url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at https://hurd.house.gov/media-center/hurd-hill/hurd-hill-protecting-free-trade-mexico-and-canada,Hurd on the Hill: Protecting Free Trade with Mexico and Canada,2019-12-31,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Will Hurd,H001073,hurd.house.gov,,,legacy,"The U.S. House has done its job: The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been passed and is on its way to the U.S. Senate. Those of us who live and work in South and West Texas know well that the United States and Mexico share a very special economic relationship. We count on cross-border commerce to serve as an economic engine across local communities. Our neighbors export goods and services or rely on imports to perfect and market to American consumers.And American companies are building in Mexico and creating jobs on both sides of the border. This system is not without its challenges but it works. USMCA gets a lot right. It improves the enforcement mechanism for all aspects of the agreement so that American workers and American innovation can be protected. This may seem like legal talk, but when American workers are undercut by foreign actors, we all know it's the Americans who end up out of work. Free trade with Mexico and Canada impacts just about every aspect of our lives, from the food on our tables and the clothes on our backs to the fuel in our cars. The United States, Mexico and Canada build things together, and this landmark trade deal makes sure that we continue our important trilateral relationship built from NAFTA into the 21st Century and beyond. We also live in a world where our nation's military and economic dominance is no longer guaranteed, and the USMCA is vital for us to maintain our quality of life as we know it. This trade agreement will allow continued economic prosperity and North American competitiveness as China tries to replace the United States as the most important economy in the world. The USMCA also helps us continue to lead the way in advanced technology by modernizing NAFTA to account for technological change over the last quarter century. Theagreement also includes recapitalization of the North American Development Bank, or NADBank, which helps fund local infrastructure projects in border communities. We on the border know the specific efforts it takes to keep region thriving. Our land and its perseveration is its own currency and I am pleased NADBank is expressly a priority in the agreement. While this month's passage is a huge win for American workers, we must make sure that we are not at this same position 25 years from now. Let's learn from the mistakes of NAFTA and address emerging problems in real-time. The technological change in the next quarter century will make the changes over the last quarter century insignificant, and we need our friends in Mexico and Canada in order to be prepared for this global disruption. I am pleased to highlight these key statistics. Among other benefits, the USMCA will provide: Estimated investments of over $68 billion in new economic activity; 176,000 new jobs in America; Estimated investment of $34 billion in new auto plants; and, 76,000 new American automotive sector jobs. This measure took entirely too long to come up for a vote. We cannot allow major, bipartisan measures like this to get caught up in political games. I'm glad it's done and I am proud USMCA will deliver for Texas. Now it's time for the Senate to deliver the measure to the President's desk.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://williams.house.gov/media-center/newsletters/come-and-read-it-report-year-in-review,Come and Read It Report: Year in Review,2019-12-31,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Roger Williams,W000816,williams.house.gov,,,legacy,"Dear Texans, As this year comes to an end and we enter into the new decade, I want to share with you some of our milestones from 2019. I was proud to participate in 112 events in all 13 counties of the 25th District, including public town halls, coffees and round-tables. I was also grateful for the opportunity to tour some of our small businesses and manufacturing headquarters, meet with local law enforcement and emergency first responders, host recognition events for our veterans, and honor our service members at Fort Hood and across central Texas. It was an honor to welcome President Trump and Vice President Pence to the 25th District, where we opened Louis Vuitton's newest manufacturing plant and stood alongside our nation's finest stationed at Fort Hood. We had a busy year, and I look forward to hitting the ground running when we return to Washington in just a few days. I'm proud to be your voice in Congress. Need help? In 2019, we assisted 462 members of our community with casework, including help with claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs, obtaining Social Security benefits, and expediting or reporting a lost passport. If you need assistance, please call my offices in Cleburne or Austin so we can determine how best to serve you. Visiting Washington, D.C.? This year, we led 1,148 tours through the U.S. Capitol for groups of all sizes. Whether you are on a family vacation or a short visit to Washington, D.C., my office can help facilitate tours of the Capitol building, the White House, or the Federal Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Please clickhereto request a tour or for more information. Commemorating a milestone? We flew 65 American flags over the U.S. Capitol this year to commemorate a wide array of important milestones in our community. If you have an upcoming event, please clickhereto fill out the flag order form or for more information. Have a concern? You reached out and we responded: nearly 76,000 times. Whether you have a concern regarding an upcoming vote or an opinion about policy, I encourage you to call or write to my office. As your voice in Congress, it is my privilege to hear from you and ensure the 25th District is well-represented. Please clickhereto leave a message for me or my staff and we will respond as soon as we are able. Looking ahead Over the last year, our economy has hit record-highs again and again whilewages for workers continue to riseand unemployment steadilyremains at a 50-year low. We've seen tremendous economic success under President Trump's leadership, and I look forward to continuing our partnership as we fight for pro-growth, pro-business, and pro-America policies that benefit 25th District families and workers. It is an honor and a privilege to serve you. Happy New Year! In God we trust, Roger Williams Member of Congress",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-bill-reauthorize-debbie-smith-act-fight-rape-kit-backlog-signed-law,"Cornyn Bill to Reauthorize Debbie Smith Act, Fight Rape Kit Backlog Signed Into Law",2019-12-31,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Cornyn,C001056,www.cornyn.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Cornyn Shepherded Bill Through Senate to President's Desk AUSTIN- U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after President Trump signed the Debbie Smith Act of 2019 into law yesterday: This landmark legislation has provided more than a decade of support for survivors, serving as a critical tool in the fight to end backlogs of untested kits in cities across America, said Sen. Cornyn. Since 2011, the Debbie Smith Act has helped reduce the backlog of unsubmitted rape kits in Texas by approximately 90 percent. The benefits of continuing the programs created under the Debbie Smith Act cannot be overstated, and I appreciate all of the advocates who have fought with us at every step of the way. The Debbie Smith Crime Victims Protection Act reauthorizes the Debbie Smith Act to continue the testing of DNA evidence, including rape kits, from unsolved crimes nationwide, DNA training and education for law enforcement, correctional personnel, and court officers, and the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Program, which supports forensic nurse training throughout the country. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Martha McSally (R-AZ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Richard Burr (R-NC), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) were original cosponsors. Background on the Debbie Smith Act: The Debbie Smith Act was originally signed into law in 2004 to provide local and state crime laboratories resources to end the backlog of untested DNA evidence from unsolved crimes, analyze DNA samples, and increase the capacity to process DNA in order to guard against future backlogs. Since it became law, more than 641,000 DNA cases have been processed. In addition to crime scene evidence, Debbie Smith funds are also utilized to process offender DNA samples to ensure evidence from unsolved crimes can be matched against a database of known offenders, similar to the criminal fingerprint databases.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://burgess.house.gov/blog/?postid=402261,Burgess Recaps Year with Report,2019-12-30,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Michael Burgess,B001248,burgess.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), member of the House Rules Committee and Republican Leader of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health released his annual year-end report today. This report is just one way that I am able to remain accountable to my constituents, Burgess said. It provides the 26th District of Texas a record of all that has happened in the last year. I am looking forward to another year serving the district. This report can be found on his website or by clicking here. Burgess works hard to ensure that he is accessible to the constituents of the 26th District. By releasing an annual report, constituents are provided a full breakdown of what has been accomplished by Burgess and his staff. The report is broken down into three parts: constituent services, legislative work, and media appearances. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://arrington.house.gov/2019/12/icymi-arrington-trade-wins-signal-brighter-future-for-west-texas/,ICYMI: Arrington: Trade Wins Signal Brighter Future for West Texas,2019-12-30,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Jodey Arrington,A000375,arrington.house.gov,,,legacy,"ICYMI: Arrington: Trade Wins Signal Brighter Future for West Texas December 30, 2019 LUBBOCK Writing in theLubbock Avalanche-Journalthis week, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) hailed therecent passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in the U.S. House of Representativesand theTrump Administration's Phase One trade deal with Chinaas a turning point for American trade policy that will benefit agriculture and energy economies in West Texas and across the country: After years of watching our jobs shipped overseas and agriculture exports plummet, our nation has made a much-needed course correction one that will bring a brighter future for our farmers and ranchers, energy producers, and workers in West Texas who, perhaps more than anyone, understand the costs and consequences of trade imbalances that affect their livelihood,wrote Arrington. Together, passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in Congress and the prospects of a Phase One trade deal with China are generating even more optimism for the people and businesses that turn the gears on the largest and most diverse economic engine in the world In District 19 alone, Canada and Mexico account for 40 percent of our total exports, and nearly half of all trade-related jobs are connected to our North American neighbors Under the Phase One' deal announced earlier this month, China has committed to purchasing at least $200 billion worth of American exports, doubling its imports of U.S. goods over the next two years These recent successes are only the beginning of a turning point for American trade and, by extension, for agriculture and energy economies like ours in West Texas and across the country READ CONGRESSMAN ARRINGTON'SFULL COLUMN IN THELUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL: Trade wins signal brighter future for West Texas By Jodey C. Arrington Lubbock Avalanche-Journal December 29, 2019 Major negotiation breakthroughs with our North American trade partners as well as China sent the stock market to record highs last week but, more importantly, sent a message from the U.S. to our international partners and adversaries alike: America First' is not just a campaign slogan, it's the new reality. Instead of being beholden to the whims and wishes of other global economic superpowers, America is now negotiating from a position of strength, enabling us to control our own economic destiny in the 21st Century. After years of watching our jobs shipped overseas and agriculture exports plummet, our nation has made a much-needed course correction one that will bring a brighter future for our farmers and ranchers, energy producers, and workers in West Texas who, perhaps more than anyone, understand the costs and consequences of trade imbalances that affect their livelihood. The future of economic prosperity for America depends on freer markets at home and greater access to consumers abroad. Together, passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in Congress and the prospects of a Phase One trade deal with China are generating even more optimism for the people and businesses that turn the gears on the largest and most diverse economic engine in the world. USMCA will add nearly $70 billion to the U.S. economy, create more than 170,000 new jobs, and grow U.S. agriculture exports by an additional $2.2 billion annually. In District 19 alone, Canada and Mexico account for 40 percent of our total exports, and nearly half of all trade-related jobs are connected to our North American neighbors. Under the Phase One deal announced earlier this month, China has committed to purchasing at least $200 billion worth of American exports, doubling its imports of U.S. goods over the next two years. Even more important than the substantial increase in Chinese purchases of U.S. agriculture products, the deal also includes structural reforms like ending currency manipulation and protecting intellectual property, allowing our producers and manufacturers to compete and win on a level playing field. These recent successes are only the beginning of a turning point for American trade and, by extension, for agriculture and energy economies like ours in West Texas and across the country. President Trump and his chief trade negotiator, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, have been applying maximum pressure including using tariffs as a tool to force other nations into better and fairer deals for the U.S. Make no mistake: these painful but necessary negotiating tactics caused China to drop from the second-largest market for U.S. agriculture products to the fifth-largest in just the past two years, with $10 billion in lost exports for U.S. farmers. That's why, ultimately, we must seek to offset the Chinese export market by accessing new markets and reaching new customers in the EU, UK, and Indo-Pacific region. This means building upon the recent successes in achieving better trade parity for the United States in North America and other global economic powers like Japan which recently agreed to reduce or eliminate tariffs on more than $7 billion of U.S. agriculture exports. USMCA is supported on both sides of the aisle and represents not only more economic activity with our neighbors to the north and south, but also a model framework for enhancing other trade agreements across the globe. Building on the historic tax cuts and regulatory relief, freer and fairer trade for the U.S. means greater prosperity for the next generation of agriculture and energy producers. That's why it was important for West Texas to have a seat on Ways and Means the Committee that sets U.S. trade policy to ensure a level playing field for our farmers and new markets for our food, fuel, and fiber.