nMarch 26, 2026 | Posted in In the News\n\nArrington Supports Balanced Budget Amendment, Calls for Article V Convention to Restore Fiscal Sanity\n\nMarch 18, 2026 | Posted in Press Releases\n\nArrington Introduces Legislation to Strengthen Customs Enforcement\n\nMarch 13, 2026 | Posted in Press Releases\n\nOPINION: Congress must stop rewarding states for wasting taxpayers\u2019 money\n\nMarch 12, 2026 | Posted in In the News", 1, "2026-04-07T12:09:11Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://carter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1338", "Carter Pledges Support for the ME TOO Congress Act", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John R. Carter", "C001051", "carter.house.gov", "carter", "https://carter.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman John Carter (TX-31) cosponsored H.R. 4396, the Member and Employee Training and Oversight on Congress Act of 2017 (ME TOO Congress Act).\n\n\u201cWith the recent allegations of misconduct, it\u2019s painfully obvious that Congress needs serious reforms,\u201d Congressman Carter said. \u201cAny Member that abuses their power is inexcusable, and the secret use of taxpayer dollars to settle these cases is indefensible. The ME TOO Congress Act introduces transparency into the process, and empowers individuals to come forward by putting reforms in place to end undue burdens on victims. Every woman and man in America should be able to work in a safe and respectful environment, and Congress should lead by example.\u201d\n\nRep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://kevinbrady.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401014", "SIGNED INTO LAW: First Overhaul of Nations Tax Code in 31 Years", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Kevin Brady", "B000755", "kevinbrady.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "SIGNED INTO LAW: First Overhaul of Nations Tax Code in 31 Years \r\n   \r\n    \r\n      New Year New Tax Code \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 22, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (TX-08), lead author of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, today released the following statement after President Donald Trump signed this historic legislation into law:\r\nToday is truly a historic day for the American people. By signing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, President Trump put our nations broken tax code behind us and ignited a new era of American prosperity. This legislation will deliver real relief to hardworking families in my district and across the country who will be able to keep more of the money they earn. It will create more opportunities for workers to find that next new job, earn that long-overdue raise, and get ahead. And it will revitalize our economy so American businesses can once again compete and win anywhere in the world  but especially here at home.\r\nAs Ive said before, comprehensive tax reform is the biggest legislative challenge of any generation. But with President Trumps leadership, we were able to overcome that challenge and deliver on our promise to the American people. Im proud to say there will be a new tax code  a pro-growth, pro-family, pro-America tax code  in the New Year.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n    \r\n        \r\n            \r\n        \r\n    \r\n\r\n  \r\nPresident Trump and Congressman Brady shaking hands at White House Press Conference on December 20th, 2017. \r\nCLICK HERE to see how much tax relief the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will deliver to middle-income families in every Congressional district who will take the new, larger standard deduction.\r\nCLICK HERE to learn more about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\r\nPERMALINK\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://ratcliffe.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-ratcliffe-mcsally-pittenger-call-doj-investigate-obama", "Reps. Ratcliffe, McSally, Pittenger to call on DOJ to investigate Obama administrations relationship with Hezbollah", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Ratcliffe", "R000601", "ratcliffe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) and Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) will call on the Justice Department (DOJ) to investigate the Obama administrations actions to thwart the arrest and prosecution of individuals running drug trafficking and money laundering operations to fund Hezbollah.\nObamas nuclear deal with Iran was a bad deal in itself  and new revelations of the illicit actions that were ignored to secure it are even worse. Unsurprisingly, the Obama administration put politics ahead of justice at the expense of national security. Weve got to ensure that painfully misguided decisions like this wont ever happen again, Ratcliffe said. \nRecently uncovered evidence points very directly to a disturbing conclusion: that the Obama administration intentionally shielded the Iran-backed terrorist group, Hezbollah, from an ongoing investigation in order to secure the deeply flawed Iran Deal, said Rep. McSally. The American people deserve to know whether their President did indeed pick his political agenda over the safety of our country and our allies, allowing the worlds most dangerous terrorist group to continue to launder money and traffic illicit drugs to fuel their violence. This letter calls for an investigation into these incriminating facts. Our national security depends on it.\nHezbollah is one of the most ruthless terrorist organizations in the world. The allegations that Obamas administration derailed a major investigation into this barbaric terror group in order to secure the deeply flawed Iran Nuclear deal are shocking and infuriating. We need to get to the bottom of this. The American people deserve to know the truth, Pittenger said.\nThe call for an investigation comes on the heels a report released this week that the Obama administration undermined Project Cassandra, a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) campaign to target Hezbollahs drug trafficking operations.\nDespite evidence that Hezbollah was running a $1-billion-a-year drug and weapons trafficking operation, laundering money and engaging in other criminal activities, Obama administration officials didnt file criminal charges for fear of jeopardizing the prospects of securing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or Iran Nuclear Deal.\nThe lawmakers, along with 18 of their colleagues, will formally call on the DOJ to launch an investigation to answer several questions surrounding the matter in January. The full text of the letter is available here or below.\n  January 2, 2017\n\n\nThe Honorable Jeff Sessions \nAttorney General\nU.S. Department of Justice \n950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW \nWashington, DC 20530\n\nDear Attorney General Sessions,\nWe are deeply disturbed by recent reports that illustrate the Obama Administrations efforts to undermine Project Cassandra, a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) campaign to target drug trafficking operations by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah. We write to inquire about the steps your Justice Department will take to address the consequences of this misguided decision.\nIn 2008, the DEA found evidence that Hezbollah expanded its operations into drug trafficking and other criminal activities. Over the next eight years, DEA Agents used every tool in their disposal to track Hezbollahs illicit networks, culminating in the opportunity to file criminal charges against individuals and entities that profited from drug trafficking.\nUnfortunately, the Obama Administration allegedly instituted several roadblocks to prevent holding Hezbollah accountable for fear of jeopardizing the prospects of securing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (Iran Nuclear Deal) with the Iranian regime. According to testimony presented to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, by an Obama-era Treasury official, Katherine Bauer, under the Obama administration  these [Hezbollah-related] investigations were tamped down for fear of rocking the boat with Iran and jeopardizing the nuclear deal.\nContrary to the narrative of proponents of the Iran Nuclear Deal that the agreement would change Irans behavior, Iran has responded by continuing its destabilizing foreign policy activities, while its proxy, Hezbollah, continues to provide weapons and training to anti-American militias. The result is the further undermining of Americas national security interests, the safety of the American people, and the security of our allies  including Israel.\nGiven the Trump Administrations desire to hold the Iranian regime and its proxies accountable, we urge you to conduct a full investigation into the decision-making of the Obama Administration Justice Department as it relates to Project Cassandra. As you conduct this investigation, several questions remain:\n Are you aware that the Obama Justice Department declined DEA requests to file criminal charges against Abdallah Safieddine, Hezbollahs Envoy to Iran?\n\tAre you aware that the Obama Justice Department declined DEA requests to file criminal charges against the Lebanese Canadian Bank and its associates?\n\tWhich individual(s) within the Obama Justice Department were responsible for delaying prosecutions of key Hezbollah entities in the hope of securing Irans approval of the Iran Nuclear Deal? If that guidance or directive came from outside the Justice Department, who and where did it come from?\n\tWhat steps will your Justice Department take to ensure improved interagency cooperation to address the Hezbollah threat moving forward?\n We respectfully request answers to these questions in writing as well as a briefing on this matter at your earliest convenience.\nThe security of the United States and the safety of the American people and our allies depend on a thorough investigation and corrective action to ensure that the Obama Administrations misguided policy is never implemented again. We appreciate your prompt consideration and look forward to your response on this matter. Our national security depends upon it.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://ratcliffe.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=216", "Reps. Ratcliffe, McSally, Pittenger to call on DOJ to investigate Obama administrations relationship with Hezbollah", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Ratcliffe", "R000601", "ratcliffe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", null, 0, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-declaraci%C3%B3n-sobre-la-legislaci%C3%B3n-de-alivio-para-los-desastres", "Cornyn Declaraci\u00f3n sobre la Legislaci\u00f3n de Alivio para los Desastres", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONSenador John Cornyn (R-TX) emiti la siguiente declaracin sobre el proyecto de ley de $81 mil millones para ayuda para desastres:\nAplaudo a la delegacin del Congreso de Texas por su arduo trabajo en ayudar a pasar alivio adicional para los desastres para los Texanos impactados por el Huracn Harvey. Aunque aprecio el liderazgo Republicano en la Cmara de Representantes moviendo otro proyecto de ley para alivio para los desastres antes de la Navidad, desafortunadamente los Demcratas del Senado se niegan a cooperar. Trabajando con el Gobernador Abbott, en las prximas semanas seguir revisando la legislacin pasado por la Cmara de Representantes. Obtener los recursos necesarios para restaurar y reconstruir Texas es mi principal prioridad, y quiero asegurarme de que el proyecto de ley logre este objetivo.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-led-bills-signed-law-2017", "Cornyn-Led Bills Signed into Law in 2017", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Five major pieces of legislation introduced by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) have become law during the 115th Congress, with two more currently waiting on the Presidents signature. These include legislation to combat online child exploitation, a bill to incentivize law enforcement agencies to hire military veterans, and legislation to help reduce the rape kit backlog, among others.\nSigned Into Law\nAmerican Law Enforcement Heroes (Became law 06/02/17)\n Incentivizes state and local jurisdictions to use existing federal grant money to hire veterans as new law enforcement officers. More information here.\n PROTECT Our Children Act (Became law 11/02/17)\n Reauthorizes the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, which combats child exploitation nationwide. More information here.\n Javier Vega Memorial Act (Became law 11/02/17)\n Honors fallen U.S. Border Patrol Agent Javier Vega, Jr. for his service by renaming the Border Patrol checkpoint where he was assigned, along the U.S. Highway 77 North in Sarita, Texas, after him. More information here. More information here.\n MANIFEST for Human Spaceflight Act (Passed as a part of the NASA Reauthorization Act and became law 03/21/17)\n Requires NASA to develop plans for the future of U.S. human space exploration and set the goal of landing an astronaut on Mars. More information here.\n Court-Appointed Guardian Accountability and Senior Protection Act (Passed as a part of the Elder Abuse Prevention Act and became law 10/18/17)\n Helps to protect seniors from neglect and financial exploitation by strengthening oversight and accountability for guardians and conservators. More information here.\n Awaiting the Presidents Signature\nSAFER Act (Passed Senate 10/23/17, passed House 12/21/17, awaiting Presidents signature)\n Reauthorizes, strengthens, and extends the Sexual Assault Forensic Reporting program to help fight the nationwide rape kit backlog. More information here.\n Jobs for Our Heroes Act (Passed Senate 09/14/17, passed House 12/21/17, awaiting Presidents signature)\n Streamlines the process by which active-duty military, reservists and veterans apply for Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDLs). More information here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-statement-disaster-relief-bill", "Cornyn Statement on Disaster Relief Bill", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONU.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement regarding the $81 billion disaster aid supplemental package:\nI applaud the Texas congressional delegation for their hard work in helping to pass additional disaster relief for Texans impacted by Hurricane Harvey. While I appreciate House Republican leadership moving another disaster relief bill before Christmas, unfortunately Senate Democrats are refusing to cooperate. Working with Governor Abbott, over the next few weeks I will continue to review the House-passed bill. Getting the necessary resources to restore and rebuild Texas is my top priority, and I want to ensure the bill achieves this goal.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3565", "ICYMI: Sen. Cruz Op-Ed in The Corpus Christi Caller Times: D.C.'s Role in the Texas Recovery", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) penned an op-ed for the Corpus Christi Caller Times outlining Congress support for Texas recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, including the Cruz-Cornyn-Rubio tax relief bill, which provides additional tax deductions and waives penalties for withdrawals from tax-advantaged accounts for those in storm affected areas, allowing storm victims to keep more of their money as they work to rebuild.\nRead the op-ed in its entirety here and below:\nD.C.'s role in the Texas recovery  Corpus Christi Caller Times  By: Sen. Ted Cruz  December 21, 2017\nAs the New Year approaches, we should reflect on the incredible strength and resilience Texans have demonstrated in the face of disaster. There is no denying that Texas Gulf Coast communities suffered tremendous losses from Hurricane Harvey.\nBut the hurricane also brought out the best in Texas, as we saw Texans standing together and lifting each other up, first through rescue and response, and now in rebuilding our homes and cities.\nThe nation has witnessed our iconic moments  from the thousands of Texans who went out on boats to save their neighbors, to people of all ages lining up to volunteer at disaster recovery centers, embodying that can do Texas spirit. All of this is proof that Texas is coming back stronger than ever.\nTexas has also demonstrated resilience beyond the Lone Star State. It is no secret that agreement in Washington between Democrats and Republicans is hard to come by these days. Yet in the wake of Harvey, we have seen bipartisan cooperation in Congress, with Republicans and Democrats uniting to provide the storm relief that Texas needs.\nI am proud of the work that Sen. John Cornyn, the Texas Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Gov. Greg Abbott, and I have accomplished together in securing more than $50 billion of emergency funds for victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. The Texas delegation has stood united, and our victory in D.C. ensured that Texans received immediate aid to begin the rebuilding process.\nAs legislative priorities changed from day to day in Congress, I remained focused on finding additional, practical solutions for storm victims. Along with Sens. Cornyn and Marco Rubio of Florida, I introduced the Cruz-Cornyn-Rubio Hurricane Tax Relief Bill, which President Trump signed into law, to provide immediate tax relief to victims in federally declared hurricane disaster areas.\nThis bill is a victory for all Texans. It provides targeted tax relief to provide immediate assistance to the millions of Texans impacted by Harvey, who will see a significant portion of the more than $5.5 billion in tax benefits.\nHundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed during Harvey, causing unexpected financial burdens for many hardworking Texans. To help in rebuilding, this legislation gives individuals in federally declared disaster areas the ability to withdraw from their retirement accounts to cover costs of damages resulting from the hurricanes, without having to pay the 10 percent penalty that is normally imposed for withdrawing from those accounts before retirement.\nThis bill also relaxes the tax rules regarding individual casualty losses, making it easier for Harvey victims to claim a full deduction for these losses and leaving them more money in their pockets to rebuild.\nMany businesses also made sacrifices to help their impacted employees during the devastation of Harvey, continuing to pay them during the hurricane and after, even when those employees were unable to get to work or when the businesses themselves were shut down because of the storm. This legislation allows those businesses to claim a tax credit, giving countless small businesses the support they need to recover from the storm and come back strong.\nAnd for families whose incomes may have been impacted by Harvey, my bill allows taxpayers to calculate the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit based on their earned income from the previous year, if they choose, which will provide significant help to family budgets.\nLastly, the Cruz-Cornyn-Rubio tax relief bill also has allowed people across the country this year to make charitable contributions toward relief efforts in federally declared disaster areas without any limit to how much they can then claim as a tax deduction. This has encouraged charitable giving across the country, with potentially millions of dollars flowing to charitable causes to help Texans rebuild their lives.\nBy working together, in a bipartisan fashion, we were able to pass major tax relief for those impacted by Harvey. And billions of dollars flowed directly to Texas.\nAs Congress continues working to keep its promises to reduce taxes and encourage more job creation and greater economic growth and opportunity, I remain determined to keep fighting for the resources Texas needs to rebuild. There is still lots of work to be done, but I am confident that we will continue making progress on our path to recovery. After all, we are \"Texas Strong.\"\nAnd to my fellow Texans, I want to say thank you for the remarkable work you have done to help rebuild our Texas Gulf Coast communities, from Corpus Christi all the way to the Louisiana border. I assure you that I share the same commitment and passion in continuing to do everything that I can to mobilize and expedite federal resources to ensure no Texan is left behind.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3567", "Sen. Cruz: 'The U.S. Stands With the People of Nicaragua'", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), along with Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Dick Durbin (D-Il.), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) introduced the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act (NICA). This bipartisan legislation aims to hold President Daniel Ortega and his regime accountable for its corrupt practices and abuse of human rights by conditioning U.S. approval of international loans to the Government of Nicaragua. A similar effort led by Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Albio Sires (D-N.J.), passed the House of Representatives this past October.\nThe Ortega regime has gone unchecked for far too long. Hijacking electoral institutions and repressing the opposition has severely undermined democratic order and the will of the people. It is incumbent on the U.S. to address Ortegas brazen overreach and incentivize meaningful reform,\" Sen. Cruz said. If we allow Nicaraguas ruling elite to exploit international loans to further embed their corrupt enterprises with anti-American regimes, we are turning a blind eye. From Venezuelas petro-dollars scheme to Russias arms sales and intelligence operations  this external influence will solidify the future for the people of Nicaragua, and raises national security implications not only for the U.S., but for all of our allies throughout the Western Hemisphere.\nThe United States should strongly support the rights of people in this hemisphere to freedom of expression and association, free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, and the rule of law, Sen. Leahy said. In Nicaragua, President Ortega has subverted the institutions of democracy to enrich himself and consolidate his hold on power. That is not something the international financial institutions, which receive significant U.S. taxpayer funds, should condone or support. This bill is intended to send a message to the Nicaraguan Government, and to the Nicaraguan business community, that corruption and impunity have a price.\nAs we witness a backsliding of democratic values and norms throughout the western hemisphere, the United States must define new policies that help us partner with Latin American governments and international organizations to strengthen governance and the rule of law in the region and restore public confidence in democratic institutions, said Sen. Menendez. We believe Nicaraguans deserve a transparent government that fairly represents the will of the people and works on their behalf, and this bipartisan legislation is a recognition that our national security is strengthened when our neighbors in the region are better able to protect the rule of law, strengthen pro-democracy organizations, and uphold free and fair elections.\n\"While most of Latin America has moved forward in strengthening their democracies, a few countries such as Nicaragua and Venezuela have tragically gone backwards -- enriching a small corrupt elite while undermining key democratic norms and institutions, Sen. Durbin said. That they do so on the backs of their own people while blaming outside forces is even more tragic and cynical.\"\nOur nation has a very long history of supporting human rights and protecting democracy around the world. This measure is a signal that America remains committed to the principles and ideals that make our country so great, Sen. Capito said.\nAdditionally, Sen. Cruz praised the decisive action by the Administration this week to designate and sanction Roberto Rivas, President of Nicaraguas Supreme Electoral Council, pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.\nRoberto Rivas represents a pervasive abuse of power which has been institutionalized in Nicaragua, Cruz added. On behalf of the Ortega regime, Rivas has engaged in fraudulent activity to consolidate control and secure wealth at the expense of the Nicaraguan people. This weeks designation puts all those who abuse power on notice; you are not untouchable. \nThe Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act would require:\n \nThe President to instruct the U.S. Executive Director at each international financial institution to use the voice and vote of the U.S. to oppose any loan for the Government of Nicaragua, other than to address basic human needs or to promote democracy, unless the Secretary of State has certified and reports to congress that the Government of Nicaragua is taking effective steps to:\n \n \nhold free and fair elections overseen by credible domestic and international electoral observers;\npromote democracy, as well as an independent judicial system and electoral council;\nstrengthen the rule of law;\nrespect the right to freedom of expression and association\ncombat corruption, including investigating and prosecuting government officials credibly alleged to be corrupt;\nprotect the right of political opposition parties, journalists, trade unionists, human rights defenders, and other civil society activities to operate without interference; and\nprotect the rights of indigenous people.\n \n \nA report by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the intelligence community, on the involvement of senior Government of Nicaragua officials in acts of public corruption, money laundering, or human rights violations in Nicaragua.\nA report by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the intelligence community, describing the extent of cooperation by the Governments of Russia and Venezuela with the Government of Nicaragua and its armed forces and security personnel.\n \nThe full text of the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act may be viewed here.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3569", "VIDEO: Five Cruz Laws in 2017", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today released the following video highlighting his five pieces of legislation signed into law by President Trump in 2017. Watch the full video here.\nFrom charting an ambitious course for the manned exploration of the moon, to securing crucial tax relief for all Texans, including targeted relief for hurricane survivors along the Texas Gulf Coast, it continues to be an honor serving the 28 million Texans in the Lone Star state, Sen. Cruz said. I am working day and night to secure the resources our state needs to rebuild even stronger.\nIn March, President Trump signed the Cruz-Nelson NASA Transition Authorization Act, which reaffirms NASAs core mission, and ensures the Johnson Space Center remains the crown jewel of NASAs human spaceflight missions.\nLater, President Trump signed into law a bill sponsored by Sen. Cruz and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) to disapprove and nullify a drug-testing rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor under the previous administration. The rule undermined the ability of states to conduct drug testing in their unemployment programs.\nNorth Korea has grown more hostile toward America and our allies, and is committed to destabilizing the Asia-Pacific region. Sen. Cruz introduced legislation mandating the State Department report on designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, which was included in the bipartisan Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. President Trump signed this bill into law in August and in November affirmatively designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.\nIn the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, Sen. Cruz, along with Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced a bill to provide crucial and immediate tax relief to storm survivors along the Gulf Coast, in Puerto Rico, and in the Virgin Islands. President Trump signed it into law shortly thereafter.\nAdditionally, Sen. Cruzs Student Opportunity Amendment, the most far-reaching federal school choice legislation ever passed, was included in Congress tax reform bill. This amendment expands 529 College Savings Plans to include K-12 elementary and secondary school tuition for public, private, and religious schools.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=video&id=3566", "5 Cruz Laws in 2017", "2017-12-22", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Central TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(512) 916-5834  300 E 8th  Suite 961  Austin, TX 78701  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t North TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(214) 599-8749  Lee Park Tower II  3626 N. Hall St.  Suite 410  Dallas, TX 75219  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Southeast TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(713) 718-3057  808 Travis Street  Suite 1420  Houston, TX 77002  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South/Cen. TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(210) 340-2885  9901 IH-10W  Suite 950  San Antonio, TX 78230  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t East TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway  Suite 501  Tyler, TX 75702  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(956) 686-7339   200 S. 10th St   Suite 1603   McAllen, TX 78501   Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Washington, D.C. \n\t\t\t\t\t(202) 224-5922  404 Russell  Washington, DC 20510  Contact", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://burgess.house.gov/blog/?postid=398532", "Burgess Statement on Texas 1115 Waiver Extension", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael Burgess", "B001248", "burgess.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, released the following statement after the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Texas Section 1115 Medicaid waiver extension.\r\n\r\nThe extension of the states Section 1115 Medicaid waiver is great news for patients and doctors in Texas. As a key advocate of this collaboration between CMS and the State of Texas, I am glad to see an agreement reached that will ensure millions of Texans continue to receive the care they need. This waiver extension allows vital Medicaid dollars to reach hospitals that provide care to disadvantaged and underserved patients in Texas an important priority for hospitals across the state, especially those in North Texas. Hospitals, such as Parkland Memorial in Dallas, depend on these crucial Medicaid payments to offer care, and I commend the State of Texas and CMS for working together and reaching this important agreement that is a win for Texas patients and healthcare providers.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://burgess.house.gov/blog/?postid=398537", "House Passes CR, Extending Temporary Funding for Critical Public Health Programs and Relief for States in Need of CHIP Funds", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael Burgess", "B001248", "burgess.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "House Passes CR, Extending Temporary Funding for Critical Public Health Programs and Relief for States in Need of CHIP Funds\r\n  \r\n    WASHINGTON, DC  The House of Representatives today passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government, by a vote of 231-188. Included in the CR is a provision providing short-term funding for the state Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This temporary patch is similar to one passed by the House earlier this month.\r\nAlso included in the CR is a short-term funding stream for the Community Health Center Fund, the National Health Service Corps, Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education, and the Special Diabetes Program.\r\nFunding for CHIP and other public health priorities expired on September 30, 2017. The House of Representatives passed H.R. 3922, the CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act, extending funding for CHIP, Community Health Centers and other important public health programs, on November 3, 2017, by a bipartisan vote. H.R. 3922 is fully offset through responsible reforms like reducing federal subsidies for seniors earning more than $500,000 each year (or $40,000 each month) by limiting government contributions for their Part B and D premiums, and disenrolling lottery jackpot winners from Medicaid to prioritize the most vulnerable.\r\nUnder current law, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is restricted by a statutory formula in how it allocates redistribution funds to cover state shortfalls that are occurring in the absence of funded FY2018 CHIP allotments. This policy extends the CR provision that gave CMS more flexibility over the use of redistribution funds through the period ending March 31, 2017, and modifies the rule so CMS will make monthly determinations of states projected shortfalls. \r\nThis policy also requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to distribute funds in the order in which states experience shortfalls. Overall, it is estimated that these funds would be available through the length of the short-term CR. \r\nOnce again, the House has acted to make available short-term relief for states in desperate need of CHIP funds while our fully funded House-passed package languishes in the Senate. It is incredibly disappointing that our colleagues couldnt come together before the end of the year to advance a long-term extension of CHIP and these critical public health priorities,said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX). As we continue our bipartisan, bicameral negotiations, we must act quickly to fund this vital program. Children and their families cant keep putting their lives on hold.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://carter.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=40&itemid=2294", "Carter Statement on Emergency Disaster Aid Package", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Carter", "C001051", "carter.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman John Carter (TX-31) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 4667, the Emergency Disaster Aid Package.\r\n\r\n\tThe people impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the California wildfires are suffering in the aftereffects of these tragic natural disasters. This legislation provides an additional $81 billion to help rebuild, recover and reduce the impact of future natural disasters.\r\n\r\n\tAmericans still need help as they continue to clean-up and rebuild their waterlogged homes, or search through the ashes left behind by deadly wildfires. This money will go a long way in helping to sustain the rebuilding efforts and return our neighbors back to normal as quickly as possible.\r\n\r\n\tRep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.\r\n\r\n\t# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://carter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1337", "Carter Statement on Emergency Disaster Aid Package", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John R. Carter", "C001051", "carter.house.gov", "carter", "https://carter.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman John Carter (TX-31) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 4667, the Emergency Disaster Aid Package.\n\n\u201cThe people impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the California wildfires are suffering in the aftereffects of these tragic natural disasters. This legislation provides an additional $81 billion to help rebuild, recover and reduce the impact of future natural disasters.\n\n\u201cAmericans still need help as they continue to clean-up and rebuild their waterlogged homes, or search through the ashes left behind by deadly wildfires. This money will go a long way in helping to sustain the rebuilding efforts and return our neighbors back to normal as quickly as possible.\u201d\n\nRep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://culberson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398841", "Rep. Culberson Statement on Passage of $81 Billion Disaster Aid Package", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Culberson", "C001048", "culberson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Watch my full comments on the floor here. Washington D.C.  Rep. John Culberson (TX-07) released the following statement today after the House passed H.R. 4667, which will provide $81 billion in federal assistance for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, calendar year 2017 wildfires, and for other purposes.\r\nI am greatly encouraged at the passage of the Disaster Recovery Supplemental bill today. This is a tremendous step in the right direction as we continue to rebuild, recover and press ahead toward a stronger, more resilient Texas.\r\nI thank Chairman Frelinghuysen for his leadership and partnership to make changes to the bill that will ensure the good people of Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are provided the resources they need.\r\nAs I requested, this bill fully funds all federally authorized flood control projects in Harris County and in all other Texas disaster area counties. This means Brays Bayou can be finished with front loaded funding. I also won passage of language prioritizing Army Corps funding to counties like Harris that have suffered repeated floods in recent years. In turn, this will help us get a third reservoir built to keep water out of Addicks and Barker Reservoirs.\r\nAdditionally, I won approval of language to help compensate property owners who were flooded when the Corps opened the gates on Addicks and Barker Reservoirs.Hurricane Harvey caused the largest housing disaster in American history, so we will undoubtedly need more Community Development Block Grants-Disaster Recovery housing grant dollars in the future, but, again, this bill is a giant step in the right direction. \r\nI look forward to working with the Senate on this vital legislation so that all affected by this years storms can have more peace of mind this Christmas and a brighter 2018.  \r\n\r\nBill Highlights: H.R. 4667 \r\nTotal:$81 billion in emergency spending for programs and activities to respond to recent hurricanes, wildfires, and other designated disasters. \r\nIn addition to funding requests, Rep. Culberson also pushed for a legislative fix that would allow those who took out SBA loans to repair their homes to be eligible for possible HUD grant funding later. Under current law, this is considered a duplication of benefits and is prohibited. The House passed bill would allow the Governor to request a waiver so that individuals can use HUD funding to repay their SBA loans. \r\nAnother important legislative change in the House passed disaster supplemental would allow religious institutions to be eligible for FEMA public assistance following a disaster. This will help our churches and synagogues impacted by Hurricane Harvey to receive essential funds to help them rebuild. \r\nThis bill includes funding for:\r\nFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): $27.6 billion for FEMA for disaster response and recovery efforts. This includes:\r\n \r\n    Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) funding for response and recovery efforts in all disaster affected areas;\r\n    A provision that allows the transfer of up to $4 billion to the Disaster Assistance Direct Loan Program Account for Community Disaster Loans (CDL);\r\n    A provision providing up to 90% federal cost share for disasters declared in 2017 for wildfires; and\r\n    $60 million to ensure FEMAs readiness for future disasters.\r\n \r\nCommunity Development Block Grants-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR):$26.1 billion for CDBG-DR for housing, business, infrastructure, and mitigation needs for communities devastated by disasters in 2017 and disasters dating back to 2011. This includes:\r\n \r\n    $13.6 billion in grants to states, tribes, and territories for recovery efforts. This is a block grant program for disaster-affected communities with significant flexibility to address local needs; and\r\n    $12.5 billion set-aside for mitigation projects to help communities protect against future natural disasters, and to protect the taxpayer from recurring costs of rebuilding after storms.\r\n \r\nArmy Corps of Engineers- $12.1 billion for the Corps of Engineers for repairs needed due to natural disasters, and to expedite studies and projects to reduce damages in future disasters in areas affected by recent hurricanes. This includes:\r\n \r\n    $10.5 billion for repairs to ongoing construction projects, and to expedite construction projects that will help mitigate future disaster damage;\r\n    \r\n        The construction funding will be used to expedite construction of projects for flood and storm damage reduction in areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, or Maria. All authorized projects in Harris County, such as Hunting Bayou, White Oak Bayou, and Clear Creek are eligible for this funding. \r\n        The bill also directs the Secretary to give priority to areas that suffered the most damage in 2017, and have had multiple disaster declarations in recent years.\r\n        The completion of ongoing projects, such as project Brays, would be at full Federal expense. \r\n        Construction funds in this heading would be allowed based on the investigations undertaken with funds provided in this bill. This will allow us to undertake studies for potential new projects such the 3rd reservoir, and have the funding available to begin construction. \r\n    \r\n    $370 million to repair damages along the Mississippi River and its tributaries;\r\n    $608 million for Operation and Maintenance to repair damages, such as dredging of navigation channels;\r\n    \r\n        This funding will allow for vital dredging of our federal navigation channels like the Port of Houston, which accumulated vast amounts of silt following Hurricane Harvey.\r\n    \r\n    $537 million for Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies to repair damages; and\r\n    $75 million to expedite studies to help mitigate future disaster damage.\r\n    \r\n        The bill authorizes two additional studies to assess regional flood and storm risks\r\n        Another six feasibility studies are authorized for projects that would reduce flood and storm risks. The bill also directs the Secretary to give priority to areas that suffered the most damage in 2017, and have had multiple disaster declarations in recent years. \r\n    \r\n \r\n\r\nEducation:$2.9 billion for restarting operations in schools in affected areas, including school rebuilding and refurbishment and replacement of educational material.\r\nThis funding will also provide support to states and localities that accommodate displaced students from K-12, college and technical schools from affected areas, including disabled and homeless students. This funding can be used for both public and private schools.  \r\n\r\nSmall Business Disaster Loans: $1.6 billion for the Small Business Administrations (SBA) disaster loan program. This will allow SBA to make up to $12.2 billion in disaster loans to small businesses and homeowners in all affected areas for recovery and rebuilding.  \r\n\r\nDefense Facilities- $1.5 billion torepair Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Reserve, National Guard, Coast Guard, and medical military facilities, and to repair or replace equipment damaged by the hurricanes in all affected areas.  \r\n\r\nFederal Transportation Emergency Relief:$1.4 billion to address all current damages to federal highways caused by designated disasters. These funds are provided directly to states and localities for repairs. The bill also includes $269 million to help communities restore hurricane-damaged mass transit systems.\r\nFull legislative text of H.R. 4667 can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://kevinbrady.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400992", "Texas, Florida join Forces to Nearly Double Federal Disaster Aid", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Kevin Brady", "B000755", "kevinbrady.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Texas, Florida join Forces to Nearly Double Federal Disaster Aid \r\n   \r\n    \r\n      Texas in line for billions of dollars for projects to prevent future flooding \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 21, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n        This is a breakthrough for preventing future flooding\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the House of Representatives passed $81 billion in new disaster recovery funds to provide for relief for Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters, including crucial flood mitigation projects. Texas and Florida congressional delegations joined forces to significantly increase the original $44 billion funding request from the Office of Management and Budget. In addition to more FEMA, housing, business, agriculture, infrastructure and economic development funding, the measure includes $12.5 billion to help communities protect against future natural disasters and prevent repetitive costs.\r\nUpon passage by a 251 to 169 margin, a coalition of U.S. Representatives (Rep. Kevin Brady, Rep. Brian Babin, Rep. John Culberson, Rep. Michael McCaul, Rep. Pete Olson, Rep. Ted Poe, and Rep. Randy Weber) from districts impacted by Hurricane Harvey issued the following joint statement:\r\nThis is a breakthrough for preventing future flooding. In addition to funding Texass ongoing recovery needs, we have succeeded in securing billions of dollars to prevent future flooding of our homes and communities. Texas could be eligible for up to $15 billion in aid, including a $10.5 billion pool for flood mitigation projects. Many of our key regional projects can move forward with this funding, some of which are already authorized and awaiting funding  others which require updated studies and assessment as a crucial first step.\r\n\r\n\r\nBACKGROUND\r\n\r\nIn the wake of the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey and the other natural disasters that struck across America in 2017, Congress crafted legislation to provide relief and recovery funds to the affected areas. Alongside important FEMA Disaster Relief Funds and HUD Community Development Block Grants, this includes additional funding for the United States Army Corps of Engineers.\r\nEligible Projects Include:\r\n\r\n- Addicks and Barker Reservoir Dam System Improvement Study including Cypress Creek Reservoir Project & Harris County Buyout Project\r\n\r\n- Clear Creek Flood Damage Reduction (Watershed) Project\r\n\r\n- Montgomery County Reservoir Project Study\r\n\r\n- Metropolitan Houston Regional Watershed Assessment\r\n\r\n- Houston Ship Channel Repairs\r\n\r\n- Brays Bayou Flood Risk Management Project\r\n\r\n- Hunting Bayou Flood Risk Management Project; and\r\n\r\n- White Oak Bayou Flood Risk Management ProjectPERMALINK\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-applauds-tax-relief-for-hardworking-americans-0", "McCaul Applauds Tax Relief for Hardworking Americans", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael McCaul", "M001157", "mccaul.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee anda senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, applauds the House passage of the final version of H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, to reform our tax code.\nCongressman McCaul: Today is a historic day. With my support, the House passed the final version of H.R. 1 to reform Americas broken tax code. This once-in-a-generation tax reform bill will provide hardworking American families and job creators big and small with much-needed relief and flexibility.\nTo highlight some key provisions, we eliminate one of the most disastrous parts of Obamacare, the individual mandate, so Americans are no longer forced by the government to purchase insurance they do not want or need. Also, by doubling the standard deduction in our tax code, we are providing families with bigger paychecks and a simpler, fairer tax filing process. Furthermore, in lowering the corporate tax rate and providing for repatriation of foreign funds, we are bolstering investment here at home, allowing our tech hubs, like Austin, and other business communities to compete internationally once again. Lastly, by creating a new deduction for pass-through businesses, we are rewarding small businesses that for too long have been subject to unfair tax rates. These changes ensure the American entrepreneurial spirit  that for generations has driven innovation and cultivated the worlds greatest economy  is alive once again.\nI applaud my fellow Texan, Chairman Kevin Brady, and my colleagues in both chambers for their steadfast leadership on delivering relief, lower taxes, and bigger paychecks to millions of hardworking American families.\nThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will:\n Lower individual tax rates;\n\tRepeal Obamacares individual mandate;\n\tExpand the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000;\n\tRoughly double the standard deduction, allowing about 90% of taxpayers to file their taxes on a postcard;\n\tLower the corporate tax rate from 35% - one of the highest in the world  to a more competitive rate at 21%;\n\tCreate a new 20% deduction for pass through businesses, which are small businesses that have their profits pass-through directly to the owners. These type of businesses included Sole proprietorships, S Corporations, Partnerships, and LLCs which were previously taxed at individual income rates;\n\tBring offshore profits back to the United States fueling economic growth.\n ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-votes-to-nearly-double-federal-disaster-aid", "McCaul Votes to Nearly Double Federal Disaster Aid", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael McCaul", "M001157", "mccaul.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, with my support the House of Representatives passed a supplemental disaster recovery funding package to provide relief from Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters. This package will not only provide relief to victims of Harvey, it will allow Texas to move forward on several crucial flood mitigation projects, like the Cypress Creek Reservoir Project, to prevent future disasters. Texas and Florida congressional delegations joined forces to significantly increase the original $44 billion funding request from the Office of Management and Budget. In addition to more FEMA, housing, business, agriculture, infrastructure and economic development funding, the measure includes $12.5 billion to help communities protect against future natural disasters and prevent repetitive costs. Upon passage by a 251 to 169 margin, a coalition of U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul, Kevin Brady, Brian Babin, John Culberson, Pete Olson, Ted Poe, and Randy Weber from districts impacted by Hurricane Harvey issued the following joint statement:  \n\t  This is a breakthrough for preventing future flooding. In addition to funding Texass ongoing recovery needs, we have succeeded in securing billions of dollars to prevent future flooding of our homes and communities. Texas could be eligible for up to $15 billion in aid, including a $10.5 billion pool for flood mitigation projects. Many of our key regional projects can move forward with this funding, some of which are already authorized and awaiting funding  others which require updated studies and assessment as a crucial first step. BACKGROUND  \n\tIn the wake of the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey and the other natural disasters that struck across America in 2017, Congress crafted legislation to provide relief and recovery funds to the affected areas. Alongside important FEMA Disaster Relief Funds and HUD Community Development Block Grants, this includes additional funding for the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Eligible Projects Include:  \n\t- Addicks and Barker Reservoir Dam System Improvement Study including Cypress Creek Reservoir Project & Harris County Buyout Project  \n\t- Galveston County Coastal Spine Project  \n\t- Clear Creek Flood Damage Reduction (Watershed) Project  \n\t- Montgomery County Reservoir Project Study  \n\t- Metropolitan Houston Regional Watershed Assessment  \n\t- Houston Ship Channel Repairs  \n\t- Brays Bayou Flood Risk Management Project  \n\t- Hunting Bayou Flood Risk Management Project  \n\t- White Oak Bayou Flood Risk Management Project; and  \n\t- Wharton Levee Flood Protection System Project\nImmediately after Hurricane Harvey struck the state of Texas, Congressman McCaul was on the ground offering his assistance and assessing the damage from the historic flooding. Since then, he has been working with local, state, and federal officials and using his position as Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security to ensure families in TX-10 and around the state receive the relief they need and to make sure this type of disaster is prevented in the future. Clickherewatch a recap of Congressman McCaul leading Harvey recovery efforts from day one. (Duration1:35)\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://poe.house.gov/2017/12/2017-wrap-up", "2017 Wrap Up", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Poe", "P000592", "poe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The people of South East Texas have had quite a year. From hosting the Super Bowl and winning the World Series to surviving Hurricane Harvey and playing in the snow, we never know what will happen next. As we wind down this crazy year, I want to give you a short recap of five of mytop priorities from the first half of the 115thCongress.\r\n\r\n\r\n1. Recovering and Rebuilding from Hurricane Harvey\r\nIn the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, I have been continually impressed by our communities' strength and willingness to help a neighbor in need.This willingness to help others, and not let Hurricane Harvey defeat us has shown the rest of the country what it means to be a Texan.There is no doubt we will come back stronger than ever. This is Texas, and it's simply how we do things.\r\n \r\nThis week, Congress approved $81 billion dollars in additional disaster funding, including $12 billion specifically set aside for flood mitigation projects led by the Army Corps of Engineers.\r\nTo date, Congress has allocated $99.6 billion in disaster funding for 2017's natural disasters (split between Texas, Florida, California and Puerto Rico).\r\nMy office continues to help constituents follow up with federal agencies for individual assistance from Harvey. If you have any questions related to available resources, please call my Texas office at (281) 446-0242.\r\n \r\nH.R. 3940,theVeterans Education Disaster Act(Introduced)\r\n \r\nProvides relief to student veterans who are trying to continue their education, but are denied assistance based on circumstances outside of their control,like natural disasters.This problem rose in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey at Lone Star College in Kingwood.\n\r\nEnsures that veterans continue to receive the housing stipends and supply fee payment waivers that they are entitled to receive when they face extended school closures due to natural disasters.\r\n \r\n\r\nH.R. 3824,theTexas Flood Accountability Act(Introduced)\r\n \r\nMandate that the Army Corps of Engineers submit a report to Congresswithin 90 daysfor all dams, reservoirs, lakes and other water retention facilities in Texas that describes:\r\nThe minimum water capacity that would necessitate a unplanned water release\r\nThe water level that the facility would \"top out\" or overflow\r\nExisting plans in place to notify first responders, local officials, and communities of flood emergencies and projected water levels during such emergencies\r\nRecommendations for infrastructure improvements and dredging for covered facilities needed to prevent future unplanned releases of water\r\nExisting plans to coordinate among regional facilities during a flooding emergency\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n2. Simplifying Our Tax Code\r\nThis week, the House took historic action by passing the most sweeping, pro-growth tax reform in over 30 years. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act creates a simpler and fairer tax code, giving relief to middle income Americans.\r\n \r\nLowers the corporate tax rate to 21%; The current rate is one of the highest in the world.\r\nMakes our country more competitive, creates more jobs, and increases paychecks.\n\r\nDoubles the standard deduction and increases the child tax credit.\n\r\nA typical family of four earning the median family income of $73,000 can expect to receive a tax cut of $2,059.\r\n \r\nA once in a generation achievement, Congress has simplified the outdated tax code and entered reforms to promote domestic and global economic competitiveness.\r\nFor more details regarding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, click here:http://bit.ly/2BIsycf\r\n\r\n\r\n3. Standing Up for Victims of Crime\r\nA lifelong supporter of victims' rights, I have introduced several bills in the 115thCongress to provide crime victims a voice, prevent sexual assault, and fight the scourge of Human Trafficking.\r\nH.R. 479,theSexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act(Signed into Law)\r\n \r\nIn 2015, the DOJ estimated there were as many as 400,000 untested rape kits in the United States.\r\nReauthorizes, strengthens, and extends the Sexual Assault Forensic Reporting program to help fight the nationwide rape kit backlog, giving justice to victims of sexual assault.\r\n \r\nH.R. 3415,theMegan Rondini Act(Introduced)\r\n \r\nRequires hospitals to have a SAFE - Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner -available 24 hours a day/7 days a week, OR to have a plan in place to get that victim to another nearby hospital with a SAFE.\r\nThe law honors young Texan Megan Rondini who committed suicide after being raped, failed by law enforcement, the University of Alabama, and the hospital.For more on Megan's story,click HERE.\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n4. Protecting Your Individual Privacy\r\nAcross the globe, terrorists are still at large, fighting against the very ideals that we hold true, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.We can stay vigilant, butwe must not sacrifice personal liberty and privacy on the altar of security.\r\nH.R. 4124,theUSA Rights Act(Introduced)\r\n \r\nReforms the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a sweeping, secretive government spying program.\r\nProtects the Constitutional rights of Americans, while giving intelligence agencies authority to target foreign terrorists, criminals and other overseas intelligence targets.\r\nEnds the warrantless surveillance of American citizens,making liberty paramount once again.\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n5. Foreign Affairs\r\nAs a Senior Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Chairman of the Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade Subcommittee, I believe that the primary responsibility of our government is to keep Americans safe. Two of my foreign policy bills have been enacted via Administrative Order in the past year:\r\nH.R. 479,theNorth Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act of 2017(Enacted)\r\n\r\n  H.R. 2438,theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Terrorist Sanctions Act(Enacted viaExecutiveOrder)\r\n \r\nThe IRGC is a leading cause of instability in the Middle East through its support of the murderous regime in Syria, its development of ballistic missiles, and its provocative action towards our sailors transiting the region.