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=30,ICYMI: Arrington: Trade Wins Signal Brighter Future for West Texas,2019-12-30,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Jodey C. Arrington,A000375,arrington.house.gov,arrington,https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Writing in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal this week, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) hailed the recent passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Trump Administration’s Phase One trade deal with China as a turning point for American trade policy that will benefit agriculture and energy economies in West Texas and across the country: “After years of watching our jobs shipped overseas and agriculture exports plummet, our nation has made a much-needed course correction – one that will bring a brighter future for our farmers and ranchers, energy producers, and workers in West Texas who, perhaps more than anyone, understand the costs and consequences of trade imbalances that affect their livelihood,” wrote Arrington. “…Together, passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in Congress and the prospects of a “Phase One” trade deal with China are generating even more optimism for the people and businesses that turn the gears on the largest and most diverse economic engine in the world…” “…In District 19 alone, Canada and Mexico account for 40 percent of our total exports, and nearly half of all trade-related jobs are connected to our North American neighbors…” “…Under the ‘Phase One’ deal announced earlier this month, China has committed to purchasing at least $200 billion worth of American exports, doubling its imports of U.S. goods over the next two years…” “...These recent successes are only the beginning of a turning point for American trade and, by extension, for agriculture and energy economies like ours in West Texas and across the country…” READ CONGRESSMAN ARRINGTON’S FULL COLUMN IN THE LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL: Trade wins signal brighter future for West Texas By Jodey C. Arrington Lubbock Avalanche-Journal December 29, 2019 Major negotiation breakthroughs with our North American trade partners as well as China sent the stock market to record highs last week but, more importantly, sent a message from the U.S. to our international partners and adversaries alike: ‘America First’ is not just a campaign slogan, it’s the new reality. Instead of being beholden to the whims and wishes of other global economic superpowers, America is now negotiating from a position of strength, enabling us to control our own economic destiny in the 21st Century. After years of watching our jobs shipped overseas and agriculture exports plummet, our nation has made a much-needed course correction – one that will bring a brighter future for our farmers and ranchers, energy producers, and workers in West Texas who, perhaps more than anyone, understand the costs and consequences of trade imbalances that affect their livelihood. The future of economic prosperity for America depends on freer markets at home and greater access to consumers abroad. Together, passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in Congress and the prospects of a “Phase One” trade deal with China are generating even more optimism for the people and businesses that turn the gears on the largest and most diverse economic engine in the world. USMCA will add nearly $70 billion to the U.S. economy, create more than 170,000 new jobs, and grow U.S. agriculture exports by an additional $2.2 billion annually. In District 19 alone, Canada and Mexico account for 40 percent of our total exports, and nearly half of all trade-related jobs are connected to our North American neighbors. Under the “Phase One” deal announced earlier this month, China has committed to purchasing at least $200 billion worth of American exports, doubling its imports of U.S. goods over the next two years. Even more important than the substantial increase in Chinese purchases of U.S. agriculture products, the deal also includes structural reforms like ending currency manipulation and protecting intellectual property, allowing our producers and manufacturers to compete and win on a level playing field. These recent successes are only the beginning of a turning point for American trade and, by extension, for agriculture and energy economies like ours in West Texas and across the country. President Trump and his chief trade negotiator, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, have been applying maximum pressure – including using tariffs as a tool – to force other nations into better and fairer deals for the U.S. Make no mistake: these painful but necessary negotiating tactics caused China to drop from the second-largest market for U.S. agriculture products to the fifth-largest in just the past two years, with $10 billion in lost exports for U.S. farmers. That’s why, ultimately, we must seek to offset the Chinese export market by accessing new markets and reaching new customers in the EU, UK, and Indo-Pacific region. This means building upon the recent successes in achieving better trade parity for the United States in North America and other global economic powers like Japan – which recently agreed to reduce or eliminate tariffs on more than $7 billion of U.S. agriculture exports. USMCA is supported on both sides of the aisle and represents not only more economic activity with our neighbors to the north and south, but also a model framework for enhancing other trade agreements across the globe. Building on the historic tax cuts and regulatory relief, freer and fairer trade for the U.S. means greater prosperity for the next generation of agriculture and energy producers. That’s why it was important for West Texas to have a seat on Ways and Means – the Committee that sets U.S. trade policy – to ensure a level playing field for our farmers and new markets for our food, fuel, and fiber.",1,2026-04-07T12:09:11Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://kaygranger.house.gov/media/press-releases/granger-offers-support-west-freeway-church-christ-following-tragedy,Granger Offers Support for West Freeway Church of Christ Following Tragedy,2019-12-30,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Kay Granger,G000377,kaygranger.house.gov,,,legacy,"FORT WORTH, TX Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee,made the following statement in response to yesterday's shooting in her home district at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement. Today each of those touched by the tragedy that unfolded at the West Freeway Church of Christ awoke to a terrible reality. As we continue to hold the families of the victims and members of the congregation in our prayers, we must all search for ways we can participate in making our nation, our communities and our gathering places safe again. We also owe our first responders our love and appreciation as they risk their own lives day after day for all of us.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4843,Sen. Cruz: 'It's Been a Fantastic Year Fighting for 28 Million Texans',2019-12-26,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"HOUSTON, Texas From fighting to confirm constitutionalist judges and holding Big Tech accountable, to ensuring Texas remains a pillar of America's defense and reaffirming Texas as America's leader in space exploration, to strengthening America's leadership on the world stage, Sen. Cruz has fought each day for the men and women of the Lone Star State. It is a great honor to represent 28 million Texans and to fight for the constitutional rights of all Americans in the U.S. Senate, said Sen. Cruz. As we reflect on 2019, we are grateful for the booming economy, the freedoms we have as Americans, and the opportunities that another year brings. I remain committed to fighting for Texans in 2020 and look forward to the new year. Sen. Cruz's 2019 Highlights Fighting for Constitutionalist Judges Confirmed 105 judges, including 12 judges for Texas. Holding Big Tech Accountable Held a Constitution Subcommittee hearing holding Facebook and Twitter accountable for their censorship policies. Held a Constitution Subcommittee hearing holding Google accountable for its anti-conservative bias and cooperation with the communist Chinese government. Wrote a letter to Facebook demanding that it stop censoring pro-life advocacy group Live Action's posts that were rated false' in a supposedly neutral fact-check' conducted by two prominent pro-abortion activists. Facebook responded by dropping the restrictions. Protecting Religious Liberty Introduced the Preserve Charities and Houses of Worship Act, to repeal a mandate requiring charities, churches, and traditionally tax-exempt organizations to pay federal taxes on employee fringe benefits. This provision was included in legislation signed into law by President Trump. Wrote a letter to Yale denouncing Yale Law School's decision prohibiting students who work for organizations that advocate for traditional Christian values from receiving financial assistance that is available to students who work for many other types of organizations. Defending the Second Amendment Introduced the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act of 2019, also known as Grassley-Cruz, a bill to preserve law-abiding citizens' Second Amendment rights while putting in place requirements to ensure relevant agencies and institutions accurately submit records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in order to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms. Making Healthcare and Retirement Affordable Introduced the Retirement Freedom Act, which empowers senior citizens and create more options and opportunities for healthcare by allowing senior citizens the choice to opt-out of Medicare Part A and utilize other healthcare options without being forced to lose their Social Security benefits. Sen. Cruz included the Retirement Freedom Act in President Trump's October 2019 Executive Order on Medicare. Introduced the Personalized Care Act, legislation to make Americans' healthcare more portable, accessible, and tailored to meet their unique needs by dramatically expanding Health Savings Accounts a pre-tax savings tool millions of American use to cover the costs of their healthcare. Strengthening K-12 Education and Workforce Development Introduced the Education Freedom Scholarships Act, which would expand elementary, secondary, and vocational education opportunities for students by providing a federal tax credit to encourage individuals and businesses to donate to non-profit scholarship funds. Securing the Border Wrote multiple letters to ensure the federal government reimbursed Texas border communities providing care for illegal immigrants. 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. Advancing U.S. National Security Introduced the Hong Kong Policy Reevaluation Act directing the State Department to report on China's encroachment on Hong Kong's autonomy. This bill was wrapped into another bill that passed Congress and was signed into law by President Trump. Was one of the first U.S. senators to visit Hong Kong since the protests began, on a weeklong Indo-Pacific tour. Succeeded in getting Chinese entities involved in China's surveillance of religious minorities in Xinjiang added to the BIS Entities List. Secured Senate passage of a resolution acknowledging the Armenian genocide. Successfully pushed the Trump administration to prevent Iran from raising revenue, especially from oil sales. Blocked the completion of the Russian-German Nord Stream 2 pipeline to protect European energy independence. Secured Senate passage of a resolution calling on the Trump administration to ensure that Sudan does not receive premature relief from measures aimed at countering terrorism. Standing Up for Israel and Against Anti-Semitism Successfully secured Senate passage of a resolution that condemned all forms of anti-Semitism. Fought for U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, leading the Trump administration to issue the recognition. Strengthening Our National Defense Secured 13 measures into the final FY2020 NDAA, including a range of amendments directly relevant to Texas military communities and our military families. Secured a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act to enhance congressional oversight of the B-1B fleet and that requires the United States Air Force to brief Congress on a plan to increase readiness on the aircraft. The long-term health of health of the B-1B will help maintain Dyess Air Force Base as a premier installation in our nation's defense. Secured a provision in the NDAA directing the Department of the Army and the Marine Corps to jointly develop a plan to sustain the Rough Terrain Container Handler fleets. This provision will support both the work occurring at Red River and Texas companies. Standing Up for Our Veterans Helped lead a resolution recognizing the service of our veterans and establishing a Military Retiree Appreciation Day,' which was passed by the Senate. Eliminated the tax' on spouses of service members who have died due to service-related causes. Fighting for Texas Energy Worked to secure approval of four liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects in Texas, which will bring billions of dollars in investments to the state and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs in Texas. Reinforcing America's Lead in Space Successfully worked to create a Space Force so that the United States has the resources to address challenges in space as space increasingly becomes a domain of military competition. Worked to secure Commerce Committee passage of the NASA Authorization Act of 2019, which would provide NASA a clear direction to advance our nation's space initiatives and assert the United States' leadership in the final frontier. Introduced and worked to secure passage of the Space Frontier Act in the Senate Commerce Committee. The Space Frontier Act would support the continued development of a robust commercial space sector and extend America's leadership in space by maximizing our utilization and operation of the International Space Station. Leading in the Race to 5G Introduced the E-FRONTIER Act, bipartisan legislation to prevent the nationalization of commercial 5G networks. The bill has passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4842,"Sen. Cruz: Christmas Is a Joyous and Hopeful Season, Where We Celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ and the Promise of His Salvation",2019-12-24,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"HOUSTON, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued the following statement in advance of Christmas Day: ""Christmas is a joyous and hopeful season, where we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the promise of his salvation. The Prince of Peace, born in Bethlehem, came so that we may know Him and his enduring love, joy, and redemption. ""As we read in 1 John: This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.' ""Heidi and I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. May God continue to bless the great state of Texas and the United States of America."" ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://kaygranger.house.gov/media/e-newsletters/success-every-azle-teen,Success With Every Azle Teen,2019-12-23,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Kay Granger,G000377,kaygranger.house.gov,,,legacy,"Dear Friends, Getting a driver's license is an exciting time for the teenage driver. Statistics show it may also lead to some very grown up life lessons. Texas teens are involved in more than 200,000 accidents every year and younger drivers are also more likely to be cited for poor driving. Thanks to a program I recently learned about, teens can now turn a traffic ticket into an opportunity to give back to our North Texas community. In Azle, the Success With Every Azle Teen, or S.W.E.A.T. program, is a way for teens to not only learn how to be a better driver, but also to learn more about their community. S.W.E.A.T. is Azle's version of teen court and allows students with a Class C misdemeanor, the lowest level of criminal offense in Texas, to avoid going through the traditional court process, and instead perform community service. Teen court programs are overseen by the municipal courts and offered at the discretion of a municipal judge. In Azle, the program is provided as an option for students to handle citations outside the traditional court process and avoid hefty fines. Successful completion of the S.W.E.A.T. program also allows the student's citation to be dismissed. The offender must be between the ages of 14 and 18 and be enrolled in school. Participation requires a $20 administrative fee, but any fine associated with the violation is waived. As the grandparent of a teenage drivers, I am glad programs like this provide common-sense solutions to issues facing our nation and our youth. It is no secret that our courts face an enormous backlog. Teen court provides an opportunity for students to experience a consequence for their actions without negatively affecting their futures. Even more importantly, teen court programs like Azle's S.W.E.A.T. program can create a mutually beneficial solution for our courts and teens while instilling a sense of community and service in our youth. I had the privilege of seeing S.W.E.A.T. in action during my visit earlier this month to the Azle Lions Club Angel Tree distribution. The Angel Tree provides Christmas gifts to children in need and on that day, the teens and the Azle Lions Club distributed gifts to more than 750 children in the Azle community. S.W.E.A.T. coordinators work with local organizations to provide a variety of community service projects for students, which include opportunities such as lawn care or minor home repair projects for the elderly or stuffing backpacks for back-to-school programs in the community. There are similar teen court programs in municipalities throughout our District, which include Keller, Watauga, North Richland Hills, Haltom City, Fort Worth, and Saginaw. Additionally, a teen court program is being considered in Aledo given recent growth. The ideas that have been implemented by Texans from District 12 continue to impress me and I appreciate the opportunity to represent such an innovative District focused on the future of our youth. Sincerely, Kay Granger",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://olson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/olson-rallies-fort-bend-community-to-invite-nobel-peace-prize-winner,Olson Rallies Fort Bend Community to Invite Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai to Grand Opening of School Named in Her Honor,2019-12-23,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Pete Olson,O000168,olson.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington DC Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) rallied support within the local community to invite Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan to the ribbon-cutting for the new Fort Bend ISD elementary school named in her honor. An impressive 24 elected officials signed the letter in support of Olson's initiative, demonstrating strong support for her presence at the opening. Malala is an inspiration to students and young women across the world, and her activism in women's education has led to a brighter, well-rounded society,Rep. Olson said. It's only fitting that a school teaching the next generation bears her name. I'm grateful to all the community leaders who supported this effort to secure Malala's presence at the grand opening and dedication of her school. Her presence would be a welcome message of hope and resilience to children across Fort Bend County. We hope to see her there in 2020. The Fort Bend ISD board of trustees approved Malala Yousafzai as the name for Elementary School 51 during the regular meeting Dec. 17. Malala Yousafzai Elementary part of the 2018 bond program i s scheduled to open in January 2020. Lisa Langston, former principal at Oyster Creek Elementary, will serve as the new school's principal. Text of the letter and signatories: Click hereto read the letter from Rep. Olson and signed by Rep. Al Green (TX-09), Texas State Sens. Joan Huffman, Lois Kolkhorst, Borris Miles, Texas State Reps. Rick Miller, Phil Stephenson, Ron Reynolds, Fort Bend County Judge KP George, Fort Bend County Commissioners Andy Meyers, Vincent Morales, Ken DeMerchant, Grady Prestage and Mayors Charles Jessup, IV, Joe Zimmerman, William Hastings, Aaron Groff, Kenneth Reid, Leonard Scarcella, William Benton, Yolanda Ford, Andrew Bohac, Laurie Boudreaux, Mary Zdunkewicz and Rodney Paylock.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4840,Sen. Cruz on Fox News: Holding Articles of Impeachment Is 'a Sign of Weakness',2019-12-22,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, appeared on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures' to discuss Democrats' collapsing impeachment effort and the stunning IG report, released earlier this month, that uncovered the grotesque abuses of power and partisanship at the FBI and DOJ. In response to Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to withhold the Articles of Impeachment, Sen. Cruz said: ""This is a sign of weakness. This is a sign she understands just how weak these Articles are. These Articles of Impeachment that they actually voted on were really an admission of failure. For months, they had been promising all of this evidence of criminal activity. For months they had been talking about bribery, they had been talking about quid pro quo. But then they heard all the evidence and they got no evidence of it. These articles don't allege any crime. This is the first time in the history of our country that a president has been impeached without a single article alleging any criminal conduct. They don't allege any crime. They don't even allege any federal law violated. This was, at the end of the day, a political response because Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats hate the president."" Discussing the findings from the IG report, Sen. Cruz - a former Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice - said: ""The Inspector General report is a stunning indictment of the politicization of the Obama Department of Justice and the FBI. The Inspector General Report details 17 specific, serious, misinterpretations the DOJ and the FBI made the FISA court. I'll give you the most stunning example the Inspector General uncovered: a senior lawyer at the FBI fabricated evidence and here's what happened. Carter Page, an outside advisor to the Trump Campaign, he also is periodically talking to Russians, including some sketchy Russians and so, the FBI wants to get a wiretap. [...] The FBI sends an e-mail to the CIA and says Hey, is this guy a source for you?' The CIA emails back and they say, Yes, he is a source.' The FBI assistant general counsel takes that e-mail and he alters it. He types in the words. The CIA says he's a source. The FBI lawyer types in, No, he is not a source.' [...] 