\r\nPursuant to Executive Order 13224, the IRGC has been designated as a terrorist organization,astepthatI proposed in my bill H.R. 478 earlier this year.\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\nFinally, in November I announced that I will not seek reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. I am grateful for the honor and privilege to representyou,the best people in AmericainTexas's Second Congressional District. Thanks to the good Lord, I'm in good health, but it's time for the next step. I am looking forward to spending more time in Texas, especially with my 12 grandkids who have all been born since I was first elected to Congress. I am proud of the work that my office has accomplished: giving crime victims a voice, helping to combat human trafficking, and fighting for our constitutional rights and individual liberty. I will continue this work every day until I retire at the end of this term in January 2019.\r\nI wishyou and your families a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. As always, pleasekeep in touchand let me know what issues are most important to you and your family.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://poe.house.gov/2017/12/poe-and-cornyn-applaud-house-passage-of-safer-move-to-fight-nationwide-rape-kit-backlog", "POE AND CORNYN APPLAUD HOUSE PASSAGE OF SAFER, MOVE TO FIGHT NATIONWIDE RAPE KIT BACKLOG", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Poe", "P000592", "poe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today,Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX)and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the followingstatementsapplauding the Housespassage of the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act.\r\nUnfortunately, thousands ofrape victims across the country are denied justice each day, saidCongressman Poe. For many, rape is a fate worse than death- a victim relives their trauma over and over again. In 2015, the DOJ estimatedthatthere were as many of 4000,000 untested rape kits in the United States. This backlog forces a victim's hand, leaving them unable to produce evidence and pursue justice against their attacker. In 2013, Senator Cornyn and I acted tofix this, introducing SAFER toreduce the number of untested rape kits by allocating already existing funding and resources to states and localities to audit their rape kit backlog. I urge the President to quickly reauthorize SAFER and protect victims of crime, giving victims the justice they deserve.\r\nThe SAFER Act also ensures pediatric forensic nurses are eligible for training, which addresses the need for pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners in responding to children suffering from abuse.\r\nThis bill is critical to ensuring law enforcement has the resources they need to finally get justice for victims who often have waited far too long, said Sen. Cornyn. I commend the House for taking action on this vital program before it expires, and I look forward to the President signing it into law.\r\nBackground:\r\nCongressman Poe and Senator Cornynsponsoredthe Sexual Assault Forensic Reporting Act,2013 legislationcreating the SAFERprogram,which has helped law enforcement reduce the rape kit backlog through existing funds under the Debbie Smith Act.Now law, SAFERincreasedthe money that would bespent on untestedrapekits by 35 percent andmandated that5-7 percent be used for SAFER program audits. It helps state and local law enforcement agencies address both the laboratory and storage backlogs by providing funding to conduct one-year audits of untested sexual assault evidence, which has uncovered tens of thousands of untested rape kitsthat siton shelves and in labs across the nation.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-bill-reduce-barriers-military-members-seeking-commercial-driver%E2%80%99s-licenses-heads", "Cornyn Bill to Reduce Barriers for Military Members Seeking Commercial Driver\u2019s Licenses Heads to President\u2019s Desk", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "I hope with this bill signedinto law, more members of ourmilitary will be able to utilizethe skills they have acquiredwhile in the military to qualifyfor well-paying jobs in ourcommunities, and we continue touse our best efforts to keepfaith with our veterans who havedone so much for all of us.\n \nWASHINGTON U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) praised the House passage of the Jobs for Our Heroes Act, a bill he authored that was championed in the House by Rep. Rob Woodall (GA-7) to reduce barriers for active-duty military, reservists, and veterans applying for Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDLs). Excerpts of Sen. Cornyns remarks are below, and video of his remarks can be found here. More information on the legislation is here.\nThis bill streamlines a processby which active duty military,reservists, and veterans canapply for Commercial Driver'sLicenses, and as the presidingofficer knows and people mayknow generally, there is ashortage of people who can get aCommercial Driver's License andfill these well-paying jobs.This bill would also allowstates to permanently waivelicense requirements for currentservice members and nationalguardsmen if they have militaryexperience driving a comparablevehicle.\nThat way, members of themilitary don't have to gothrough the same old rigmaroletwice.They get trained in themilitary, and then they get out,and then the civilian worldignores the fact that they havetrained and been qualified inthe military, and this billfixes that.I'm honored to have a broadrange of bipartisan support forthis legislation.\nI hope with this bill signedinto law, more members of ourmilitary will be able to utilizethe skills they have acquiredwhile in the military to qualifyfor well-paying jobs in ourcommunities, and we continue touse our best efforts to keepfaith with our veterans who havedone so much for all of us.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-cruz-praise-confirmation-ryan-patrick-us-attorney-houston", "Cornyn, Cruz Praise Confirmation of Ryan Patrick for U.S. Attorney in Houston", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) released the following statements after the Senate confirmed Ryan Patrick as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas:\nRyan Patricks record shows a dedication to public service and respect for the rule of law, said Sen. Cornyn. I proudly recommended him to the President, and I know he will continue to serve Texas well in this new capacity.\nRyan Patrickwill be an excellent United States Attorney, Sen. Cruz said. He has a distinguished career as a former prosecutor and judge, and I am confident he will continue tohonorably serveand protect the people of Texas in this new role.\nSens. Cornyn and Cruz recommended Ryan Patrick to President Trump following an extensive review and interview process of the candidate pool by the bipartisan Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee (FJEC). The Senators established the FJEC, a bipartisan panel of leading attorneys in Texas, to help identify the most qualified candidates to fill judicial vacancies. The panel reviewed applications, interviewed candidates, and made recommendations to the Senators, who interviewed individuals before making their recommendations to the President.\nMr. Patrick is currently the managing partner of The Law Office of Ryan Patrick, PLLC and is Senior Counsel with HooverSlovacek, LLC, where he focuses on criminal defense work.From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Patrick was a judge on the 177th District Court in Houston. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Patrick served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Harris County District Attorneys Office.He received his B.B.A. from Baylor University in 2001 and his J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 2006.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3561", "ICYMI: Sen. Cruz: The Victory of Tax Reform Will Be in the Pay Stubs of Working Men and Women", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  On Wednesday and Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) appeared on several national and local Texas radio shows to discuss key victories for Texas and American taxpayers in Congress final tax reform bill, including his Student Opportunity Amendment. This amendment expands 529 College Savings Plans to include K-12 elementary and secondary school tuition and expenses for public, private, and religious schools.\nOn Fox News Todd Starnes Show, Sen. Cruz discussed his Student Opportunity Amendment, which is the most far-reaching federal school choice legislation ever passed, and included in the final tax reform bill.\nThe tax cut as a whole makes an enormous difference for working families, for parents, for small businesses, for farmers, for ranchers, and for job creators, for young people all across the country. Theres an enormous amount in this tax bill, that is cutting taxes, and focused on generating jobs and raising wages. There is also as part of this tax bill the most significant federal school choice legislation that has ever passed.\nSen. Cruz continued, The amendment I introduced expands 529 Savings Plans. In addition to using them for college, now you can use them as well for K-12 education. You can use them for public school, for private school, for parochial school, for religious school - its up to the parents. Up to $10,000 per year, per child, and that passed into law.\nWhile on The Joe Pags Show, Sen. Cruz shared how doubling the standard deduction dramatically simplifies the tax code for the American taxpayer.\nNow for a married couple, the standard deduction goes from [$12,700] to $24,000. Which means the first $24,000 of income you earn, you pay nothing. And that dramatically simplifies filling out your taxes. So as you noted, roughly 90 percent of taxpayers now will be able to file [their taxes] on a postcard. That is a major simplification. It results in a lot less time, and annoyance, and pain in the neck for taxpayers in Texas and all across the country.\nOn KSKYs The Mark Davis Show, Sen. Cruz discussed the reports of U.S. companies announcing pay raises and investments in communities as a result of the meaningful tax cuts included in the bill.\nThis tax cut cuts the corporate tax rate from 35 percent, which is making us completely uncompetitive, down to 21 percent, which means businesses and job creators have money to invest, Sen. Cruz said. Were seeing business, after business, after business  AT&T announced $1 billion in new investments and also [200,000 U.S. employees] getting a $1,000 bonus. There are a lot of North Texas AT&T employees, over 200,000 worldwide, getting a bonus as a direct result of this tax cut. And thats on top of the fact that the individual [tax] rates for individuals and families are going down.\nWhile on KTSAs Jack Riccardi Show, Sen. Cruz encouraged Texans to compare their paystubs from February 2017, to February 2018.\nI encourage every Texan, go look at your pay stub in February  thats when the changes will kick in on the pay stub  and compare it to your February pay stub a year earlier, Sen. Cruz said. Youre going to see all across the state of Texas, if youre a taxpayer, your taxes are going down. This is a big tax cut for small businesses, for farmers, for ranchers, for job creators. Were seeing companies all over the country that are investing, that are giving people raises and bonuses because of the impact it has on job creators. But for working families, every marginal rate is going down. The child tax credit is doubling, going from $1,000 to $2,000 a child. That means a single mom with three kids, the child tax credit grows from $3,000 to $6,000. That is real money in your pocket, and it starts January 1, and youll see it in your February paycheck.\nWhile on WBAPs The Chris Salcedo Show, Sen. Cruz highlighted how this tax cut will create higher wages, and expand opportunity for Texans and Americans across the country.\nThis is a tax cut designed to several things, Sen. Cruz said. The most important thing that its designed to do is to create jobs. Jobs are my number one priority, because jobs are the number one priority of Texans. All across the state thats the number one priority and so every day I wake up and go to work in the Senate focused on how we can have more jobs, higher wages, and more opportunity. And this tax bill is focused on that.\nSen. Cruz on 'The Todd Starnes Show'\nSen. Cruz on 'The Joe Pags Show'\nSen. Cruz on 'The Mark Davis Show'\nSen. Cruz on 'The Jack Riccardi Show'\nSen. Cruz on 'The Chris Salcedo Show'\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3562", "Cruz, Cornyn Praise Confirmation of Ryan Patrick for U.S. Attorney in Houston", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) released the following statements after the Senate confirmed Ryan Patrick as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas:\nRyan Patrick will be an excellent United States Attorney, Sen. Cruz said. He has a distinguished career as a former prosecutor and judge, and I am confident he will continue to honorably serve and protect the people of Texas in this new role.\nRyan Patricks record shows a dedication to public service and respect for the rule of law, said Sen. Cornyn. I proudly recommended him to the President, and I know he will continue to serve Texas well in this new capacity.\nSens. Cruz and Cornyn recommended Ryan Patrick to President Trump following an extensive review and interview process of the candidate pool by the bipartisan Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee (FJEC). The Senators established the FJEC, a bipartisan panel of leading attorneys in Texas, to help identify the most qualified candidates to fill judicial vacancies. The panel reviewed applications, interviewed candidates, and made recommendations to the Senators, who interviewed individuals before making their recommendations to the President.\nMr. Patrick is currently the managing partner of The Law Office of Ryan Patrick, PLLC and is Senior Counsel with HooverSlovacek, LLC, where he focuses on criminal defense work. From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Patrick was a judge on the 177th District Court in Houston. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Patrick served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Harris County District Attorneys Office. He received his B.B.A. from Baylor University in 2001 and his J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 2006.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3564", "Sen. Cruz: Congress Must Ensure the Promises Made to Texas Are Fulfilled and Resources Are There to Help Our State Rebuild", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Tonight, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to deliver on storm funding for victims of Hurricane Harvey.\nWatch Sen. Cruzs floor speech in its entirety here. The full text of his remarks is below:\nMr. President, as jet fumes swirl around the halls of Congress and members head to the airports to head home for the holidays, I rise to remind my colleagues that there are still hundreds of thousands of people in Texas, in Florida, and in Puerto Rico who are still hurting from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and who will be spending Christmas not in their homes, but in a hotel, or with family and friends, or in temporary housing.\nAll across these regions, there are houses, businesses, schools, churches, community establishments that still need to be rebuilt, and they are waiting  counting  on our help. It is wrong, indeed its maddening to those in the affected regions  that the Senate is not taking up legislation today to give them what they need to continue to rebuild and recover.\nIn my home state, there is no doubting that Texas Gulf Coast communities suffered tremendous losses in Hurricane Harvey. But the hurricane also brought out the best in Texas. We saw Texans standing together and lifting each other up. First through rescue and response, and now as we come together and rebuild our communities. The nation witnessed our iconic moments -- from the thousands of Texans who went out on boats to save their neighbors, to Houstonians lining up of all ages to volunteer at disaster recovery centers, embodying that can do Texas spirit.\nTexas has worked diligently since August on cleanup and recovery efforts from Hurricane Harvey. But I am sorry to say that the United States Senate is now leaving town without delivering on its commitment to help Texas, to help Florida, and to help Puerto Rico recover.\nCongress has passed two disaster relief bills already in the wake of these hurricanes, and in addition Congress passed a bipartisan disaster relief tax bill that I was proud to author. But there is still much more that needs to be done. Our colleagues in the House just hours ago passed a bill to further provide for emergency rebuilding efforts. This bill represents progress, but much more work needs to be done to make sure that it does enough, especially for Texas, which was promised by both this Congress and by the Administration that it would be given everything we need to rebuild.\nEarly estimates from the supplemental bill that passed the House, are that Texas would be eligible for only a small percentage of the $81 billion in that legislation. That is unacceptable. And the Senate needs to fix it.\nTexas experienced the worst flood event in United States history. Hurricane Harvey was unlike any other storm we have seen before in Texas. The number of people impacted, the scope - it brought 250 miles of devastation to our Texas Gulf Coast, as winds obliterated whole communities and rain flooded out parts of Texas that had never flooded before. Due to the level of damage the storm caused to homes, and businesses, and infrastructure, Hurricane Harvey was the costliest disaster this year and may well prove the costliest natural disaster in United States history. According to the Governor of Texas, the damage to our state from the hurricane is well over $120 billion and could prove to be closer to $180 billion. Any bill to provide disaster funding brought to this floor should recognize the unprecedented level of damage wreaked upon the state and should provide the support necessary for Texas to rebuild.\nI spoke this afternoon with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and he expressed serious concerns that the supplemental bill coming out of the House does not direct nearly enough resources to the state of Texas given the magnitude of the damage, the magnitude of the suffering. Disaster relief needs to focus where that suffering occurred, where the disaster occurred.\nI am hopeful that when this body returns in two weeks that we will work together in a bipartisan way to ensure that the promises made to the Texas are fulfilled and that the resources are there to help our state rebuild.\nThe emergency response is over but recovery and rebuilding efforts go on. As we keep working to keep our promises, I remain determined to keep fighting to ensure that Texas has the federal resources to which the state is entitled under federal law.\nThe spirit of Texas is strong. Some weeks ago, I tweeted out a picture that I think captured some of that sprit. It was a picture of a man in his living room. The sheetrock was torn down from all the walls, nothing but studs of the walls. No carpet, the flooring was taken up, no furniture. He had a lawn chair, he had an Igloo ice chest as a coffee table, and TV screen. He was wearing a Houston Astros jersey and cheering as the Astros won the World Series. And the tweet simply said, This is why it matters.\nThats the spirit of Texas. We need to remember that spirit. And we need to make sure that disaster relief responds to the real damage and real suffering that Hurricane Harvey visited upon the state of Texas.\nI look forward to working with my colleagues  hopefully from both sides of the aisle - to deliver on that commitment that Texans are owed.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=video&id=3563", "Sen. Cruz Delivers Floor Speech on Hurricane Harvey Funding - December 21, 2017", "2017-12-21", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Central TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(512) 916-5834  300 E 8th  Suite 961  Austin, TX 78701  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t North TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(214) 599-8749  Lee Park Tower II  3626 N. Hall St.  Suite 410  Dallas, TX 75219  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Southeast TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(713) 718-3057  808 Travis Street  Suite 1420  Houston, TX 77002  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South/Cen. TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(210) 340-2885  9901 IH-10W  Suite 950  San Antonio, TX 78230  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t East TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway  Suite 501  Tyler, TX 75702  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(956) 686-7339   200 S. 10th St   Suite 1603   McAllen, TX 78501   Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Washington, D.C. \n\t\t\t\t\t(202) 224-5922  404 Russell  Washington, DC 20510  Contact", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://burgess.house.gov/blog/?postid=398527", "Burgess Statement on Critical Tax Reform Vote", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael Burgess", "B001248", "burgess.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. \r\n\r\n\r\nToday the United States House of Representatives delivered on its promise to the American people by passing comprehensive tax reform for the first time since 1986. These sweeping improvements will simplify the tax code and empower taxpayers to keep more of their hard-earned money. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will deliver for American families by reducing the rates of the individual tax brackets and nearly doubling the standard deduction while keeping in place the most important deductions; for example, education tuition waivers will remain tax-exempt.\r\nThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also eliminates Obamacares individual mandate penalty. Since its inception, I have been a fervent opponent of this egregious overreach that fundamentally alters the relationship between the government and the governed. With our vote today, Congress has begun to restore liberty to the American people.\r\nWhile this tax reform package is not perfect, it is a positive step in the right direction. I commend my fellow Members for their hard work to achieve long-overdue results for North Texans and the American people.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hensarling.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hensarling-statement-on-house-and-senate-passage-of-historic-tax-reform", "Hensarling Statement on House and Senate Passage of Historic Tax Reform", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Jeb Hensarling", "H001036", "hensarling.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONU.S. Congressman Jeb Hensarling (TX-5) released the following statement after the House and Senate passed The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act:\nFor hardworking taxpayers, the day has finally come. The House and Senate passed the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the most meaningful tax reform legislation in over a generation. For those who over the last eight years saw their paychecks stagnate, their savings not recover, and their dreams diminish  help is finally on the way. The legislation now sits on the desk of the President for his signature.\nThe law lowers tax rates for all Americans, reduces taxes for Main Street small businesses, and generates more Made in America labels by finally making our corporate tax rate competitive.\nThis tax reform plan was built for growth: growth of take home pay, growth of better jobs, and growth of the American dream. Economic growth is also a vital part of the solution to our deficit, and history has shown that meaningful tax reform leads to robust economic growth above three percent. Combined with smart regulatory relief and competent monetary policy, I fully believe that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act can and will deliver sustained strong economic growth.\nOf course, we must combine economic growth with meaningful entitlement reform of current programs for future generations in order to deal with our threatening and unsustainable national debt.\nAlthough the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act failed to fully repeal the Death Tax and Alternative Minimum Tax and did not achieve the level of simplicity or flatness I had worked for, it remains a great and historic pro-growth achievement and I am proud to support it.\nAmong several items, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act the legislation will:\n Lower individual taxes and set specific rates at 0%, 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37% -- allowing you to keep more of the money you earn\n\tRoughly double the standard deduction for single and married filers\n\tContinue to allow you to write off the cost of state and local taxes  enabling the ability to deduct property and income taxes\n\tExpand the Child Tax Credit to help parents with the cost of raising children\n\tDeliver tax relief to Main Street by offering new tax deductions\n\tAllow businesses to write off the full cost of new equipment\n\tProtect the ability for small businesses to write off interest on loans\n\tDouble the threshold amount for the Death Tax\n\tEliminate the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax which helps job creators focus on growing their business instead of filling out burdensome paperwork\n\tBoost American energy production while creating jobs and reducing our dependence on foreign oil\n\tEliminate Obamacares individual mandate penalty tax\n ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hurd.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hurd-statement-historic-tax-reform", "Hurd Statement on Historic Tax Reform", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Will Hurd", "H001073", "hurd.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  Today, the House of Representatives approved the first major tax reform bill since 1986. In response to the historic tax overhaul, U.S. Representative Will Hurd (TX-23) released the following statement:\nFor too long, small businesses have struggled and families have lived paycheck to paycheck. Today, we are providing much-needed relief and keeping more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans. In addition to doubling the standard deduction  which 80 percent of my constituents rely on  the simplified plan will provide a huge boost to the economy by empowering businesses to hire, invest and spend more right here at home. Americans deserve a fairer and simpler tax code for a new era of American prosperity. I will continue to support policies that champion economic growth and provide families in my district with financial relief.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://kaygranger.house.gov/media/press-releases/granger-statement-final-passage-tax-cut-and-jobs-act", "Granger Statement on Final Passage of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Kay Granger", "G000377", "kaygranger.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Kay Granger (TX-12) today issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tToday, the House passed the most sweeping, pro-growth tax reform since President Reagan. These tax cuts will ensure Texans keep more of their hard earned money. In addition, this legislation not only protects current American jobs but also encourages companies who have moved overseas to come home and bring jobs back to Texas.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe bill nearly doubles the standard tax deduction and reduces loopholes, while preserving important tax breaks such as the teacher tax deduction for classroom expenses. With this bill, the typical family of four earning the median family income of $73,000 will receive a tax cut of $2,059. The bill also expands the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $2,000 for single filers and married couples to help parents with the cost of raising children. It also allows Texans to write off up to $10,000 of their property taxes.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis legislation delivers real relief to businesses by lowering the corporate tax rate to 21 percent, down from 35 percent. In fact, it reduces taxes on small businesses to the lowest theyve been in 40 years. Businesses will be able to immediately write off the full cost of new equipment to improve operations and enhance the skills of their workers.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThere has been a lot of mischaracterization of what this bill does, but the American people will know the truth when they start to see more money in their paychecks as early as February of next year.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCongress has finally delivered on the promise of tax reform, and I am proud to have supported this historic tax bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://kaygranger.house.gov/press-release/granger-statement-final-passage-tax-cut-and-jobs-act", "Granger Statement on Final Passage of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Kay Granger", "G000377", "kaygranger.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Kay Granger (TX-12) today issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\nToday, the House passed the most sweeping, pro-growth tax reform since President Reagan. These tax cuts will ensure Texans keep more of their hard earned money. In addition, this legislation not only protects current American jobs but also encourages companies who have moved overseas to come home and bring jobs back to Texas.\nThe bill nearly doubles the standard tax deduction and reduces loopholes, while preserving important tax breaks such as the teacher tax deduction for classroom expenses. With this bill, the typical family of four earning the median family income of $73,000 will receive a tax cut of $2,059. The bill also expands the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $2,000 for single filers and married couples to help parents with the cost of raising children. It also allows Texans to write off up to $10,000 of their property taxes.\nThis legislation delivers real relief to businesses by lowering the corporate tax rate to 21 percent, down from 35 percent. In fact, it reduces taxes on small businesses to the lowest theyve been in 40 years. Businesses will be able to immediately write off the full cost of new equipment to improve operations and enhance the skills of their workers.\nThere has been a lot of mischaracterization of what this bill does, but the American people will know the truth when they start to see more money in their paychecks as early as February of next year.\nCongress has finally delivered on the promise of tax reform, and I am proud to have supported this historic tax bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://kevinbrady.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400989", "Tax Cuts & Jobs Act Heads to President Trumps Desk", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Kevin Brady", "B000755", "kevinbrady.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Tax Cuts & Jobs Act Heads to President Trumps Desk \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 20, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, the House of Representatives voted to give its final approval of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, officially sending this historic tax reform legislation to President Trumps desk. Upon passage, U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady  issued the following statement:\r\nWith todays vote, the House officially sends historic, transformational tax reform to President Trumps desk. This is an incredibly exciting day for the American people, who have waited years  even decades  for a simpler, fairer tax code that will grow our economy and allow them to keep more of their hard-earned money. For the first time in three decades, Americans will finally have a tax code that delivers more jobs, fairer taxes, and bigger paychecks to people and families across our nation. Thats great news for people in my home state of Texas and all Americans.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n    \r\n        \r\n            \r\n        \r\n    \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCLICK HERE to view Congressman Bradys opening statement today on the House floor.\r\nCLICK HERE to read the full legislative text of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\r\nCLICK HERE to read the policy highlights of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://marchant.house.gov/?p=24720", "Marchant Votes to Deliver Tax Relief to North Texas Families and Businesses", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Kenny Marchant", "M001158", "marchant.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Marchant Votes to Deliver Tax Relief to North Texas Families and Businesses\n      \n                  \n                      Press Release \n                    |\n                         December 20, 2017\n        \n              \n            \n  \n  In 2018, taxpayers at every income level will see their taxes cut under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\n\nWashington  U.S. Congressman Kenny Marchant (TX-24) released the following statement after the House passed comprehensive tax reform legislation, (H.R. 1) The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\nBringing our tax code into the 21st century is a critical step toward unleashing Americas full economic potential. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act keeps a promise to my constituents to reject the status quo in Washington, D.C. and deliver lasting tax relief for the families, individuals and job creators in North Texas. In 2018, taxpayers at every income level will see their taxes cut under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We are replacing our broken tax code with one that incentivizes companies to invest and create jobs in America instead of overseas, boosts paychecks and increases family budgets.\n###\n\nView Congressman Marchants Floor Speech on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://olson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/olson-stefanik-introduce-bill-to-protect-victims-of-harassment-taxpayers", "Olson, Stefanik Introduce Bill to Protect Victims of Harassment & Taxpayers", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Pete Olson", "O000168", "olson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  Representatives Pete Olson (R-TX) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) today introduced legislation to ensure victims of harassment on Capitol Hill continue to receive just compensation for their suffering, but at the hands of their accusers, not at taxpayer expense. Olson and Stefanik introduced H.R. 4690, the Responsible Settlements for Victims and Taxpayers Act, which will require Members found guilty of harassment to reimbursethe Treasury for settlements paid out to victims. Furthermore, if a Member leaves office and fails to reimburse the Treasury, their federal retirement account, also known as a Thrift Savings Account, can be taken to pay back the American people.\nRep. Pete Olson said, Recent reports of harassment coming out of Capitol Hill are disgusting and wrong on every level. The notion that any claims of harassment have been settled at taxpayer expense is simply indefensible. As we look to right this wrong, I have concerns with any colleagues seeking the easy way out by resigning and thinking this action gets them off the hook. Thats why not only does this bill require members to reimburse the Treasury for payments to victims, but also provides a mechanism for reimbursement should anyone leave office. The wonderful staffers who come to Capitol Hill to serve the American people deserve a safe work environment. If that safety is breached, they deserve compensation from the person who harms them, not the American taxpayers. I thank my colleague Elise Stefanik for joining me in this effort and hope we can get this bill to the House floor for consideration as soon as possible.\n\"Taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for lawmakers' inappropriate behavior,\" said Congresswoman Stefanik. \"This commonsense legislation addresses the recent and shocking reports of abuse by some on Capitol Hill, and it protects hard earned taxpayer dollars. I was pleased to join my colleagues recently to pass mandatory sexual harassment training for the House of Representatives, and this bill is one more important step to protecting our workspaces from abuse. I thank Congressman Olson for leading this effort.\"\nHighlights of the Bill:  \n\tH.R. 4690 amends the Congressional Accountability Act to require Members of Congress to reimburse the U.S. Treasury for settlements paid in connection with violations of sexual harassment committed personally by Members of Congress. The bill also allows use of Thrift Savings Plan agency contributions to a Member as a source of reimbursement if a Member or Senator has not met the requirements of repayment within 180 days of the settlement agreement. Text of the bill can be found here.\n###\nMedia Contact: Melissa Kelly\n\t202-225-5951", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://poe.house.gov/2017/12/hezbollah-s-illicit-activities", "Hezbollah's Illicit Activities", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Poe", "P000592", "poe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "A recent report reveals that the Obama White House, in a desperate attempt to appease the Ayatollahs in Iran, let Hezbollah off the hook. The report outlines how the DEA was on to Hezbollahs illicit network of drug and arms trafficking, money laundering and other criminal activities, yet the Obama administration stalled or blocked any prosecutions that would have disrupted the terror groups nefarious activities so that Iran would agree to the nuclear deal. This stunning revelation adds more evidence to why the JCPOA was a bad deal.\r\nFor years Hezbollah built an extensive network in Latin America to raise money for its terrorist activities. Addressing Hezbollahs illicit activities across the globe, but in particular the Western Hemisphere, has been a top priority for Congress for many years. Through hearings and legislation we have exposed the direct ties between Hezbollah and criminal groups in the region that allowed Hezbollah to amass nearly $1 billion annually. Yet the U.S. failed to take sufficient action to disrupt this massive flow of money, drugs, and arms that have made Hezbollah the most power terrorist group in the world.\r\nIn 2014, a GAO review noted that only two of 12 requirements that were mandated by the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act were being addressed. Meanwhile, Hezbollahs activity in our hemisphere increased. In June 2017, an individual with alleged ties to the terrorist group was arrested in Paraguay and extradited to the U.S. That same month, another individual was arrested for attempting to provide support to Hezbollah in targeting the U.S. and Israeli embassies in Panama. These events followed the 2014 arrest of a Hezbollah operative in Peru, an Iranian-linked assassination attempt on the Saudi Ambassador in Washington in 2011, and the deadly terrorist attacks against two Jewish targets in Argentina in the 1990s. Moreover, the special prosecutor who uncovered Iran and Hezbollahs role in the Argentina attacks was murdered in 2015.\r\nTogether with my colleagues, Chairman Cook of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee and Chairman Ros-Lehtinen of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, I have sent a letter to President Trump urging him to address the shortfalls that occurred under the Obama administration in terms of dismantling Hezbollahs illicit activities. We in the House have provided the tools necessary to pursue Hezbollah, passing H.R. 3329, the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act, which includes Section 105 mandating a U.S. strategy to address Iran and Hezbollahs networks in the Western Hemisphere and requiring the alignment of U.S. actions with our regional partners. We are prepared to do more to make up for years of negligence under the Obama White House that allowed these killers to go unbothered. And thats just the way it is.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://poe.house.gov/2017/12/reps-poe-cook-and-ros-lehtinen-urge-more-action-on-hezbollah-in-western-hemisphere", "Reps. Poe, Cook, and Ros-Lehtinen Urge More Action on Hezbollah in Western Hemisphere", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Poe", "P000592", "poe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Today,Representatives Ted Poe (TX-02), Chairman of Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade,Paul Cook (R-CA-08), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, andIleana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs sent a letter to President Trump urging stronger U.S. action on Hezbollahs drug trafficking activities in the Western Hemisphere. The letter urges the Administration to designate Hezbollah as a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) and as a Designated Kingpin Entity (SDNTK) and to open an investigation into Hezbollah as a criminal enterprise under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act:\r\nChairman Poe:The U.S. government must use all resources at our disposal to go after Irans number one terrorist proxy: Hezbollah. Hezbollah leverages both traditional fundraising methods as well as illicit activities,such as drug trafficking and money laundering,to fund their murderous plots. Hezbollah is the poster-child for what has been called the terrorist-criminal nexus. There is absolutely no reason why they should not be designated by the United States as a Transnational Criminal Organization and a Designated Kingpin Entity. The decades-old terrorist designations on Hezbollah only go so far to address the size and scope of Hezbollahs global illicit activities. I call upon the Trump Administration to not repeat the mistakes of the past administration and make targeting Hezbollahs illicit activities a first order priority.\r\nChairman Cook:For far too long we have ignored the growing convergence of Iran-backed Hezbollah with transnational criminal networks in Latin America. While I applaud the Trump Administration for prioritizing the need to deter and disrupt Hezbollah in the Middle East and elsewhere, we need to do more to address Hezbollahs illicit activities closer to home in the Western Hemisphere. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that also runs a criminal enterprise and traffics drugs from South America to fund its global terrorist operations. The U.S. and our regional partners have a vital interest in using every possible tool to prevent Hezbollahs ability to conduct terrorism, particularly given past attacks on Jewish targets in Argentina in the 1990s and an attempted attack in Washington, D.C. in 2011. President Trump has a huge opportunity now to strike a major blow to Hezbollahs ability to carry out its terror operations, and I look forward to supporting the Presidents efforts on this critical issue.\r\nChairman Ros-Lehtinen:Its no secret that, in its pursuit of the weak and dangerous nuclear deal, the Obama administration ignored Irans illicit activity and the threat the state sponsor of terror-regime posed to our national security and the security and stability of our allies. If recent reports of the size and scope of Hezbollahs operations in Latin America are true, we should all be alarmed as it puts the terror group right in our own hemisphere. We have no time to waste in addressing this threat and that is why I have joined Ted and Paul in writing to the administration and urging it to take immediate steps to disrupt Hezbollahs financial networks and to attempt to reverse the damaged already caused.\r\nThe text of the letter can be found below.\r\nDecember 19, 2017\r\nPresident Donald Trump1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NWWashington, DC 20500\r\nDear President Trump:\r\nWe write to express our support for stronger U.S. action to address Hezbollahs drug trafficking activities in the Western Hemisphere. While Hezbollah is designated under several terrorism programs as well as Syria country sanctions, we do not believe that these actions are sufficient to address the size and scope of Hezbollahs illicit activities in the Americas. Therefore, we urge your Administration to advance a new focus on Hezbollahs drug trafficking efforts and connections to organized crime in the region by directing U.S. agencies to designate Hezbollah as a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) under E.O. 13581 and as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficking Kingpin (SDNTK) entity pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. We also urge you to direct the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into Hezbollah as a criminal enterprise under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.\r\nWe are concerned over press reports that the Obama Administration may have inhibited efforts by the U.S. Departments of Justice, Treasury, and State to target and prosecute key Hezbollah operatives engaged in terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized crime. Addressing Hezbollahs illicit activities in the Western Hemisphere has been a top U.S. Congressional priority for many years as demonstrated by multiple oversight hearings and visits to the region. These efforts, along with findings by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, have uncovered direct ties between Hezbollah and criminal groups in the region that have reportedly allowed Hezbollah to amass nearly $1 billion annually to support its global terrorist operations.\r\nWe believe the U.S. has failed to take sufficient action to disrupt Hezbollahs illicit financing, and this issue warrants immediate review given recent developments. When the report mandated by The Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act was submitted to Congress in 2013, the Government Accountability Offices 2014 review revealed that the report only addressed two of the 12 elements required by law. In June 2017, an individual with alleged ties to Hezbollah was indicted in Miami after being extradited to the U.S. by Paraguay, and one individual was arrested for attempting to provide support to Hezbollah in targeting U.S. and Israeli embassies in Panama. These events follow the 2014 arrest of a Hezbollah operative in Peru, the Iranian-linked assassination attempt on the Saudi Ambassador in 2011, and the terrorist attacks against two Jewish targets in Argentina in the 1990s as well as the assassination of former Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman in 2015, who uncovered evidence of Iran and Hezbollahs role in these attacks.\r\nIn October 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3329, the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act, which included Section 105 mandating a U.S. strategy to address Iran and Hezbollahs illicit networks in the Western Hemisphere and requiring the alignment of U.S. actions on these issues and greater engagement with regional partners. We believe H.R. 3329 along with application of targeted drug trafficking designations are critical to address loopholes in the current U.S. approach to Hezbollahs illicit activities. We urge your support in addressing these matters and look forward to working with you to advance your new National Security Strategy in the days ahead.\r\nSincerely,\r\nCol. Paul Cook, Ret. (CA-08)   Ted Poe (TX-02)Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27)\r\nChairman Chairman ChairmanSubcommittee on the WesternSubcommittee on Terrorism Subcommittee on the MiddleHemisphereNonproliferation, and TradeEast and North AfricaCommittee on Foreign AffairsCommittee on Foreign AffairsCommittee on Foreign Affairs\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://thornberry.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398312", "House passes final version of tax reform bill", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "William Thornberry", "T000238", "thornberry.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "House passes final version of tax reform bill \r\n   \r\n    \r\n      House passes final version of tax reform bill \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 20, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n        \r\n            \r\n            WASHINGTON- The U.S. House of Representatives passed the conference report of H.R. 1, the tax reform bill, by a vote of 224 to 201. The Senate has also passed the conference report that will now be sent to the President for signature.\"The bill is a great step forward for our economy and our country. It is time that we let hardworking Americans keep more of the money they earn,\" Thornberry said. \"The bill is not perfect. I am disappointed that the Death Tax is not completely abolished and that the end product is not as simple as I would like or had hoped. But this tax reform bill is our chance to lower taxes, boost the economy, and bring jobs back to America.\"Highlights:\r\n            \r\n                Family making median income of $73,000 will see a tax cut of $2,059 according to House and Senate tax committees;\r\n                Lowers individual tax rates for Americans to 10, 12, 22, 24, 32, 35, and 37 percent;\r\n                Nearly doubles the standard deduction and eliminates special interest deductions;\r\n                Expands and increases the Child Tax Credit and preserves the Child and Dependent Care Credit and the Adoption Tax Credit;\r\n                Preserves the mortgage interest deduction for existing mortgages and maintains the mortgage interest deduction for new homes up to $750,000;\r\n                Allows state and local taxes to be deducted up to $10,000, which puts all states on a more even playing field;\r\n                Retains retirement savings options such as 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs);\r\n                Eliminates the Obamacare individual mandate penalty beginning January 1, 2019;\r\n                Preserves and temporarily expands the medical expense deduction;\r\n                Doubles the Death Tax exemption;\r\n                Lowers the corporate tax rate to 21 percent; and\r\n                Offers a new 20 percent tax deduction to small and family-owned pass-through businesses with joint incomes below $315,000.\r\n            \r\n            Thornberry also said, \"This tax bill means that families will benefit from a healthier economy, from more jobs, and from a high quality of life created by putting Americans on a more level playing field with our foreign competitors.\"To read the full billclick here.\r\n        \r\n        \r\n            ###\r\n        \r\n    \r\n\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-passage-historic-tax-relief", "Cornyn on Passage of Historic Tax Relief", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The men and women who are trying to make ends meet will benefit from lower taxes, bigger paychecks, and a resurgent economy that will produce more jobs and better opportunities.\nAmerican families should not have to settle for anything less, and we'll make sure they don't.\n \nWASHINGTONU.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today spoke on the Senates passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the first comprehensive tax reform in more than three decades. This legislation will increase the child tax credit, reduce taxes for middle-income Americans, and double the standard deduction. Excerpts of his remarks are below, and video is here.\nThis bill will dramaticallyreduce taxes on Americanfamilies and incentivize thecreation of new jobs.This bill is a major victory forall Americans who want to knowthat Washington has their bestinterests at heart, and it doesexactly what we told voters wewould do in 2016.\nWe're delivering tax reform in away that is real, comprehensive,and substantial, and we're doingit through what we usually referto as regular order here in theSenate.\nThis tax reform may not bear theribbons and bows of a Christmaspresent, but the men and womenwho are trying to make ends meetwill benefit from lower taxes,bigger paychecks, and aresurgent economy that willproduce more jobs and betteropportunities.\nAmerican families need moretake-home pay.They need the higher wages.They need greater jobopportunities.And they need a competitiveeconomy and the benefits thatbrings.American families should nothave to settle for anythingless, and we'll make sure theydon't.\nI can'twait to hand deliver to thePresident's desk this importantbill this week and for him tosign it into the law.We will all benefit from passageof this Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\n\nWhat the Bill Means for Taxpayers:\nFor a Typical Family of Four: \n The typical family of four earning the median family income of $73,000 will receive a tax cut of $2,058, a reduction of nearly 58 percent.\n For a Single Parent Earning $41,000 per Year:\n A single parent with one child and an annual income of $41,000 will receive a tax cut of $1,304.50, a reduction of nearly 73 percent.\n For Married Small Business Owners with an Income of $100,000:\n A married couple who are small business owners and earn $100,000 per year will receive a tax cut of $2,603.50, a reduction of nearly 24 percent.\n \nThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\nPuts Money Back in Texans Pockets:\n This bill lowers individual tax rates to 0%, 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%.\nIt doubles the standard deduction so that the first $12,000 earned by an individual and the first $24,000 earned by a married couple are not taxed at all.\n Helps Texas Families: \n This bill doubles the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $2,000 to help single and married parents with the cost of raising children. This credit is fully refundable up to $1,400.\nIt preserves the Adoption Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to help families open their homes to adopted children and care for older dependents who need support.\n Promotes Education and Charitable Giving:\n This bill helps families and individuals save for education by allowing Texans to use 529 accounts to save for elementary, secondary, and higher education.\nIt continues to support graduate students with the exemption of the value of reduced tuition from taxes.\nIt preserves the deduction for charitable donations to continue to incentivize and make it easier for families to give to charity.\n Lightens the Burden of Health Care Costs:\n This bill expands the medical expense deduction for medical expenses exceeding 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income, and rising to 10 percent in 2019.\nIt repeals Obamacares individual mandate so families arent penalized for not purchasing health care they dont want or cant afford.\n Preserves the Property Tax Deduction: \n This bill allows taxpayers to continue to write off up to $10,000 in state and local taxes  including property taxes and sales taxes for Texans.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-sobre-el-paso-hist%C3%B3rico-de-la-desgravaci%C3%B3n-fiscal", "Cornyn sobre el Paso Hist\u00f3rico de la Desgravaci\u00f3n Fiscal", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Los hombres y las mujeres que estn intentando de llegar a fin de mes se beneficiarn de impuestos ms bajos, mayores sueldos, y una economa en auge que producir ms empleos y mejores oportunidades.\nLas familias estadounidenses no deberan tener que conformarse con menos, y nos aseguraremos de que no.\n \nWASHINGTON-- Senador John Cornyn (R-TX) hoy habl en el Senado sobre el paso de la Ley de Reducciones de Impuestos y Empleos, la primera reforma fiscal integral en ms de tres dcadas. Esta legislacin doblar el Crdito Fiscal por Hijos (CTC), reducir los impuestos para los estadounidenses de ingresos medios, y doblar la deduccin estndar. Extractos de su discurso estn debajo, y el video est aqu.\nEsta legislacin reducir drsticamente los impuestos a las familias estadounidenses e incentivar la creacin de empleos. Esta legislacin es una gran victoria para todos los estadounidenses que quieren saber que Washington tiene sus mejores intereses en el corazn, y hace exactamente lo que dijimos a los votantes que haramos en 2016.\nNosotros estamos entregando la reforma fiscal de una manera que es real, completa, y sustancial, y estamos hacindolo a travs de lo que solemos referir como orden regular aqu en el Senado.\nPara los estadounidenses, la ley representa el mejor tipo de regalo de Navidad que podramos ofrecerles, uno que en realidad mejorar sus vidas y uno del cual se beneficiarn de inmediato. Esta reforma fiscal no tiene las cintas y los arcos de un regalo de Navidad, pero los hombres y las mujeres que estn intentando de llegar a fin de mes se beneficiarn de impuestos ms bajos, mayores sueldos, y una economa en auge que producir ms empleos y mejores oportunidades.\nLas familias estadounidenses necesitan ms dinero para llevar a casa. Necesitan sueldos ms altos. Necesitan mayores oportunidades de empleo. Y necesitan una economa competitiva y los beneficios que aporta. Las familias estadounidenses no deberan tener que conformarse con menos, y nos aseguraremos de que no.\nNo puedo esperar a entregarla a la mesa del Presidente esta importante legislacin esta semana y para que l lo firme en la ley. Todos nos beneficiaremos del paso de esta Ley de Reducciones de Impuestos y Empleos.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3557", "Sen. Cruz Urges Colleagues to Ensure Homeschooling Families Are Included in the Student Opportunity Amendment", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Central TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(512) 916-5834  300 E 8th  Suite 961  Austin, TX 78701  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t North TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(214) 599-8749  Lee Park Tower II  3626 N. Hall St.  Suite 410  Dallas, TX 75219  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Southeast TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(713) 718-3057  808 Travis Street  Suite 1420  Houston, TX 77002  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South/Cen. TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(210) 340-2885  9901 IH-10W  Suite 950  San Antonio, TX 78230  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t East TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway  Suite 501  Tyler, TX 75702  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(956) 686-7339   200 S. 10th St   Suite 1603   McAllen, TX 78501   Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Washington, D.C. \n\t\t\t\t\t(202) 224-5922  404 Russell  Washington, DC 20510  Contact", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3558", "Sen. Cruz: This Tax Reform Bill is a Victory for Middle Class Families Across Texas and the Country", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement after voting in favor of Congress final conference-reported tax reform bill. Sen. Cruzs Student Opportunity Amendment was included in the final bill, which expands 529 College Savings Plans to include K-12 elementary and secondary school tuition for public, private, and religious schools.