180 degrees, exactly the opposite. He then sends that email on to the Department of Justice and uses that as the basis for a sworn statement to the FISA court to get a wiretap."" He continued: ""That is, on its face, criminal conduct. [...] That senior leadership at the FBI, that's how badly they wanted to spy on Donald Trump and get Donald Trump. It is a horrifying abuse of power. [...] This was spying on the Republican nominee to be president. They sent in multiple confidential human sources wearing wires."" Commending U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and U.S. Attorney John Dunham for continuing to investigate the abuses of power and partisanship within law enforcement, Sen. Cruz noted: ""One of the worst legacies of the Obama Administration is the corruption of law enforcement and the intelligence community. The big unanswered question is How high up the chain did this go.' We know that the Deputy Director of the FBI McCabe was read in and authorized this. We know that the Director of the FBI, James Comey, was read in and authorized this. Did the Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, sign off on spying on the Trump campaign in the middle of the election? Did the National Security Advisor at the White House? Did Barack Obama? Did Joe Biden? [...] Not a single Democrat in the House cares about the answer to any of this."" Sen. Cruz also joined the Fox News Rundown podcast to discuss how House Democrats' are using impeachment as a political weapon against President Trump: ""You know, this has never happened in the history of our country, never once has a president been impeached without at least one article alleging a federal crime. This is a purely partisan vote, only Democrats supported this, that's never happened before either. [...] In the Senate, we're actually doing our job, we are voting, passing legislation, we're confirming judges, we're confirming members of the administration. It's the House, the House Democrats, that refuse to do their job. Their only priority is attacking the president. And I think the voters are frustrated that House Democrats seem to think hating Donald Trump is the reason they were elected."" When asked about the substantive policy wins President Trump and Republicans in the Senate have delivered for the American people, Sen. Cruz said: ""I have worked very, very closely with President Trump. And, we've got some enormous policy victories for the American people. The biggest tax cut of a generation, repealing hundreds of job killing regulations. We've helped produce the lowest unemployment in 50 years. We've helped produce the lowest African American employment every recorded. The lowest Hispanic unemployment ever recorded. We're in the middle of the biggest military rebuild since Ronald Reagan. We moved our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. We pulled out of the disastrous Iranian Nuclear Deal. We, the President had nominated and we've confirmed 160 new federal judges to defend the Constitution. All of that is a big deal. Those are real results. That's what the men and women of Texas elected me to do."" Watch Sen. Cruz's Sunday Morning Futures interview here. Listen to Sen. Cruz's Fox News Rundown interview here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4841,"Sen. Cruz: As the Celebration Begins This Evening and the Menorah Is Lit for Eight Nights, Heidi and I Wish the Jewish People a Very Happy Hanukkah",2019-12-22,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"HOUSTON, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement marking the start of Hanukkah: ""This evening, the Jewish people will gather together to celebrate the Festival of Lights. This holiday is a time to remember and celebrate the heroic revolt and triumph of the Maccabees, who liberated the historic land of Judea, rededicated the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and restored the right to worship freely. During this time, we are grateful for our close ally Israel, who stands as a beacon of liberty, and shines as a bright light in one of the darkest regions in the world. ""As the celebration begins this evening and the menorah is lit for eight nights, Heidi and I wish the Jewish people a very Happy Hanukkah."" ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=video&id=4839,Cruz on Fox News SLAMS Dems' Impeachment Sham & Obama Admins' Legacy of DOJ & FBI Abusing Its Power,2019-12-22,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Central TX (512) 916-5834 300 E 8th Suite 961 Austin, TX 78701 Email North TX (214) 599-8749 Lee Park Tower II 3626 N. Hall St. Suite 410 Dallas, TX 75219 Email Southeast TX (713) 718-3057 The Mickey Leland Federal Building 1919 Smith Street Suite 9047 Houston, TX 77002 Email South/Cen. TX (210) 340-2885 9901 IH-10W Suite 950 San Antonio, TX 78230 Email East TX (903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway Suite 501 Tyler, TX 75702 Email South TX (956) 686-7339 200 S. 10th St Suite 1603 McAllen, TX 78501 Email Washington, D.C. (202) 224-5922 127A Russell Washington, DC 20510 Contact",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://burgess.house.gov/blog/?postid=402256,Burgess Votes to Pass Defense Appropriations for 2020 Fiscal Year,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Michael Burgess,B001248,burgess.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) member of the House Rules Committee and Republican Leader of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health released the following statement after the House passed both appropriations packages for the 2020 Fiscal Year. Since coming to Congress, I have worked to ensure that Texas values are reflected in our government spending, Burgess said. I understand the importance of providing funding for the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border and working to rebuild our military after years of being underfunded. While one of the appropriations bills included critical funding the other left hardworking Americans with the check. It is past time for Congress to pass twelve appropriations bills, as required by law. We can no longer afford to wait until the last minute to complete one of our most basic, and important, responsibilities. I believe I was sent to Congress to provide fiscal solutions that will rein in our national deficit while continuing to grow our economy, allowing for hard-working families to prosper. My desire is that in the coming year Congress will put aside partisan politics and get back to the business of legislating on behalf of the American people. Burgess voted to pass the defense and national security appropriations bill. The Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations packages included the following: Prioritizes national security and continues to rebuild the military. Provides $1.3 billion for a border wall system along our southern border. Provides resources and authorities to address the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border. Maintains prior pro-life funding restrictions. Provides affordable alternatives to expensive Obamacare plans.