\nThis tax reform bill is a huge victory for middle class families across Texas, and the country, Sen. Cruz said. By doubling the child tax credit, and providing rate cuts for individual taxpayers in all brackets, this bill allows Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money, and brings needed relief to working families. By repealing Obamacares individual mandate, 6.5 million Americans who have been unfairly fined by the IRS for not being able to afford health insurance will now have immediate and significant relief. And because weve significantly lowered the corporate tax rate, businesses that have fled overseas to escape our high corporate taxes will bring jobs and roughly $2.9 trillion in capital back to the American economy.\nIn particular, this bill is a win for Texans. Texas taxpayers will now be able to write off up to $10,000 in property taxes, a measure I fought to maintain. Further, it includes my Student Opportunity Amendment, which prioritizes the education of the next generation by expanding 529 College Savings accounts. Parents can now save up to $10K per year per child to use for K-12 education expenses in public, private, and religious schools. While I would have preferred to see the education of every child prioritized  including homeschool students  I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to expand school choice and opportunity.\nThis legislation marks a significant step toward fulfilling our promise to provide the American people real, fundamental tax relief. I will continue fighting to give every Texan, and every American, the ability to keep more of their hard-earned money and spend it as they wish, not as the federal government commands.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3559", "ICYMI: Sen. Cruz: Congress' Tax Reform Bill is a Major Victory for Working Men and Women and American Families", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today appeared on Fox News Fox and Friends, and KTSAs The Morning Edge With Trey Ware to discuss key victories for American taxpayers in Congress final tax reform bill. He also discussed his Student Opportunity Amendment, which was included in the final bill, and expands 529 College Savings Plans to include K-12 elementary and secondary school tuition and expenses for public, private, and religious schools.\nOn Fox and Friends, Sen. Cruz discussed the Student Opportunity Amendment, which is the most far-reaching federal school choice legislation ever passed.\nThe [Student Opportunity Amendment] takes College 529 Saving Plans  very popular plans, which are used across the country, where you can save in a tax-advantaged way for college, and expands them to K-12 education, Sen. Cruz said. It expands them so that you can use them for public school, for private school, for parochial school, for religious school. Every parent, every grandparent up to $10,000 per child, per year. Its the most far-reaching federal school choice legislation ever passed, and it's in the bill.\nOn the The Morning Edge With Trey Ware, Sen. Cruz continued discussing his efforts urging his Senate colleagues to include homeschooling families in the Student Opportunity Amendment.\nThe amendment that I introduced that was initially adopted was even broader, in that it explicitly included homeschoolers  the 1.8 million kids across this country that are homeschooled, and I was fighting for homeschoolers to have those same rights, Sen. Cruz said. Sadly, last night the Democrats raised a procedural objection to the homeschoolers, and they succeeded in getting homeschoolers carved out. I think it was wrong, I think it was discriminatory. I asked the Democrats last night, why they were telling homeschoolers  every other kid in America can benefit through this savings plan, with their parents own money. Why are they treating homeschoolers worse? One of the striking things, some of the language they took out allowed parents of children with disabilities to pay for educational therapy for their kids with disabilities and the Democrats objected to that, and got that struck out. That was unfortunate. And it shows just how much politics is playing out in Washington. That being said, even though we didnt get everything we tried for, were going to continue pressing, and fight for the rights of every child in America and this represented a big, big victory to the schoolkids of Texas.\nSen. Cruz also discussed the provisions included in the tax plan that will benefit working men and women.\nThere are a ton of winners across the country from this tax plan, Sen. Cruz said. If youre a small business owner, youre a winner, because youre taxes are going down. If youre a farmer or rancher, youre a winner, because youre taxes are going down. If youre a working family, if youre a school teacher, or a firefighter, if youre a truck driver, youre a winner because your taxes are going down. If youre a struggling family, youre a winner because the child tax credit is doubling  from $1,000 a child, to $2,000 a child. So if youre a single mom with three kids, you know have a $6,000 tax credit, raising from $3,000. Thats real money in the pockets of single moms who are struggling. And the benefits cut across the board, so that working men and women  you know every taxpayer in America, your standard deduction has doubled. So that its $24,000 for a married couple  that means, the first $24,000 you earn, you dont pay any taxes at all.\nSen. Cruz continued, highlighting the tax bills focus on creating more jobs and higher wages.\nThe central focus of this major tax cut is jobs, jobs, jobs. We want more jobs, we want higher wages, we want more opportunity. If youre a young person, and youve got student loan debt, you want a good job offer coming out of school. This tax cut is really good news for you as a young person.\nSen. Cruz continued, If youre a steelworker, if you are someone who works with your hands in manufacturing, you should be thrilled today, because this Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, is designed to bring jobs back to America, bring manufacturing jobs back to America, and make America competitive on the global stage again. We want more jobs and higher wages  thats what this plan is designed to do.\nSen. Cruz on 'Fox and Friends'\nSen. Cruz on KTSA's 'The Morning Edge With Trey Ware'\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3560", "ICYMI: Sen. Cruz Op-Ed in The Dallas Morning News: Tax Reform Will Benefit Texans In More Ways Than One", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today penned an op-ed for the Dallas Morning News outlining victories for Texas jobs, Texas wages, and Texas family budgets in Congress recently passed historic tax reform bill.\nRead the op-ed in its entirety here and below:\nTax-reform bill will benefit Texans in more ways than one  Dallas Morning News  By: Sen. Ted Cruz  December 20, 2017\nWhen Americans went to the polls in 2016 and put Republicans in charge of the presidency and both houses of Congress, they delivered a clear message that the sluggish job growth and stagnating wages of the Obama years were unacceptable. In response, Republicans in Congress have been working to cut taxes and bring back booming growth that will create millions of jobs across the nation, increase the size of Americans' paychecks and once again give everyone the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.\nCongress recently passed a historic, pro-growth tax-reform bill that includes four major victories for Texans that I worked hard to secure.\nThe first major victory is the repeal of Obamacare's unconstitutional individual mandate, which forces you to purchase a product  Obamacare-approved health insurance  against your will. The individual mandate is one of the most unfair and unpopular parts of Obamacare. It is also one of the largest tax increases ever inflicted upon the American people. The IRS has fined roughly 6.5 million Americans because they can't afford this mandate. About 1 million of those fined by the IRS live in Texas. And of those 6.5 million nationwide who were fined, roughly 80 percent earned $50,000 per year or less. Roughly 40 percent earned $25,000 per year or less.\nTo correct this injustice and help Texans keep more of their own money, two months ago I began advocating to my colleagues that we should repeal the individual mandate as part of the tax-reform bill. At the time, only a handful of senators supported the idea. But after learning that repealing the mandate would save the federal government $318 billion  money that could go directly back to taxpayers  I was able, along with that early group of senators, to get the rest of the Republican conference on board. Not only have we secured $318 billion that will directly contribute to lowering individual tax rates, we have also doubled the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000. That's real money for millions of Texas families who are raising children and paying for their care.\nSecond, we were able to stop a $350 billion tax increase that threatened to make its way into the bill at the 11th hour. One senator with good-faith concerns about increasing the federal deficit wanted to include an automatic tax increase of $350 billion in the bill if the economy failed to grow the way many conservatives and economists expect it will after these tax cuts. Republican leadership had to cut a deal with that senator to get the bill out of the Budget Committee, so the tax increases were added to the bill. I believed this was a major mistake, so I quickly went to the Senate floor and made the case to keep the hard-fought tax cuts in the bill and remove any automatic tax increase. My colleagues agreed with me, and Republicans joined me in passing tax cuts without the proposed $350 billion tax increase.\nThird, we ensured Americans in every bracket will receive a tax cut. This bill originally eliminated the state and local tax deductions, a strong conservative reform that guarantees states and local governments won't continue to pile on tax increase after tax increase because they know it will be subsidized by you, the federal taxpayer. But eliminating this deduction would have resulted in tax increases for some, especially those in high-tax Democratic states. My view is that we should strive to cut taxes for everyone. That's why I'm proud that a change I supported is in the final bill, allowing all taxpayers to deduct up to $10,000 of state and local income and property taxes. We may have no state income tax in Texas, but many pay a hefty property tax bill, and this is another victory for taxpayers in our state. This, along with the further reduction in individual rates that came out of the conference committee, moves us substantially closer to the objective that every American gets a meaningful tax cut.\nFinally, the Senate passed my Student Opportunity Amendment to expand the hugely popular 529 College Savings Plans to include the opportunity to save and pay for public and private K-12 education. One columnist for FoxNews.com called this reform a \"game changer\" that \"puts parents back in charge.\" Nearly 41,000 Texas families use 529 accounts to save for the college educations of their children and grandchildren in a tax-advantaged fashion. Anyone can contribute to a 529 account with after-tax money, which then grows tax-free and can be spent without paying taxes on the earnings. By expanding these accounts to include public and private K-12 education, my amendment gives parents in Texas and across the country a powerful tool to help them provide for their children's educational needs, regardless of income or ZIP code. This major reform  the most significant school-choice legislation in history  passed the Senate 50-50, with the vice president casting the tie-breaking vote.\nAs I travel all over our state, I consistently hear from Texans that they want real tax cuts that will help unleash our economy, create millions of jobs and bring much-needed relief to family budgets. Jobs are my top priority, and this historic tax cut delivers on those promises.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=video&id=3556", "Sen. Cruz Delivers Floor Speech on His Student Opportunity Amendment - December 19, 2017", "2017-12-20", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Central TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(512) 916-5834  300 E 8th  Suite 961  Austin, TX 78701  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t North TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(214) 599-8749  Lee Park Tower II  3626 N. Hall St.  Suite 410  Dallas, TX 75219  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Southeast TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(713) 718-3057  808 Travis Street  Suite 1420  Houston, TX 77002  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South/Cen. TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(210) 340-2885  9901 IH-10W  Suite 950  San Antonio, TX 78230  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t East TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway  Suite 501  Tyler, TX 75702  Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(956) 686-7339   200 S. 10th St   Suite 1603   McAllen, TX 78501   Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Washington, D.C. \n\t\t\t\t\t(202) 224-5922  404 Russell  Washington, DC 20510  Contact", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://carter.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=40&itemid=2293", "Carter Votes to Lower Taxes, Revitalize Economy", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Carter", "C001051", "carter.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman John Carter (TX-31) released the following statement after he joined his colleagues in the House in passing H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\r\n\r\n\tAmericas middle-class families have been waiting for a tax code that puts them first for decades, and today was one of the final steps to deliver real tax relief for those that need it most. For far too long, Americas complicated tax code has been filled with special interest loopholes and unfair regulations,resulting in hard-working middle class families bearing the brunt of the tax burden. Today, that changes.\r\n\r\n\tOur bill will revitalize the economy by lowering individual tax rates, creating jobs, and delivering significant tax relief to Main Street job creators, which will result in wage growth and more money in Texans pockets. Texas working families deserve to keep more oftheir hard-earned money, and this legislation ensures that happens.\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tHighlights of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\r\n\r\n\tLowers individual taxes and sets the rates at 0%, 10%, 12%. 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%.\r\n\r\n\tIncreases the standard deduction from $6,350 to $12,000 for individuals, and $12,700 to $24,000 for married couples.\r\n\r\n\tContinues to allow people to write off the cost of state and local taxes.\r\n\r\n\tEliminates Obamacares individual mandate penalty tax.\r\n\r\n\tProvides support for graduate students by continuing to exempt the value of reduced tuition for taxes.\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tRep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\t# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://flores.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399052", "Flores Votes for Bold, Pro-Growth Tax Reform", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Bill Flores", "F000461", "flores.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Representative Bill Flores (R-Texas) issued the following statement regarding the House passage of the conference report for H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: Today, the House is delivering on our promise to provide much-needed tax relief to hardworking American families and businesses. We are changing the status quo by putting in place a bold, pro-growth tax system for the 21st century that helps working-class Americans and catapults our nation back to a leading position in an increasingly competitive global economy. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act nearly doubles the standard deduction, lowers individual and corporate tax rates, expands the child tax credit, encourages American investment, boosts American energy production and repeals Obamacare's individual mandate. I was particularly pleased to see that this bill preserves the beneficial tax treatment for graduate students receiving waived and discounted tuition incentives, which my team and I worked hard to protect. Our current tax code is broken, outdated, full of loopholes for special interests and has hindered the growth of our economy for too long. This is a historic moment as we are putting in place a tax system that will lead to more jobs, bigger paychecks and fairer taxes for hardworking American families.\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://samjohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398865", "Sam Johnson Statement on Final Tax Reform Bill", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Sam Johnson", "J000174", "samjohnson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed theTax Cuts and Jobs Act(H.R. 1), the House and Senates tax reform bill.\r\n\r\nAfter the vote, U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (TX-03) released the following statement:\r\n\r\nAmerican families need tax relief thatrewardstheir hard work andbooststhe economy through much-needed pro-growth business reforms. Since the very beginning of the tax reform process, I have listened to constituents all across the district about their priorities and worked to do everything I can to make tax reform the best it can be.In particular, I am pleased that the final bill includes my commonsense idea to help better protect Americans retirement savings. The tax reform bill is a significant improvement from our current broken tax code. For example, it doubles the standard deduction for individuals and families, doubles the child tax credit to $2,000, cuts income tax rates on middle income Americans, provides critical tax relief for Main Street small businesses, encourages companies to invest and grow jobs in the U.S., and repeals Obamacares individual mandate tax. As a free market conservative, Ive been fighting my entire career in Congress for tax relief and reform, and I am proud to vote for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in my final term.\r\n\r\nThe following legislation introduced by Congressman Johnson is included in the tax reform bill:\r\n\r\n Savings Enhancement by Alleviating Leakage in 401(k) Savings Act (SEAL Act - H.R. 2030).The SEAL Act would provide an extended repayment period for individuals who take out loans from their 401(k)s and later leave their jobs. Individuals would have until the tax filing deadline instead of only 60 days.\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://babin.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1664", "Babin Votes to Advance Historic Tax Relief Bill for American People", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Brian Babin", "B001291", "babin.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DC  U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) joined his House colleagues today in passing the House-Senate conference report for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1), landmark legislation that overhauls Americas tax code to deliver historic tax relief for American workers, families and job creators. The legislation now goes to the Senate where it is expected to pass and be sent to the Presidents desk for his signature.\r\n\r\nWe are now on the verge of delivering a historic and much-deserved win for the American people right before Christmas, said Rep. Babin. By cutting taxes for all Americans, eliminating special interest loopholes, doubling the child tax credit and lowering the tax burden on businesses, our bill will increase paychecks, create more jobs and make the tax code simpler and fairer for hardworking Middle-Class Americans.\r\nMy priority is to make sure our tax code works for the average American taxpayer. Under the current system, it is the well-connected who have benefited. Our bill eliminates special interest carve outs for lawyers and lobbyists and returns taxpayer money to its rightful owners: hardworking Americans, job creators and savers.\r\nThe bottom line is that our bill reduces taxes for all Americans and saves the average American family between $1,000 and 2,000 a year. For American workers, this tax reform bill creates more jobs right here in the U.S. by lowering the tax burden on small and large businesses. Currently, U.S. businesses pay the highest tax rate of any industrialized country at 35%.\r\nOur bill finally overhauls our broken tax code and puts the American taxpayer first while igniting the American economy and building on the already remarkable economic growth we have seen under the Trump Administration. This is truly an exciting and historic moment for the American people.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://carter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1336", "Carter Votes to Lower Taxes, Revitalize Economy", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John R. Carter", "C001051", "carter.house.gov", "carter", "https://carter.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman John Carter (TX-31) released the following statement after he joined his colleagues in the House in passing H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s middle-class families have been waiting for a tax code that puts them first for decades, and today was one of the final steps to deliver real tax relief for those that need it most. For far too long, America\u2019s complicated tax code has been filled with special interest loopholes and unfair regulations, resulting in hard-working middle class families bearing the brunt of the tax burden. Today, that changes.\n\n\u201cOur bill will revitalize the economy by lowering individual tax rates, creating jobs, and delivering significant tax relief to Main Street job creators, which will result in wage growth and more money in Texans\u2019 pockets. Texas\u2019 working families deserve to keep more of their hard-earned money, and this legislation ensures that happens.\u201d\n\nHighlights of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\n\n\u00b7 Lowers individual taxes and sets the rates at 0%, 10%, 12%. 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%.\n\n\u00b7 Increases the standard deduction from $6,350 to $12,000 for individuals, and $12,700 to $24,000 for married couples.\n\n\u00b7 Continues to allow people to write off the cost of state and local taxes.\n\n\u00b7 Eliminates Obamacare\u2019s individual mandate penalty tax.\n\n\u00b7 Provides support for graduate students by continuing to exempt the value of reduced tuition for taxes.\n\nRep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://conaway.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398324", "Historic Tax Cuts Pass House", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "K. Conaway", "C001062", "conaway.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Historic Tax Cuts Pass House \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 19, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      \r\n\r\n    \r\n        \r\n            \r\n            Washington Tuesday, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 227-203. Congressman Mike Conaway (TX-11) released the following statement upon passage:\r\n            This is a historic day. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act delivers on the promise Republicans made to the American people to provide financial relief to hardworking families across our nation, create a pro-jobs business environment, and encourage investments in our economy. \r\n            American families will see lower tax rates starting the first day of 2018. The child tax credit doubles to $2,000 per child, and by doubling the standard deduction families will pay no taxes on the first $24,000 they make each year. This legislation also repeals Obamacares individual mandate, putting American families back in charge of their own healthcare decisions. \r\n            This legislation provides well-deserved tax cuts to American families and ultimately, a blueprint to grow the American economy- creating even more jobs and wage increases for hardworking Texans. I applaud the hard work of Chairman Brady, the Conferees, and all those who have remained committed to passing this historic tax reform package. I look forward to the Senates passage of this bill tonight, allowing President Trump to sign the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law before Christmas. \r\n            \r\n        \r\n    \r\n\r\n\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://culberson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398838", "Myth vs. Fact: Tax Reform", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Culberson", "C001048", "culberson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Myth vs. Fact: Tax Reform \r\n   \r\n    \r\n      Setting the Record Straight on the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 19, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Myth vs. Fact\r\nSetting the Record Straight on the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act\r\nMyth vs Fact: Tax Reform and the Deficit\r\nMYTH: The plan is expensive and adds to the deficit.\r\n \r\n    FACT: You cannot fix our nation's fiscal problems without a growing economy, and tax reform is exactly the tool that can do that. When you factor in the wage increases, jobs created, and overall economic growth that will result from the most historic tax reform in 31 years, the government will have the revenues it needs to run efficiently and effectively.\r\n \r\n\r\nMyth vs. Fact: Corporate Taxes\r\nMYTH: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a tax cut for corporations, not families.\r\n \r\n    FACT: Our current tax code is shipping jobs overseas. It is literally incentivizing companies to move to other countries, taking good-paying jobs and tax revenue with them. Getting tax rates down helps us keep those jobs where they belongright here in America. It also helps raise wages and results in faster economic growth. Bigger paychecks and a level playing field; that's a winning combination for American workers.\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\nMyth vs. Fact: A Tax Cut for the Middle-Income Families\r\nMYTH: This is just a tax cut for the rich.\r\n \r\n    FACT: This is a tax cut for all Americans. The current tax system is rigged to disproportionately benefit the wealthy instead of middle-income families. It works best for those who know how to take advantage of all the loopholes in our outdated tax code. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cuts taxes for the average taxpayer in every income group. In fact, the typical American household will receive a tax cut of $2,059. For families who are living paycheck to paycheck, keeping that money in their pocket is simply the right thing to do.\r\n \r\n\r\nMyth vs. Fact: Homeowner Deductions\r\n\r\nMYTH: This plan gets rid of deductions for homeowners.\r\n \r\n    FACT: Forcurrent mortgage borrowers,absolutely nothing is changing with your mortgage-interest deduction. For new home mortgages, on a first or second mortgage interest deduction will be available up to $750,000.\r\n    \r\n    \r\n    \r\n \r\nMyth vs. Fact: the $2,059 Tax Cut\r\nMYTH: The $2,059 for the typical American household isn't very much.\r\n \r\n    FACT: Millions of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Almost half the country says they would not be able to pay an unexpected bill of $400 or more. When faced with that reality, a tax cut of or $2,059 for a family of 4 (making $73,000) can go a long way towards providing peace of mind and financial stability.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://culberson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398839", "Rep. Culberson Statement on Passage of Tax Cuts & Jobs Act", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Culberson", "C001048", "culberson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Rep. Culberson Statement on Passage of Tax Cuts & Jobs Act \r\n   \r\n    \r\n      This is a pivotal moment in the economic history of our country \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 19, 2017\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n      Washington D.C.  Rep. John Culberson (TX-07) released the following statement today after the House passed H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act:\r\nBecause of todays historic vote, hardworking Texans and American families will see an increase in their take home pay in January. American companies will immediately be more competitive in the world market, and thousands of jobs and billions of dollars will return to the United States. This is a pivotal moment in the economic history of our country and I am proud to vote in favor of lower taxes, greater prosperity and job growth. \r\nSmall businesses on Main Street and larger companies that want to come back to the U.S. and compete in the world market will flourish because of this tax cut.\r\nHurricane Harvey survivors can also rest assured knowing that their tax breaks will be preserved.I urge my colleagues in the Senate to support this legislation and move it to President Donald Trumps desk to be signed into law.\r\n\r\n # # #\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://farenthold.house.gov/congressman-farentholds-statement-passage-tax-cuts-jobs-act-2/", "Congressman Farentholds Statement on the Passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Blake Farenthold", "F000460", "farenthold.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Congressman Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) issued the following statement Tuesday after the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 1  Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed the House.\nToday, I fulfilled one of my long-term goals serving in Congress; voting for a fairer, flatter and simpler tax code that cuts taxes for hardworking Americans, said Congressman Farenthold. This pro-growth, pro-family legislation will help you keep more of your paycheck. It also helps low and middle-income Americans by nearly doubling the standard deduction, lowering the individual tax rates and increasing the child tax credit. Im looking forward to this legislation passing the Senate tonight and President Trump signing it into law.\nThe Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 1  Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed the House 227-203.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lamarsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-smith-americans-win-with-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act", "Rep. Smith: Americans Win With Tax Cuts and Jobs Act", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Lamar Smith", "S000583", "lamarsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON Today Congressman Lamar Smith (TX-21) voted in support of the final Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which raises take-home pay and creates jobs. The bill passed 227-203.\nRep. Smith: Today we kept our promise to the American people by passing pro-family, pro-growth tax reform for working Americans. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the biggest update to the tax code in more than 30 years. The bill creates jobs, reduces taxes and gives bigger paychecks to families.\nThis bill increases the child tax credit from $1000 to $2000 to provide more support for Texans to take care of their children. Over 45,000 taxpayers in the 21st district will benefit from the child credit increase. The standard deductions for both single and married filers are also doubled. The typical family making the median income of $73,000 will receive a tax cut of more than $2000. Thats $2,000 more of their earned income that they can use as they choose, and thats not going to the governments coffers.\nThe tax rates for small and family-owned businesses and corporations are reduced. This encourages companies to bring their foreign profits and jobs back to the U.S. for American workers.\nThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also eliminates Obamacares individual mandate penalty tax, providing families the flexibility to make their own health care choices.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-applauds-tax-relief-for-hardworking-americans", "McCaul Applauds Tax Relief for Hardworking Americans", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael McCaul", "M001157", "mccaul.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee anda senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, applauds the House passage of the final version of H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, to reform our tax code.\nCongressman McCaul: Today is a historic day. With my support, the House passed the final version of H.R. 1 to reform Americas broken tax code. This once-in-a-generation tax reform bill will provide hardworking American families and job creators big and small with much-needed relief and flexibility.\nTo highlight some key provisions, we eliminate one of the most disastrous parts of Obamacare, the individual mandate, so Americans are no longer forced by the government to purchase insurance they do not want or need. Also, by doubling the standard deduction in our tax code, we are providing families with bigger paychecks and a simpler, fairer tax filing process. Furthermore, in lowering the corporate tax rate and providing for repatriation of foreign funds, we are bolstering investment here at home, allowing our tech hubs, like Austin, and other business communities to compete internationally once again. Lastly, by creating a new deduction for pass-through businesses, we are rewarding small businesses that for too long have been subject to unfair tax rates. These changes ensure the American entrepreneurial spirit  that for generations has driven innovation and cultivated the worlds greatest economy  is alive once again.\nI applaud my fellow Texan, Chairman Kevin Brady, and my colleagues in both chambers for their steadfast leadership on delivering relief, lower taxes, and bigger paychecks to millions of hardworking American families.\nThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will:\n Lower individual tax rates;\n\tRepeal Obamacares individual mandate;\n\tExpand the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000;\n\tRoughly double the standard deduction, allowing about 90% of taxpayers to file their taxes on a postcard;\n\tLower the corporate tax rate from 35% - one of the highest in the world  to a more competitive rate at 21%;\n\tCreate a new 20% deduction for pass through businesses, which are small businesses that have their profits pass-through directly to the owners. These type of businesses included Sole proprietorships, S Corporations, Partnerships, and LLCs which were previously taxed at individual income rates;\n\tBring offshore profits back to the United States fueling economic growth.\n ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-introduces-bill-to-increase-pressure-on-the-irgc", "McCaul Introduces Bill to Increase Pressure on the IRGC", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael McCaul", "M001157", "mccaul.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee anda senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the Expanding Sanctions Against Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps Act to make it more difficult for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and related companies to raise revenue and access international business and financial systems.\nCongressman McCaul: The IRGC supports terrorist organizations such as the IRGC Quds Force, facilitates Irans ballistic and nuclear development program, and is responsible for serious human rights abuses against Iranian citizens. The IRGC additionally serves as both a major military and economic entity for the Iranian regime. As a result of the misguided and dangerous Obama-era Iran nuclear agreement, IRGC-owned and affiliated companieshave greater access to the global financial system and international markets, which in turn allows the IRGC to continue and further its illicit activities. This bill ensures that America will hold those who conduct or facilitate business with the IRGC accountable.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-statement-on-the-wannacry-attack", "McCaul Statement on the 'WannaCry' Attack", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael McCaul", "M001157", "mccaul.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) released the following statement on theU.S. publicly attributingthe massive WannaCry cyberattack to North Korea.\nChairman McCaul: The declaration that North Korea was directly behind the 'WannaCry' attack in May is a grave reminder that the regime in Pyongyang can threaten innocent people almost anywhere on earth with more than just ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, and that we must do more to strengthen our own cybersecurity. \"As the American people have become more reliant on computer networks for both personal and professional use, everyone is now a potential victim of hacking by cybercriminals, nation states, and others. That is why over my Chairmanship, I have made strengthening the cybersecurity mission of DHS one our Committee's top priorities.\n\t\"While we have made progress with passing laws to increase information sharing between both the public and private sector and strengthen federal networks, we need to do more. The Senate can start by passing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act, House-passed bipartisan legislation that creates a standalone operational agency to better protect America.\n\t\"Cybersecurity is key to keeping our homeland safe and we should implement common sense solutions like this one without any delay.\"\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://olson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/delivering-historic-tax-relief", "Delivering Historic Tax Relief", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Pete Olson", "O000168", "olson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today acted to deliver historic tax relief to hardworking Americans by voting for the first comprehensive overhaul of our nations tax code in 31 years. Olson voted for the Conference Report to H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which will lower taxes, create more jobs and simplify the tax code for Americans. It passed the House by a vote of 227-203and now heads to the Senate for consideration.\nToday is a great day for the American people, Rep. Pete Olson said. For too long, hardworking Americans have struggled to make ends meet because of our burdensome and broken tax code. With this reform, the typical family of four earning roughly $73,000 will get to keep $2,059 more of their hard earned money. These reforms will help create jobs and strengthen our economy so that American businesses can compete on the global stage. I want to thank my colleagues for their hard work, and for listening to the concerns of folks across the country so that we could make this bill even better for you, because its about time our tax code works for American families and businesses instead of against them. This bill will bring more American capital back from overseas to be invested here at home, strengthening our economy. I urge the Senate to quickly pass this bill so the president can sign it and we can deliver relief to all Americans.\nFor individuals and families, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\n Lowers individual taxes and sets the rates at 0%, 10%, 12%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37% so people can keep more of their hard-earned money.\n\tSignificantly increases the standard deduction to protect roughly double the amount of what you earn each year from taxes  from $6,500 to $12,000 for individuals and $13,000 to $24,000 for married couples\n\tProvides support for graduate students by continuing to exempt the value of reduced tuition from taxes.\n\tProvides relief for Americans with expensive medical bills by expanding the medical expense deduction for 2017 and 2018 for medical expenses exceeding 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income, and rising to 10 percent beginning in 2019.\n For more information on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, please visit fairandsimple.gop.\n\n###\nMedia Contact: Melissa Kelly\n\t202-225-5951", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://poe.house.gov/2017/12/disappearance-of-rhinos-and-elephants", "DISAPPEARANCE OF RHINOS AND ELEPHANTS", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Poe", "P000592", "poe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Mr. Speaker, wild-life trafficking is a much larger problem than many realize. This illegal activity is connected to two major concerns: one, extinction of species; and, two, the funding of terrorist organizations.\r\nRhinos are killed for their horns, and elephants are killed for their tusks. The handful of rhinos in Africa are almost extinct, and 100 African elephants are killed by ivory poachers a day.\r\nIllegal wildlife trade serves as a source of cash flow for thugs like terrorists and international criminal organizations. They fund many of their deadly activities by poaching animals and then selling the parts internationally.\r\nAdding to the problem is the fact that some foreign authorities are corrupt and complicit in trafficking. All nations must take an aggressive stand to prevent this trafficking.\r\nThis starts with the stopping of the illegal transport of ivory and rhino horns. The nations of the world must tighten the screws against those who participate in this destruction of wildlife; otherwise, the only place our kids will see rhinos and elephants is on the Disney Channel.\r\nAnd that is just the way it is.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://poe.house.gov/2017/12/house-passes-tax-reform-heads-to-senate-vote", "HOUSE PASSES TAX REFORM, HEADS TO SENATE VOTE", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Poe", "P000592", "poe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Representative Ted Poe (TX-02) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the conference report for H.R.1, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act.\r\nToday, the House took historic action by passing the most sweeping, pro-growth tax reform in over 30 years, said Rep. Poe. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act creates a simpler and fairer tax code, giving relief to middle income Americans. It also lowers the corporate tax rate to 21%, which is currently one of the highest in the world. This will help make our country more competitive, create more jobs, and increase paychecks.\r\nA typical family of four earning the median family income of $73,000 will receive a tax cut of $2,059. \r\nThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\r\nSimplifies an outdated tax code and promotes domestic and global economic competitiveness.\r\nIncreases the standard deduction by nearly double ($12,700 for individuals and $24,400 for joint filers. That money is not taxed at all).\r\nLowers tax rates across the board. ?\r\nExpands the child tax credit to $2,000, giving parents more money to help raise their families.?\r\nLowers the corporate tax rate to 21%. This means real tax relief to small business job creators.\r\nEliminates Obamacares individual mandate penalty tax, allowing Americans to buy the health care that is right for them, if they choose to.\r\nSupports graduate students by continuing to exempt the value of reduced tuition from taxes.\r\nIncreases the exemption amount from the Alternative Minimum Tax. \r\nReforms the Death Tax by doubling the amount of the current exemption.\r\n\r\nFor more details regarding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, click here: http://bit.ly/2BIsycf", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://ratcliffe.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-ratcliffe-votes-america-s-biggest-tax-cut-31-years", "Rep. Ratcliffe votes for Americas biggest tax cut in 31 years", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Ratcliffe", "R000601", "ratcliffe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) voted today for the passage of the final version of theTax Cuts and Jobs Act(H.R. 1)in the U.S. House of Representatives. As the biggest tax cut since Ronald Reagans presidency, the bill will create bigger paychecks, spur job creation and knock the legs out from under Obamacare. President Trump is anticipated to sign it into law shortly.\nThis is a historic accomplishment for our country. More than three decades in the making, the bill we just passed took our outdated, uncompetitive and overreaching tax code, and turned it upside down. Today we restored our confidence in the ingenuity of the American people and said no to a Washington knows best attitude. \nI was honored for the chance to have a seat at the table during our historic passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and believe this is a Christmas present all Americans can be proud of.\nIn addition to creating nearly 1 million jobs nationwide, the bill is expected to create close to 80,000 jobs in Texas. It is also projected to allow the average middle-class family of four in Texas to take home an extra $2,600 each year. By doubling the standard deduction for individuals and families, this legislation will create a zero percent tax bracket of up to $24,000 for families all across the country.\nSignificant pro-growth, pro-family provisions include:\n Repealing Obamacares individual mandate that overwhelmingly penalizes low- and middle-income Americans\n\tDoubling the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 per child\n\tReducing taxes on small-business job creators to the lowest level in decades\n\tMaintaining the adoption tax credit and charitable donation deduction\n\tLowering the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent\n Click here for more information on theTax Cuts and Jobs Act.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://ratcliffe.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=187", "Rep. Ratcliffe votes for Americas biggest tax cut in 31 years", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Ratcliffe", "R000601", "ratcliffe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", null, 0, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://sessions.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/we-made-big-deal-big-deal", "We Made the Big Deal the Big Deal", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Pete Sessions", "S000250", "sessions.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Rules, released the following statement applauding the passage of the tax reform package:\n\t\"Today is a historic day. We are reforming a broken, complicated system that has held back our economy, hindered job growth, and burdened families with costly taxes for far too long. We are closing the door on lackluster GDP numbers and opening up a new chapter of robust economic growth.\n\t\"With this package we are breaking through the shackles of bureaucracy, unleashing the free enterprise system, and ringing in a new era of opportunity and freedom. We have ensured that American job creators have more resources to invest in their employees, grow their businesses, and be competitive on the global stage. We are making it easier for students to go to graduate school so they can be the best and brightest in their fields. Additionally, we have finally repealed the onerous, unfair individual mandate that has forced American families to buy costly care that they simply dont want or that they dont need.\n\t\"When Americans put us in office, they did so with the understanding that we would help make America great again. Well today, we are making Americans great again. We are giving them a tax system that works for them. A system that allows them to take home more of their hard-earned money and have more opportunities for success. Today we made the big deal the big deal and delivered a win for American families, a win for American businesses, and a win for our economy.\"\n\t\n\tTo read more about the Conference Report to H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, click here. \n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://weber.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=350", "Weber Statement on Tax Cuts and Jobs Act", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Randy Weber", "W000814", "weber.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  On Tuesday December 19, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1). Congressman Randy Weber (R  Friendswood) released the following statement:Over the course of seven years, there have been 41 Ways and Means Committee hearings on tax reform, 72 Senate Finance Committee hearings on tax reform, and countless other discussions and meetings. Everything culminated with this  the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This House and Senate embraced the extraordinary opportunity to fix a broken system and relieve the undue burden of costly taxes from so many Americans. In reforming the tax code, we lower taxes for all Americans by reducing every single tax bracket. The standard deduction has nearly doubled for everyone. With lower taxes across the board, businesses, both large and small, will be better able to foster job creation, wage growth, and competitiveness. What does all of this mean? It means more of your hard-earned money in your pocket. It means more jobs created. It means a fairer and simpler tax code. This is a tax cut for all Americans. It is pro-family. It is pro-growth. I applaud Chairman Kevin Brady, the Ways and Means Committee, the Conferees, and everyone who worked tirelessly to ensure Americans see lower taxes in the new year. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is on its way to the Senate and then to the Presidents desk.\r\nWith this bill, a family of four earning the median family income of $73,000 will receive a tax cut of $2,059. Specifically, H.R. 1 provisions include: Individuals:  \r\n\tLowers individual tax rates to 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%.  \r\n\tEstablishes a new Family Credit  which includes expanding the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $2,000. for each child and providing new credits of $500 each for other dependents. The credit is refundable up to $1400 provided a social security number is provided for each qualifying child.  \r\n\tPreserves the deduction for charitable contributions.  \r\n\tPreserves the home mortgage interest deduction for existing mortgages and maintains the home mortgage interest deduction for newly purchased homes for interest on up to $750,000 of mortgage principal.  \r\n\tEliminates the Obamacare individual mandate penalty beginning January 1, 2019.  \r\n\tProvides support for Graduate students by continuing to reduce the value of reduced tuition from taxes. Businesses:  \r\n\tLowers the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, effective 1/1/18.  \r\n\tAllows businesses to immediately write off the full cost of purchases of new or used equipment.  \r\n\tProtects the ability of small businesses and any businesses with floor plan inventory financing to write off the interest on loans. For more information on the bill, visit fairandsimple.gop.  \r\nFor a brief summary of the bill, click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-williams-votes-for-historic-tax-reform", "Congressman Williams Votes for Historic Tax Reform", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Roger Williams", "W000816", "williams.house.gov", "williams", "https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Congressman Roger Williams (R \u2013 Austin), a small business owner and employer for 43 years, and author of the Jumpstart America tax reform framework, released the following statement after the House voted to pass the unified version of H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:\n\n\"Today will long be remembered as a time when American families and businesses were once again made a priority. For the first time in over three decades, the House passed a comprehensive tax reform bill that will replace the current law with a pro-growth and pro-family tax code. For far too long, Washington has taken from the American people with nothing to offer in return except constant financial and economic struggle. Finally, Congress has listened to your demands, and vowed to make a positive difference that will benefit all Americans. As a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the average middle-income family will see more of their hard-earned money back in their pockets.\n\n\"Additionally, American businesses will be more competitive with other industrialized countries. We discarded the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world, and replaced it with a rate that is better aligned with the international average. Since I was elected in 2012, I have fought to bring a commonsense business owner's perspective to the halls of Congress by tirelessly pushing forward with a framework of tax reform that would jumpstart this country. As a businessman, I am proud that much of these ideas have been included in this plan, and I applaud this Administration's, and this Congress' persistent efforts to deliver much needed tax relief to the American people. I urge the Senate to vote on this immediately, and I look forward to this bill being signed into law before Christmas.\"\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/node/4509", "What Tax Reform Means for Texans", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act\nProtects Texans Hard-Earned Money:\n This bill lowers individual tax rates to 0%, 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%.\nIt doubles the standard deduction so that the first $12,000 earned by an individual and the first $24,000 earned by a married couple are not taxed at all.\n Helps Texans with the Cost of Family Care: \n This bill doubles the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $2,000 to help single and married parents with the cost of raising children. This credit is fully refundable up to $1,400.\nIt preserves the Adoption Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to help families open their homes to adopted children and care for older dependents who need support.\n Promotes the Pursuit of Education and Charitable Donations:\n This bill helps families and individuals save for education by allowing Texans to use 529 accounts to save for elementary, secondary, and higher education.\nIt continues to support graduate students with the exemption of the value of reduced tuition from taxes.\nIt preserves the deduction for charitable donations to continue to incentivize and make it easier for families to give to charity.\n Assists with High Medical Expenses:\n This bill expands the medical expense deduction for medical expenses exceeding 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income, and rising to 10 percent in 2019.\nIt repeals Obamacares individual mandate so families arent penalized for not purchasing health care they dont want or cant afford.\n Allows Texans to Deduct Property Taxes: \n This bill allows taxpayers to continue to write off up to $10,000 in state and local taxes  including property taxes and sales taxes for Texans.\n \nWhat does this mean for you?\nFor a Typical Family of Four: \n The typical family of four earning the median family income of $73,000 will receive a tax cut of $2,058, a reduction of nearly 58 percent.\n For a Single Parent Earning $41,000 per Year:\n A single parent with one child and an annual income of $41,000 will receive a tax cut of $1,304.50, a reduction of nearly 73 percent.\n For Married Small Business Owners with an Income of $100,000:\n A married couple earning $100,000 per year ($60,000 from wages, $25,000 from their non-corporate business, and $15,000 in business income) will receive a tax cut of $2,603.50, a reduction of nearly 24 percent.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3554", "Sen. Cruz: American Strength and Confidence Are the Best Means for Deterring War and Promoting Peace", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement regarding President Trumps announced National Security Strategy:\nFor the past two decades, we have taken our political, economic, and military advantage for granted. This complacency has bred confidence among our adversaries and instilled fear among our allies. President Trumps National Security Strategy represents a course correction in our American priorities that has been direly needed. I have long contended that border security is national security; that we must call our enemies by their name in order to defeat their threat; and that America should fiercely protect our democratic alliances while advancing cooperative partnerships based on shared interests. This strategy aims to advance U.S. leadership in the world by restoring the idea that American strength and confidence are the best means for deterring war and promoting peace. This document addresses necessary issues to protect our homeland, while laying out a reasoned defense for economic security as the source of confidence both at home and abroad and underwriting our ability to achieve peace through strength. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and the Trump administration to restore American leadership in all key regions of the world and to foster the prosperity and safety of the American people.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=3555", "Sen. Cruz Commends President Trump and Ambassador Haley's Defense of U.S. Sovereignty, Decision to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel's Capital at the U.N.", "2017-12-19", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement commending President Trump and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley for vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the United States recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital:\nI commend President Trump and Ambassador Nikki Haley for displaying strong moral clarity in vetoing another anti-Israel resolution and powerfully speaking the truth at the U.N. They tenaciously defended U.S. sovereignty and the right, courageous decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The veto confirms the strengthening of U.S. leadership at the U.N. and is a stark contrast to one year ago, when the previous administration shamefully permitted the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2334.\nRather than being complicit with the U.N.'s obsessive hostility towards Israel and its attempt to harangue the United States, the other 14 countries on the U.N. Security Council should focus on rejecting efforts to delegitimize Israel, recognize the reality that Jerusalem is Israel's capital, and start moving their embassies there.