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://burgess.house.gov/blog/?postid=402257,Burgess Round-Up: Week in Review,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Michael Burgess,B001248,burgess.house.gov,,,legacy,"The Kick-off I started my week by joining Fox News' Mornings with Maria to talk about funding the federal government, the United States Mexico Canada Trade Agreement, and the impeachment vote. Here are a few takeaway quotes: ""I don't think there is a person here on the hill that doesn't remember last year with an appropriations lapse and so called government shutdown. That is not a good place for any of us to be. The pressure is on to get this done."" ""The good newsfrom my perspective was your lead in, the economy has done well this last year."" The Lead-up After speaking with Maria, I joined Fox News' America's Newsroom to discuss the upcoming House Rules Committee hearing on Articles of Impeachment. Here are three points from my interview: ""I think what you are about to see is nothing different from what you have seen all along. This exercise is going to be revealed to be highly partisan,extremelydivisive for the country, and they have no provable case."" ""We [Republicans] will argue for a longer period of time so that everyone can be heard. They [Democrats] obviously want a shorter period because they have a thin case that is impossible to defend."" ""Here's the problem; it's not going to be a fair process, it didn't start as a fair process, it hasn't been a fair process at any point along the line, it's not going to be a fair process in rules, and I will predict it is not going to be a fair process on the [House] Floor."" The Creation of the Rule As a member of the House Rules Committee, I was able to voice my concern about Articles of Impeachment and fought to provide every member ample time to defend why they were voting the way they were. In the end, Republicans were out voted 4-9 to ensure this provision. Here is a snip-it of my statement that evening: ""This impeachment has been all about very little facts and a great deal of anger, Democrats are angry at the president and angry at Americans for electing him. That's not a good look for Congress."" Debate on the Floor As the nation watched to see the predicted outcome, I went to the House Floor and explained why history would reflect poorly on the actions taken Wednesday evening. ""The rush to impeach first and solidify the case second threatens the credibility of the process and the body engaged, this House of Representatives."" ""Chairman Nadler and Chairman Schiff refused to comply with the rules of the House in granting access to committee records for Members and scheduling a minority hearing in a reasonable amount of time, preventing the American people from being equally represented in the process."" ""Democrats claim that we must protect the integrity of our election. If they truly care, then I must ask: What are we missing while we've remained focused on impeachment?"" The Outcome In the end, the House voted and passed Articles of Impeachment. While I do not believe the evidence presented amounts to an impeachable offense, my desire is that in the coming weeks the country will be able to come back together and heal the wounds caused by this partisan exercise.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://gohmert.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399744,"Gohmert's Statement on Foreign-Trade Zones Board Granting the City of Lufkin, Texas Official Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) Designation",2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Louie Gohmert,G000552,gohmert.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement today regarding the news that the U.S. Department of Commerce Foreign-Trade Zones Board has approved an application from Lufkin, Texas to establish a Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ): ""Despite some of the toxicity in Washington, D.C., this is a great day for the First District of Texas, the City of Lufkin, and the future of east Texas. We are grateful to our friend, Secretary Wilbur Ross, for his personal interest in getting this done. There were some serious challenges, but the knowledge that this designation was proper coupled with the determination to see it through overcame the obstacles faced by the City of Lufkin. The Foreign-Trade Zone designation will open up this great city to the global market, as well as, all the business and job opportunities that come with that market access. If the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement approved by the House of Representatives this week is also approved by the Senate, there will be an even greater opportunity for the dawning of a new era of economic growth for Lufkin. Bob Samford and his whole team in Lufkin deserve the most glowing accolades for their foresight, their determination, and their relentlessness. Proverbs tells us where there is no vision, the people perish. Bob and his team had vision and the area will be rewarded for generations to come.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4835,"Sen. Cruz at The Heritage Foundation: If This Becomes the Standard for Impeachment, Every President Going Forward Will Be Impeached Whenever the House Is in the Opposing Party",2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Subcommittee on The Constitution, this week participated in a conversation with the Heritage Foundation's John Malcolm on the ramifications of House Democrats' biased and baseless impeachment of President Donald Trump. During their conversation, Sen. Cruz, who has litigated nine cases before the Supreme Court and served as a law clerk for the last Chief Justice to oversee an impeachment in the Senate, discussed the dangerous precedent House Democrats have set by moving forward-for the first time the history of our country-with Articles of Impeachment that do not allege a single crime was committed or law was violated. As Sen. Cruz said: ""I think it is an admission of almost complete defeat. So the two Articles of Impeachment, they don't include a single crime. There was an incredible tell' from the Democrats, because they put out--I think its two weeks ago now--what they called a scholarly report.' Fifty-five pages laying out their legal arguments why they did not need to prove a crime. That for impeachment you had to demonstrate no criminal offense. You did not have to demonstrate any criminal law was violated. You didn't have to demonstrate that any federal law was violated. You could literally impeach a president, even if they didn't have a speeding ticket. They could impeach him."" Describing the first Article of Impeachment, abuse of power, as ""lawless,"" Sen. Cruz: ""Now that standard was on its face lawless. [...] Donald Trump, [is now] the first president in history [to be] impeached without an article claiming a criminal violation. Ultimately they called it an abuse-of-power.' There's no federal statute that makes abuse-of-power--what they've called it--a criminal offense. They've just made this up."" Sen. Cruz went on to describe the second Article of Impeachment, Obstruction of Congress, ""jaw-droppingly weak"": ""As weak as the first article, the second article is orders of magnitude weaker. It is a jaw-droppingly weak article. Now, why is