\nRead Amb. Haleys explanation of the veto here.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hurd.house.gov/media-center/hurd-hill/hurd-hill-providing-gold-standard", "Hurd on the Hill: Providing the Gold Standard", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Will Hurd", "H001073", "hurd.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "In order to cut through the divisive political noise and be an effective Representative, my philosophy has been real simple: agree when you agree and disagree when you disagree. This is what I have been doing for the past three years as your Representative, while working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find solutions to better the lives of the hardworking families in the 23rd District of Texas. For example, last week my smart government IT reform bill, the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act, was signed into law as part of our defense funding bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This was a two-year effort to address the crazy fact that the federal government spends $90 billion on purchasing hardware and software and 80% of that money is spent on maintaining old and outdated systems. This initiative was completely bipartisan and marks my twelfth piece of legislation to be signed into law under both a Republican and a Democratic president.\nThe most gratifying part of my job is helping constituents who are struggling to get answers or well-deserved benefits from a federal bureaucracy. In total, we helped over 450 individuals get the help they needed in the last year. From San Antonio to El Paso and everywhere in between, we are ready to fight for folks who need to be fought for. Here are a few memorable stories of how weve helped Texas families in 2017:\nThe 45,000 veterans that live in TX23 deserve nothing less than quality care and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In Natalia, a constituent needed assistance getting the VA to pay for ambulance bills and medical emergencies from 2015. So much time had passed fighting with the VA that the constituent began receiving threat notices from the ambulance company to refer him to collections. During the course of working with the VA, we discovered a clerical coding error at the VA was causing all the delays. Once fixed, we were able to secure back-pay for over a decade and sort out the payment to the ambulance company.\nAdditionally, a Hondo womans husband passed away from complications due to exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam. He was the sole provider and she was faced with losing her family home. After working with her and the County Service Representative for months, we were able to help get the VA to recognize her husbands death as connected to his military service, secure her survivors benefits backdated to his date of death, and she has been able to remain in her home.\nAfter years of fighting the VA, a San Antonio constituent finally received notice that his appeal with the Board of Veterans Affairs had been decided in his favor, granting him 100% of his back-pay going all the way back to the 1950s. Unfortunately, the constituent had difficulty collecting the back-pay from the VA and began experiencing medical problems, to make matters worse. My team and I intervened, and got his back-pay released and deposited to his bank account in a timely manner.\nHardworking folks have trouble battling the federal bureaucracy elsewhere besides just the VA. In Atascosa, my team had been working with a constituent since September 2016 to assist her in obtaining benefits that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) owed her. Her application was approved in January 2017, but she had still not received the payments. After two months of back and forth with OPM, my staff discovered that OPM had recorded incorrect direct-deposit information.\nIn addition, a constituent in Kendall County had been approved for a knee replacement surgery in November 2016but had been waiting more than seven months for the Department of Labor (DOL) to schedule an appointment. In the meantime, he was unable to return to the full line of duty at work due to his injured knee. After my office got involved, the constituent received his surgery date six days later. I received the following email from him after:\nAfter 7 months of waiting for a doctors appointment, your letter has prompted the Department of Labor into action. I just received a phone call from a supervisor with the Department of Labor and they have finally set a doctors appointment.\nI just wanted to express my thanks for all your help in this matter. I know that it may be part of your regular duties but your offices inquiry in this matter has helped speed up a grueling process for me. Being in pain for 7 months while waiting for someone else to make a doctors appointment has been extremely stressful for me and my family.\n2017 was about serving Texas families. If you or someone you know needs help with a federal agency, please dont hesitate to reach out to my office. Additionally, to receive the latest updates on my work for you, I encourage you to subscribe to my e-newsletter at hurd.house.gov, and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat at my social media handle @HurdontheHill.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-commends-the-president-s-national-security-strategy", "McCaul Commends the Presidents National Security Strategy", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Michael McCaul", "M001157", "mccaul.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee anda senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the below statement following the Presidents speech announcing his National Security Strategy.\nCongressman McCaul: The world is becoming increasingly violent and the global threat landscape increasingly complex. From the destabilizing actions of North Korea and Iran, to jihadist organizations relentlessly plotting terrorist attacks against us and our allies, the United States does not have the luxury of forfeiting leadership on the global stage to our adversaries, including Russia or China. They do not support our values, and often work proactively to undermine them.\nAs such, the presidents National Security Strategy rightly prioritizes the safety and security of the American people and our way of life, strengthens border security and interior enforcement, enhances our cyber defenses, promotes a robust economy, and embraces our leadership role on the world stage. Unlike the Obama administration, which neglected our military, President Trump is rebuilding so it is second to none. Also, this strategy ensures our diplomacy and foreign policy best advances our interests and prosperity.\nSimply put, American influence and leadership abroad is a positive force for peace and prosperity, and we must vigilantly defend it knowing our adversaries will not. I commend this administration for prioritizing and advancing a strategy that better supports our allies and brings fear to our enemies.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://poe.house.gov/2017/12/november-18th-november-22nd", "December 18th-December 22nd", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Poe", "P000592", "poe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Israeli military said it attacked a Hamas training compound in Gaza on Monday in response to rocket strikes from the Palestinian enclave, which have surged since U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital on Dec 6. Terrorists in Gaza, territory controlled by the Hamas terrorist group, have launched more than a dozen rockets into southern Israel over the last two weeks, the most intensive attacks since a seven-week-long Gaza war in 2014.\r\nISIS claimed responsibility for an attack near a training facility of Afghanistans main intelligence agency in the capital, Kabul, on Monday as gunmen exchanged fire with security forces. Details of the attack remained unclear after a group of armed men seized a building under construction in a heavily populated area of the city.\r\nA prominent Chechen commander in Syria, Salahuddin Shishani, has been killed in the Hama countryside of northwestern Syria on Sunday. Salahuddin was the emir of a small jihadist outfit comprised of North Caucasians and native Syrians, Jaysh Usrah. The exact nature of his purported death has yet to be confirmed; however, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that he was killed by a Russian airstrike.\r\nFour people were killed when a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) aid convoy was ambushed in northeast Nigeria, a WFP spokeswoman said on Sunday, in the latest attack in the region as the conflict with Boko Haram nears its ninth year. Attacks on aid workers are relatively rare in the conflict with the Islamist terrorists, compared with assaults on the military and civilians in Nigerias northeast.\r\nTwo suicide bombers stormed a packed Christian church in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least nine people and wounding up to 56, officials said, in the latest attack claimed by ISIS in the country. Police guards stationed at the church entrance and on its roof killed one of the bombers but the second attacker detonated his explosives-filled vest outside its prayer hall just after Sunday services began in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province.\r\nU.S. intelligence agencies provided advanced warning to Russia about a major terrorist plot in St. Petersburg, allowing Moscow to thwart an attack that could have killed large numbers of people, the White House said on Sunday. The tip-off resulted in the detention of seven alleged supporters of ISIS in St. Petersburg last week. Russias Federal Security Service said on Friday that ISIS had planned attacks in public places on Dec. 16 and weapons and explosives were found when the suspects were searched.\r\nEuropean Union states and legislators agreed on Friday on stricter rules to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing on exchange platforms for bitcoin and other virtual currencies, the EU said in a statement. The agreed measures will end anonymous transactions on virtual currency platforms and with pre-paid payment cards, which investigators said could have been used to fund attacks by terrorists.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://poe.house.gov/2017/12/poe-on-national-security-strategy", "POE ON NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Poe", "P000592", "poe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINTON- Today, Congressman Ted Poe (TX-02) released the following statement regarding the release of President Trump's National Security Strategy.\r\nCongressman Poe: President Trumps new National Security Strategy puts the safety of Americans first. Unlike the previous Administration, President Trump articulated a clear and convincing plan for Americas national security and foreign policy. The first duty of government is to protect the people. This strategy places a strong emphasis on working with our allies around the world, facing down our enemies, and strengthening our borders. I look forward to working with the Administration to help implement this strong vision for America.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://ratcliffe.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-ratcliffe-zeldin-love-call-inquiry-house-intelligence-committee", "Reps. Ratcliffe, Zeldin, Love call for inquiry into House Intelligence Committee Russia Investigation leaks", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Ratcliffe", "R000601", "ratcliffe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and Mia Love (R-Utah) submitted a letter to House leadership today calling for an inquiry into the improper public communication of information by members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) regarding theinvestigation into the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.\nWe write to you to address serious concerns regarding the integrity of investigations currently being undertaken by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). Improper release of information to the media by committee members or staff is a serious violation of committee and House rules,the letter said.\nSignificant evidence that serious leaks have occurred in relation to the HPSCI investigation into alleged Russian meddling of the 2016 election must be immediately addressed. Members or staff who may have violated rules by leaking sensitive information to the press or other outside entities must be promptly removed from this investigation and proper inquiries undertaken without delay.\nClickhereto view the full letter.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://ratcliffe.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=215", "Reps. Ratcliffe, Zeldin, Love call for inquiry into House Intelligence Committee Russia Investigation leaks", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Ratcliffe", "R000601", "ratcliffe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", null, 0, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://sessions.house.gov/media-center/weekly-newsletters/hill-report-week-december-11-15-2017", "The Hill Report: Week of December 11 - 15, 2017", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Pete Sessions", "S000250", "sessions.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Overtheyears I have hadtheopportunity to spend time with high school students from acrossthe32ndCongressional District. Through all of my interactions I truly believe that North Texas is home to some ofthebrightest young leaders inthecountry. Whether it be watching students fromtheWinston School build a car from scratch, welcoming North Texas students to Washington for my week long government leadership program, or encouraging healthy competition through participation intheCongressional Art and App competitions, these students have astounded me with their intelligence, drive, and ambition.\n  Congressman Pete Sessions congratulating Andre Williams and Davis Okuzor\n\tfrom Wylie High School\nThis morning I was delighted to congratulateCongressional App Challenge winners Andre Williams and Davis Okuzor from Wylie High School. These two students representthebest and brightest of North Texas and I am so proud that they tookthetime and initiative to participate in this competition. Take a look at their app here!\nGlobal Down Syndrome Foundation  \n\tThis week I was honored to attend an event hosted bytheGlobal Down Syndrome Foundation to celebratethetremendous progresstheDown syndrome community has made inthepast few years. Global Down Syndrome Foundation has played a huge role in improvingthelives of people with Down syndrome through groundbreaking research and I remain committed to working with them to ensure folks liketheFoundation continue to receive proper funding to aid in helpingtheDown syndrome community.\n  Congressman Sessions with Michelle Sie Witten, Kyra Phillips, and John Roberts\nTheBoard oftheCoalition of Airline Pilots Association  \n\tEarlier this week I met withTheBoard oftheCoalition of Airline Pilots Association to discuss legislation that would work to end foreign airlines flag of convenience practice. Specifically, H.R. 2150 would protect airlines from foreign air carries that seek to thwartthefree market, fair competition, and respectable labor standards. As Congress continues to consider this legislation and possible actions to help U.S. carriers, I look forward to continuing to receive feedback and information on these important transportation and legislative issues.\nTexas Central  \n\tOn Wednesday, I met with newly appointed Chairman oftheBoard for Texas Central Drayton McLane Jr. to receive an update on work moving forward on this important transportation project. Specifically, we discussed ongoing work attheDepartment of Transportation to provide for an efficient final draft environmental impact study that would allow Texas Central to begin to break ground. As Texas continues to grow, I am proud to support Texas Central and see this critical, privately funded, transportation project take shape undertheleadership of native Texans.\n  Congressman Sessions with representatives from Texas Central\nKorean Embassy  \n\tOn Tuesday, I met withthenew Ambassador fromtheRepublic of Korea, AmbassadorCho Yoon-je, to discussthecritical alliance shared bytheUnited States and South Korea. As one of our closest friends, and an important defense and economic partner, I was proud to welcome our new Ambassador from South Korea and share a message of friendship and strength. I also hope thattheSenate gets to work and quickly confirms our new Ambassador to South Korea, Victor Cha. Ultimately,theUnited States needs South Korea to be successful and I will continue to strongly support this important alliance.\n  Congressman Sessions greetingAmbassador Cho Yoon Je", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://williams.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/house-approves-bill-to-enhance-oversight-of-iranian-aircraft-purchases-from", "House approves bill to enhance oversight of Iranian aircraft purchases from US manufacturers", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Roger Williams", "W000816", "williams.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The treasury secretary would be required to report to Congress financial transactions related Irans purchase of commercial passenger aircraft from U.S. manufacturers under a bill that the House of Representatives approved on Thursday.\nUnder the Obama administrations nuclear agreement with Iran, the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) authorized U.S. aircraft manufacturers to begin negotiations with Iran in March 2016. Since then, OFAC has permitted the sale of more than 200 aircraft.\nBecause OFAC licenses authorize U.S. financial institutions to take part in these transactions, U.S. citizens savings and investments can be used to finance Irans aircraft purchases. U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, called that prospect deeply troubling.\nAs a result, U.S. Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) introduced the Strengthening Oversight of Irans Access to Finance Act, H.R. 4324. The bill aims to bring transparency and oversight to financial transactions related to Iranian aircraft purchases.\nThis commonsense legislation will improve the much needed Congressional oversight on aircraft sales licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department to Iran while protecting the national security interests of the American people, Williams said. I thank Chairman Hensarling for his support on this critical legislation, and to my House colleagues for casting a vote to put America first.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://williams.house.gov/media-center/newsletters/come-and-read-it-report-16", "Come and Read It Report", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Roger Williams", "W000816", "williams.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friends,\nIt's finally here! After over 30 years of an outdated and burdensome tax code, relief is here at our doorstep. On Friday, the Conference Committee on H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, released their unified version of the bill. We are expected to vote on it tomorrow, and I am more confident than ever that this bill will pass both the House and the Senate.\nThe Strengthening Oversight of Iran's Access to Finance Act\nI am happy to report that last Thursday, my bill, H.R. 4324, the Strengthening Oversight of Iran's Access to Finance Act, passed the House with a vote of 252-167. This bill is not only important to U.S. financial institutions, but crucial to our national security.This vote demonstrates the urgency with which we must address the hostile actions of the Iranian regime. I share these concerns with Senators Cruz and Perdue, who introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate last month. You can find my full statement here.\nThe National Defense Authorization Act\nOur countrys national security is absolutely paramount, and I am grateful that President Trump signed the FY18 NDAA in a swift and timely manner. When it comes to the safety of the United States, nothing can eclipse the need for this crucial funding that will help ensure our military readiness. As the representative of Fort Hood, this law will directly impact our servicemen and women by providing them with the biggest pay raise in eight years, as well as the equipment, resources and funding they need to be successful. Our American heroes are the finest fighting force in the world, and its time we start treating them as such. Full statement here.\nRecognizing TX-25 Small Businesses\nIf you missed my letter last week, I am asking all small businesseslocated in our district to share theirstories with me. To recognize our small business owners, I'd like to post their photos andmemories on my official website and Facebook throughout the month ofDecember.If you own a small business, or know someone who does, please submit your stories and photos here or by emailing TexasCD25@mail.house.gov. You can also click here for more information.\nThinking of our Troops during Christmas\nDuring this Christmas, I'd like to wish everyone in our district a safe and Merry Christmas filled with joy and loved ones. While most of us will be at home surrounded by family and friends, I encourage each of you to take some timeto think about those in the 25th District of Texas who are unable to spend time with their husband or wife, mom or dad, son or daughter or sibling, because they are deployed elsewhere. Our servicemen and women at III Corps HQ and Fort Hood, and across the country, are selflessly serving our nation and fiercely fighting against ISIS.They are doing all of this toensureour safety so we are able to spend time athome catching up with old friends and laughing around the Christmas tree together. This season, my thoughts and prayers will be with our troops and their families - Iam forever thankful for their sacrifice and pray for their safe return.\nLegislative Update\nLast week: In addition to voting on 12 legislative items, I co-sponsored H. Res. 637, H.R. 4537, H.R. 3861, and H.R. 4182.\nThe Financial Services Committee helda two-day markup, where we voted on and passed 13 pieces of legislation that will now make their way to the House floor for final passage. If you missed the markup, you can find it here.\nThis week: As I stated earlier, we are scheduled tovote on the unified Tax Cuts and Jobs Act tomorrow. This is a remarkabletime in Congress, and for all of America, and I am excited to be apart of these historic tax cuts. In addition to that, we'll be voting on H. J. Res. 124, Further Continuing Resolution.\nIt is an honor and privilege to represent the people of Texas 25th Congressional District and as always, please reach out to me with any issues and concerns that are important to you. \nIn God we Trust,\nRoger Williams\nMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-historic-tax-reform-will-ensure-american-dream-stays-alive", "Cornyn: Historic Tax Reform Will Ensure American Dream Stays Alive", "2017-12-18", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "We don't have to settle for the status quo. We don't have to settle for flat wages and fewer jobs. We can do better. We believe we have done better in this piece of legislation which will help reawaken the slumbering giant of the American economy. It will put Americans back to work. It will mean more take-home pay. It will mean a better standard of living.\n \nWASHINGTON Today on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the Democrats refusal to help pass the first real tax reform in more than three decades despite their support of key provisions in the proposal. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyns remarks are below, and video of his remarks can be found here.\nListening to my friend, the Democratic Leader, leads me to conclude that he and his party have given up on the American Dream. They want to settle for the status quo, which is stagnant growth of our economy and jobs where people haven't seen increases in their wages for years. And, yes, they seem to be rooting for failure. That seems to be the attitude of our missing in action congressional Democrats on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\nTax reform is hard. That's the reason it hadn't been done since 1986. And it's even harder when you have a political party that's determined to fight against every single proposal that we have made in our tax cut and tax reform bill, including ones that they themselves have championed in the past.\nI've heard the Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Wyden from Oregon, talk about corporate giveaways. The Democratic Leader just alluded to the same thing. Yet we are embracing the same sort of approach that they took in previous tax proposals and that President Obama advocated for in his State of the Union in 2011 when he asked Republicans and Democrats to work together to lower the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world.\nWe now have a consensus about how to get this bill across the finish line and to the president's desk before Christmas. We will vote on this final bill after the House does tomorrow, hopefully by tomorrow night, perhaps it will carry over into Wednesday morning, but we will get it on the president's desk for him to sign into law before Christmas as we have pledged.\nOur bill will simplify the tax code by eliminating many special deductions and credits while broadening the base and bringing down rates.\nThe Federal Reserve, an independent government institution, recently said that this tax package is one of the factors that have led them to increase their projections for growth next year They currently project the economy growing at a 2.1 percent, but she said next year it could go to 2.5 percent. So even if you believe that very conservative estimate, that is enough growth to compensate for the cut in taxes and the loss of revenue next year.\nSome of us believe that the American Dream is still alive, that we don't have to settle for second place. We don't have to settle for the status quo. We don't have to settle for flat wages and fewer jobs. We can do better. We believe we have done better in this piece of legislation which will help reawaken the slumbering giant of the American economy. It will put Americans back to work. It will mean more take-home pay. It will mean a better standard of living.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-appears-abc-week", "Cornyn Appears on ABC This Week", "2017-12-17", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "We're going to get the economy roaring back again, improve pay, increase jobs, and make America more competitive in the global economy.\nI'm confident we'll pass this bill, probably on Tuesday.\nThis will benefit hardworking American families, people in the lower income tax brackets.\n \nWASHINGTON  Today U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) appeared on ABCs This Week with George Stephanopoulos to discuss the upcoming vote on tax reform, the results of the Alabama Senate race, and Special Counsel Muellers investigation. Excerpts from his appearance are below, and video can be found here.\nOn tax reform:\nThis is good news for the American people. We're going to get the economy roaring back again, improve pay, increase jobs, and make America more competitive in the global economy, as well as simplifying the tax code and giving everybody in every tax bracket a tax cut. So this is good news any way you cut it.\"\nI'm confident we'll pass this bill, probably on Tuesday.\nThis will benefit hardworking American families, people in the lower income tax brackets. Everybody in every tax bracket will see a tax cut.\nThis was done through the regular legislative process, markup in the Finance Committee and on the floor of the United States Senate. As I said, our Democratic colleagues had every chance to participate and simply refused. It's not too late for them to join in passing this massive tax cut and tax reform bill, which will help awaken the sleeping giant of the American economy.\nOn the Alabama Senate race:\nWell, I think the explanation for Alabama was we had a flawed candidate who won the Republican primary and who couldn't win the general election. That's really not a new lesson. It's an old lesson remembered or demonstrated once again. What we need to do is, my party needs to do is make sure we nominate electable candidates, good candidates, who can win general elections. I don't think the lesson of Alabama is any more complex than that: flawed candidate, couldn't win the general election.\nOn Special Counsel Mueller's investigation:\nI have a lot of admiration and respect for Director Mueller, but I would think he would want to eliminate challenges to the integrity of his investigation by eliminating agents who have taken positions, either in text messages or through their political activity, that undermine the integrity of the results of the investigation.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=43", "Arrington Statement on Tax Reform Conference Report", "2017-12-16", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Jodey C. Arrington", "A000375", "arrington.house.gov", "arrington", "https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) released the following statement on the release of the House-Senate conference report for H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. \u201cAfter eight long years of big government \u201cObamanomics\u201d resulting in low wages, low job participation, and no economic growth, the American people will soon be getting a much deserved break. The House and Senate Conferees have reached agreement on a historic tax cut for hardworking, middle-class families and a new tax code that will revive our economy and keep American jobs and companies from going overseas. I look forward to passing this legislation next week and coming back home to West Texas with an early Christmas present for my constituents and all Americans.\u201d Click HERE for a summary of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.\n\n###\n\nOPINION: Here\u2019s how we put America on a path to fiscal balance\n\nMarch 26, 2026 | Posted in In the News\n\nArrington Supports Balanced Budget Amendment, Calls for Article V Convention to Restore Fiscal Sanity\n\nMarch 18, 2026 | Posted in Press Releases\n\nArrington Introduces Legislation to Strengthen Customs Enforcement\n\nMarch 13, 2026 | Posted in Press Releases\n\nOPINION: Congress must stop rewarding states for wasting taxpayers\u2019 money\n\nMarch 12, 2026 | Posted in In the News", 1, "2026-04-07T12:09:11Z", "2026-04-08T22:19:19Z"], ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=blog&id=3553", "Cruz News: December 16, 2017", "2017-12-16", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 16, 2017\nGreetings,\nThis week, I was thrilled that the Senate confirmed both Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett and former Texas Solicitor General Jim Ho to fill the vacancies in Texas on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Ive been friends with Don and Jim for decades, and know them personally to be principled defenders of the Constitution and the rule of law. They will be exceptional appellate judges, which is why I was proud to recommend them to the President for these positions.\nOn Tuesday, President Trumpsignedthe FY 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, which includes 13 amendments that I sponsored and eight that I cosponsored. These amendments will help Texas and our military interest abroad and in space. This legislation is a crucial first step toward rebuilding our military, giving our service members a well-deserved raise, and ensuring our military has the resources to be successful in their mission.\nIn recent months, weve seen waves of appalling sexual harassment and assault allegations originating everywhere from Hollywood, to newsrooms, to the halls of Congress. Every person, man or woman, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace, and Congress is not above the law. On Thursday, I sponsored abipartisan billthat overhauls the current process that victims of harassment and discrimination in Congress must go through when reporting a claim. We must empower victims of harassment, and hold perpetrators accountable.\nMy Senate office continues to work to ensure swift and effective service to Texans and Texas communities in need of federal assistance following the storm. If you need additional information or assistance during the recovery and rebuilding process, please do not hesitate to contact my office or utilize the federal and state resources listedhere.\nPlease read below for an update from this last week.\nKeep Texas Strong,\n  Ted Cruz\nICYMI: The Hill Column on Cruz 529 Expansion: Tax plans proposed expansion of education savings is a game changer\nDrew White, senior federal policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, penned a piece for The Hill, urging Congress to ensure Sen. Ted Cruzs amendment expanding 529 College Savings Plans to include K-12 elementary and secondary school tuition for public, private, religious schools, and homeschooling expenses, to be included in the final tax bill.Read more...\nICYMI: Washington Examiner: Ted Cruz Makes DC School Choice Push\nThe Washington Examiner highlighted Sen. Cruzs reintroduction of the Educational Freedom Accounts Act, which creates a unique educational choice program in Washington, D.C., empowers parents, and provides opportunity to every public school student in the nation's capital, including those enrolled in public charter schools.Read more...\nSen. Cruz: Space Policy Directive 1 Reaffirms NASAs Core Mission\nSen. Cruz, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness, issued the following statement regarding President Trumps signing of \"Space Policy Directive 1, which establishes a foundation for a mission to the moon, and beyond.Read more...\nPresident Trump Signs 2018 NDAA Into Law\nToday President Trump signed into law the FY 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which provides numerous military necessities, including over $479 million in military construction funds to the state of Texas for 2018.Read more...\nSen. Cruz: Americans Who Pledge Their Allegiance to Terrorist Organizations Forfeit Their Rights as Citizens\nSen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued the following statement regarding the arrest of Houston resident, Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, renewing his call to pass the Expatriate Terrorist Act (ETA), which he introduced earlier this year.Read more...\nSens. Cruz, Markey Introduce the National Timing Resilience and Security Act of 2017\nSens. Cruz and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the National Timing Resilience and Security Act of 2017.Read more...\nSen. Cruz: This Week, Two Exemplary Judges Will Be Confirmed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit\nSen. Cruz delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett, and former Texas Solicitor General Jim Ho, nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.Read more...\nSen. Cruz Praises Confirmation of Justice Don Willett for Fifth Circuit\nSen. Cruz released the following statement after the Senate confirmed Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett to fill a vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.Read more...\nSen. Cruz: The Internet Should Be Free of Taxation, Censorship and Regulation\nSen. Cruz issued the following statement regarding the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) vote to repeal net neutrality regulations.Read more...\nSens. Cruz and Donnelly Reintroduce Legislation to Help National Guard, Reserves Qualify for Tiered Preference in Hiring for Civil Service Jobs\nSens. Cruz and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would give qualified members of the National Guard and Reserves a tiered preference in hiring for federal civil service jobs.Read more...\nSen. Cruz Joins Sens. Rubio, Kennedy, Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Simplify Disaster Assistance for Hurricane Victims\nSens. Cruz, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), John Kennedy (R-La.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) introduced S. 2226, the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act, legislation that would prohibit the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from penalizing victims of natural disasters who apply for, but decline, Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans.Read more...\nSen. Cruz Praises Confirmation of Jim Ho for Fifth Circuit\nSen. Cruz released the following statements after the Senate confirmed former Texas Solicitor General Jim Ho to fill a vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.Read more...\nSens. Cruz, Gillibrand, and Others Introduce New Bipartisan Legislation To Combat Sexual Harassment And Discrimination In Congress, Bring Transparency And Accountability To Sexual Harassment Reporting Process\nSens. Cruz and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), today introduced new bipartisan legislation that would overhaul the current process that victims of harassment and discrimination in Congress must go through when reporting a claim.Read more...\nTexans in D.C.\nThe full press releases may be viewedhere.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://flores.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399051", "Flores Update Regarding Tax Relief for Graduate Students", "2017-12-15", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Bill Flores", "F000461", "flores.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Representative Bill Flores (R-Texas) issued the following statement regarding his work to preserve tax relief for graduate students receiving waived and discounted tuition: Three large research institutions have significant footprints and thousands of graduate students in the 17th Congressional District  Texas A&M University, Baylor University, and The University of Texas at Austin. Throughout the legislative process of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, my team and I have been working diligently on behalf of graduate students all across the U.S. to preserve provisions that protect beneficial tax treatment for waived and discounted tuition incentives. I was very pleased to see that this hard work has paid off as the House-Senate conference report for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes the tuition provisions that we requested for graduate education programs. This is particularly important to enable our research institutions to compete globally for the best and brightest students as they educate and pursue important research initiatives for the 21stcentury. Robust graduate education programs are economic engines for America and it is crucial that policymakers recognize and promote these important components of our higher education infrastructure. I look forward to voting in favor of this bold, pro-growth bill which will lead to more jobs, bigger paychecks and fairer taxes for hardworking American families. I want to express sincere thanks to my Congressional colleagues for working with my office on this important initiative for American higher education and economic opportunity. \r\nBackground.  \r\nOver the last several weeks, Congressman Flores has worked closely with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas), House Ways and Means Committee Members and other members of House Leadership to continue the income exclusion for graduate tuition waivers in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. In addition, Congressman Flores worked with House-Senate Conference Committee Members to address this important issue  in the final version of tax reform bill. One of the components of his graduate education tax treatment campaign was a letter he sent to the committee, which can be found HERE.  The legislative text of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act conference report can be found HERE.\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://williams.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/legislation-introduced-by-williams-passes-us-house", "Legislation introduced by Williams passes U.S. House", "2017-12-15", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Roger Williams", "W000816", "williams.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The United States House of Representatives passed key legislation on Thursday which will prevent Iran from having access to aircraft and other military equipment.\nRoger Williams, representative from Texas' 25th district, which includes Fort Hood,serves as the vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade. Heintroduced the Strengthening Oversight of Irans Access to Finance Act, H.R. 4324. The bill passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 252-167.\n\"This bill is not only important to U.S. financial institutions, but crucial to our national security,\" Williams said. \"The United States of America should not be in the business of selling aircraft to the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism.\"\nWilliams added that, while members of the U.S. military have been battling terrorists in the Middle East, \"Iran uses American made aircraft to work against our own national security interests.\"\nU.S. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and David Perdue of Georgia have sponsored companion legislation which has not yet gone to the floor for a vote.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://williams.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/link-copied-politics-boeing-airbus-sales-imperiled-as-trump-administration", "Boeing, Airbus Sales Imperiled as Trump Administration Formulates Iran Plan", "2017-12-15", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Roger Williams", "W000816", "williams.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONThe Trump administration is advancing a strategy that could derail efforts by Boeing Co. and Airbus SE to sell hundreds of jetliners to Iranian airlines, U.S. officials said.\nThe two aerospace giants have lined up deals over the past 15 months that have been left in limbo as the White House reassessed its Iran policy and has threatened to walk away from an international nuclear deal if Congress and European partners dont address concerns, with only a handful of Airbus planes so far delivered.\nAny effort to scuttle these deals, by accident or design, could have far-reaching consequences, both for the nuclear accord and the jet makers. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for significant sanctions relief, and supporters of the accord fear it will fall apart if Iran doesnt see the benefits it was promised.\nPresident Donald Trumps team hasnt yet presented him with options for addressing the sales, but months of interagency discussions have grown out of administration concerns that Iranian airlines could use the new jets, or old ones, to ferry weapons and military personnel into Syria, the U.S. officials said.\nBoeing and engine maker General Electric Co. are the only major U.S. companies to pursue Iranian business.\nThe options to be presented to Mr. Trump include banning sales, imposing stringent conditions that could halt any aircraft deliveries, or slow-walking approvals, according to the U.S. officials and other people familiar with the matter.\nSince the deal took effect in 2016, Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, has delivered three jets to Iran Air but could be restricted by any U.S. ban because of the large U.S. content on its aircraft.\nBoeing and Airbus have announced deals to sell almost 300 planes to Iranian airlines valued at $40 billion altogether before industry discounts. Boeing signed a proposed sale to privately owned Iran Aseman Airlines in April, the only proposed deal since Mr. Trump took office. Boeing, unlike Airbus, hasnt added Iranian deals to its official order book.\nThe 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers allowed for the aviation sales by both companies to go ahead, pending approval from the U.S. Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control. Those approvals to export planes were granted by the Obama administration. Mr. Trump in October refused to certify to Congress that Iran was complying with the deal, but the administration remains a party to it. Mr. Trump faces a mid-January deadline to extend sanctions relief to Iran, and is expected at that time to again tell Congress that he wont certify Irans compliance with the deal.\nA spokesman for the White House National Security Council declined to comment on individual licenses issued by the Treasury Department, but said, The administrations position is clear: We will not issue export licenses unless we are convinced the aircraft will be used exclusively for commercial passenger aviation.\nA Boeing spokesman said, We are authorized to deliver [aircraft], but we will continue to follow our governments lead with regards to all of our activities with Iran. Airbus had no immediate comment but previously said it had U.S. approvals to deliver the plane and would fully comply with U.S. and other regulatory requirements in its dealings with Iran. The U.S. Treasury Department didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.\nIran Air couldnt immediately be reached for comment.\nThe scrutiny of the planned jet sales is emblematic of the Trump administrationsbroader concerns about Iran, with security hawks concerned about the countrys support of terrorism and wider conflicts in the region such as in Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.\nThe United States of America should not be in the business of selling aircraft to the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism, said Rep. Roger Williams, (R., Texas), the vice chairman of the House Financial Services subcommittee on trade. He sponsored legislation that requires more stringent scrutiny of aircraft sales to Iran before Treasury certifies any deals. The House on Thursday approved the bill, which has backing in the Senate.\nAdministration officials said they were unsure what Mr. Trump would decide when presented with options. Mr. Trump has forged close ties with Boeing, championing its role as Americas largest exporter. While Boeing wants to tap Irans thirst to replace its aging jetliners and not cede the market to Airbus, the urgency has been tempered by its recent success in finding other buyers for its twin-aisle 777 jet. Iran Air wants to buy 15 of the planes.\nLosing the Iranian plane deals wouldnt be financially crippling to either Boeing or Airbus, but both are eager to build a relationship in a country with a large population underpinning potentially major demand for travel. Years of sanctions have left Iran with one of the worlds oldest airliner fleets.\nFormer officials and supporters of the Iran deal pointed to a January 2016tweet by Mr. Trump, a day after the nuclear deal was enacted, in which he faulted the deal for disadvantaging American companies, citing the planned Airbus sale.\nAny move against the airline deals might also drive a wedge between the Trump administration and Europe if Airbus plane sales dont proceed. European officials have frequently complained that Europe took more of a hit from sanctions levied on Iran before the deal was reached, because Americans were doing very limited business at that time.\nWe were the ones who took all the pain of all the sanctions, said David OSullivan, the European Unions U.S. Ambassador, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. We took the pain on Iran... We didnt do this deal in order to get rid of the sanctions. We held the sanctions until we could all agree we had a good deal.\nHe also warned that the U.S. risked blowing up the nuclear deal. Nothing should be done that negates that because clearly you cannot expect Iran to stick to the deal if you take away with the left hand what is given on the right hand on the lifting of the sanctions, Mr. OSullivan said.\nA senior diplomat familiar with Trump administration discussions said one option under consideration is allowing a slow delivery to ensure Iran isnt using the planes for illicit purposes, or that the old aircraft, parts and maintenance arent being used for other airlines such as Mahan Air, the firm sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for its support of terrorism. Iran Air had also been sanctioned by the U.S. for its support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but was delisted as part of the nuclear agreement.\nMahan Air couldn't be immediately reached for comment.\nEric Lorber, a senior adviser to the U.S. Treasurys Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, suggested this year before he joinedthe administration that the Boeing and Airbus sales could be structured in a way to keep pressure on Iran, even as many sanctions are lifted under the nuclear deal.\nUnder Mr. Lorbers proposal, Tehran could be required to fund aircraft sales via an escrow account, with the delivery of the vehicles over an agreed period. If the U.S. found any evidence Iran Air wasnt using the planes commercially, the U.S. could cut off the delivery of the aircraft and potentially confiscate funds held in escrow.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-announces-new-support-legislation-reform-cfius-review-process", "Cornyn Announces New Support for Legislation to Reform CFIUS Review Process", "2017-12-15", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  A coalition of Trump Administration cabinet officials, former senior government officials, stakeholders, and leaders of key groups have recently voiced their support for theForeign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA).Sen. Cornyn recently spoke about his legislation and the national security threat posed by China at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and a transcript of his remarks is available here.\nTREASURY SECRETARY MNUCHIN: I support the goals of FIRRMA, which will help to ensure that CFIUS has the tools necessary to protect the national security of the United States, while simultaneously maintaining our open investment environment. I stand ready to work with Senators Cornyn, Feinstein, and Burr, the committees of jurisdiction, and other Members of Congress as this important legislation advances, said U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. (Secretary Steven Mnuchin, 12/14/2017)\nATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS: I am particularly supportive of the goals of several aspects of your proposed legislation, including but not limited to (1) the expansion of CFIUSs authority to review certain transactions that may pose national security concerns; (2) an expanded list of national security factors that CFIUS should consider; and (3) mandatory disclosures of certain investments by state-owned enterprises, said U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. (Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Letter to Senator Cornyn, 12/13/2017)\nFORMER DNI ADM. BLAIR: By expanding the scope of CFIUS reviews, FIRRMA provides better tools to analyze foreign investments and thus will strengthen the protection of America intellectual property from theft by foreign actors, said Admiral Dennis C. Blair. (Admiral Dennis C. Blair, former Director of National Intelligence and Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, 11/21/17)\nORACLE CORP: Critically FIRRMA strikes a balance of protecting national security while not chilling the benefits of foreign investment in the United States. (Oracle, Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 11/8/17)\nUS-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION: Senator Cornyns Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act helps prepare the United States to meet these new challenges and mitigate risks posed by current and emerging security threats, said Dr. Larry Wortzel. (Dr. Larry M. Wortzel, U.S.-China Economic Security and Review Commission, 10/25/17)", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/node/4506", "Cornyn Announces New Support for Legislation to Reform CFIUS Review Process", "2017-12-15", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  A coalition of Trump Administration cabinet officials, former senior government officials, stakeholders, and leaders of key groups have recently voiced their support for theForeign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA).Sen. Cornyn recently spoke about his legislation and the national security threat posed by China at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and a transcript of his remarks is available here.\nDEFENSE SECRETARY MATTIS: \"I strongly support theForeign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2017(FIRRMA) FIRRMA would help close related gaps that exist in both the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and export control processes, which are not presently keeping pace with todays rapid technological changes CFIUS plays a critical role in protecting the national security of the United States. FIRRMA greatly strengthens that protection and provides much needed CFIUS modernization,\"said U.S. Department of Defense Secretary James Mattis. (Secretary Mattis,Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 12/15/2017)\nTREASURY SECRETARY MNUCHIN: I support the goals of FIRRMA, which will help to ensure that CFIUS has the tools necessary to protect the national security of the United States, while simultaneously maintaining our open investment environment. I stand ready to work with Senators Cornyn, Feinstein, and Burr, the committees of jurisdiction, and other Members of Congress as this important legislation advances, said U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. (Secretary Steven Mnuchin, 12/14/2017)\nATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS: I am particularly supportive of the goals of several aspects of your proposed legislation, including but not limited to (1) the expansion of CFIUSs authority to review certain transactions that may pose national security concerns; (2) an expanded list of national security factors that CFIUS should consider; and (3) mandatory disclosures of certain investments by state-owned enterprises, said U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. (Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Letter to Senator Cornyn, 12/13/2017)\nFORMER HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY CHERTOFF: \"The bipartisan Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) is a long overdue and welcome modernization of our CFIUS foreign investment review process. The Act plugs loopholes in our national security reviews, and adopts a holistic, risk-based analytic approach in evaluating foreign investments. FIRRMA recognizes the value of foreign investment in the United States, but assures that we can protect our key security technologies and interests from theft or manipulation,\"said formerU.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. (Secretary Michael Chertoff, 12/27/17)\nFORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY PERRY: \"China has identified gaps in the CFIUS process and export control system and is exploiting them... FIRRMA takes a measured and targeted approach to close these gaps, with reforms that are laser-focused on national security concerns,\"said formerU.S. Department of Defense Secretary William Perry. (Former Secretary Perry, Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 12/18/17)\nFORMER DNI ADM. BLAIR: By expanding the scope of CFIUS reviews, FIRRMA provides better tools to analyze foreign investments and thus will strengthen the protection of America intellectual property from theft by foreign actors, said Admiral Dennis C. Blair. (Admiral Dennis C. Blair, former Director of National Intelligence and Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, 11/21/17)\nFORMER MARINE CORPS COMMANDANT HAGEE: I write to express my strong support for your bipartisan legislation, the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2017 (FIRRMA) FIRRMA takes a measured and targeted approach to close these gaps, with reforms that are laser-focused on national security concerns. The bill's provisions also reflect the need to preserve as much certainty and predictability for investors as possible. In the interests of national security, I urge the enactment of this critical legislation as soon as possible, said General Michael Hagee. (Michael Hagee, former Commandant to the Marine Corps, Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 12/21/17)\nGENERAL JAMES THURMAN: \"I write to express my strong support for your bipartisan legislation... China continues its aggressive campaign to use both licit and illicit means to acquire and absorb advanced U.S. technology and know-how... We must be clear-eyed about the implications for our long-term national security,\"said former Commander of U.S. Forces Korea General J.D. Thurman. (J.D. Thurman, Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 12/21/17)\nGENERAL EDWARD RICE: \"In my judgement, FIRRMA strikes the right balance between harvesting the benefits of foreign investment in the United States and safeguarding technologies that are critical to our national security interests,\"said former Vice Commander of Pacific Air Forces General Rice. (Ed Rice, Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 12/29/17)\nORACLE CORP: Critically FIRRMA strikes a balance of protecting national security while not chilling the benefits of foreign investment in the United States. (Oracle, Letter to Sen. Cornyn, 11/8/17)\nUS-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION: Senator Cornyns Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act helps prepare the United States to meet these new challenges and mitigate risks posed by current and emerging security threats, said Dr. Larry Wortzel. (Dr. Larry M. Wortzel, U.S.-China Economic Security and Review Commission, 10/25/17)", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 2962, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"party\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Republican", "p1": "TX", "p2": "2017"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=TX&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "Republican", "label": "Republican", "count": 2962, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=TX&year=2017", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=TX&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 2962, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=TX&year=2017&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=TX&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "TX", "label": "TX", "count": 2962, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&year=2017", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=TX&year=2017", "results": [{"value": "2017", "label": "2017", "count": 2962, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=TX", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2017-12-15,https~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Ecornyn~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fnode~2F4506", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=TX&year=2017&_next=2017-12-15%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Ecornyn~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fnode~2F4506&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 893.2887481059879, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}