that? First of all, it's worth noting what the second article is. So its obstruction. Media folks report, Oh! Obstruction! Okay, that's bad.' Well hold on a second. It's not obstruction of justice. Obstruction of justice is a crime. That's not what they alleged. Why? Because they can't prove an obstruction of justice. [...] They simply said the mere fact that you assert a privilege is itself impeachable, without their bothering to issue a subpoena or litigate any of these matters. By the way, if that is impeachable conduct, all 45 presidents we've had the United States have committed impeachable conduct. It is an absurd standard to say asserting a privilege is a high crime and misdemeanor. And that's what the second article in the House [says]."" Looking ahead, Sen. Cruz went on to describe the historical significance of House Democrats' baseless impeachment narrative, noting: ""One of the scary things about this standard, what the House Democrats are doing is they're just treating impeachment as a political weapon. Impeachment was meant to be an extraordinary remedy. It was not simply meant to be a tool for one party to attack the other party. If this becomes the standard, every president going forward will be impeached whenever the House is in the opposing party."" He also discussed how House Democrats are using the impeachment process as a political tool: ""They don't like the job Donald Trump is doing as president. They disagree with his policies. They disagree with just about everything about him. [...] Look, there is a remedy. If you disagree with someone politically, if you disagree with someone's policies, the remedy that the Constitution sets up are called elections.' We have them every four years, and you go to the American people and you make your case. The Democrats are entirely entitled to make the case to the American people that they disagree with his policies or his politics or anything else. But they're not entitled to abuse the Constitution's impeachment proceeding by impeaching him with no allegation of a crime and no facts or evidence that support that he's committed an impeachable offense."" Sen. Cruz concluded and shared his hopes for the Senate trial: ""I do think the end result of this, we're going to have a trial, [it's] going to be a fair trial, both sides are going to be allowed to present their case, and then the verdict will be not guilty. How can I say that? Because [House Democrats - the prosecutors] have not proven their case. They haven't alleged a high crime or misdemeanor. The constitutional standard matters. By the way if they had alleged bribery, if they had proven bribery, bribery is a high crime or misdemeanor. If they had facts and could prove bribery that would be a very different outcome, but they don't have the evidence for that. Given the articles they are voting on, the chances that this is thrown out after a fair trial are 100 percent, because they haven't met their case."" Watch full video of Sen. Cruz and John Malcolm's discussion at The Heritage Foundation here. Watch Sen. Cruz discuss the history of the Constitution's Impeachment Clause here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4837,Sen. Cruz: Passing the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act Would Be the Most Significant Education Legislation Since the G.I. Bill,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) this week participated in a discussion hosted by the Council on Competitiveness with Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Dr. Michael Crow, the president of Arizona State University, focused on Sen. Cruz's Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act. During the discussion, Sen. Cruz said: ""Secretary DeVos and I have worked very closely on legislation that would provide $10 billion a year in federal tax credits that would be allocated to the states with state scholarship granting organizations. Now that's a $100 billion over 10 years. Even in Washington, $100 billion is a lot of money."" He added: ""Those are new resources coming into - half of it, K-12 education, half of it adult vocational education, apprenticeships, helping adults get new skills. And those are dollar to dollar tax credits for programs that are implemented at the state level, that are designed at the state level, that respond to state needs. If you want to talk about powerfully transforming the educational system, increasing the opportunities in the outcomes, this legislation -- if we can get it passed -- will be the most far-reaching, the most significant legislation since the GI bill."" Sen. Cruz has been a strong advocate for empowering America's students and families through school choice and as a part of his efforts in February introduced the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act, a bill which would expand elementary, secondary, and vocational education opportunities for students by providing a federal tax credit to encourage individuals and businesses to donate to nonprofit scholarship funds. Earlier this month, Sen. Cruz participated in a roundtable discussion with President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary DeVos, along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-Texas), several teachers, parents, and students, focused on empowering American families with educational freedom and opportunities. Read more about the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act here and here. Watch Sen. Cruz discuss the need for Congress to advance the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4838,"Sens. Cruz, Braun Introduce Legislation to Provide Greater Health Care Freedom",2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) this week introduced the Personalized Care Act (PCA), legislation to make Americans' health care more portable, accessible, and tailored to meet their unique needs by dramatically expanding Heath Savings Accounts (HSA) - a pre-tax savings tool millions of Americans use to cover the costs of their health care. Upon introducing the legislation, Sen. Cruz said: ""The pressure to change the health care status quo is rightfully building, and the key question is whether Congress will use this pressure to finally create a true free market health care system or build on the failures of Obamacare. As Democrats push for full government control of America's health care system, I'm fighting to put patients and their doctors back in control of their health care, instead of Washington bureaucrats. By expanding this important savings tool, the Personalized Care Act increases portability, expands access, makes it easier to save for the costs of health insurance premiums and medical care. The commonsense, consensus reforms in this bill will give millions of Americans the freedom to make the health care choices that best meet their needs, moving America way from a federal health care takeover and toward a patient-centered system."" The PCA would: Expand HSAs to Millions of Americans. PCA decouples HSAs from high deductible health insurance plans (HDHP), and expands HSAs to Americans in all major medical health insurance plans and government health programs (Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, etc.), as well those participating in other present and future innovative forms of healthcare financing, like healthcare sharing ministries, short-term limited-duration plans, and medical indemnity plans. Increase HSA Contribution Limits. Increases HSA contribution limits from $3,550 (2020 limit) to $10,800 (PCA) for individuals and from $7,100 (2020 limit) to $29,500 (PCA) for families. Allow HSAs to Pay for Healthcare Premiums. Allows individuals and families to use their HSAs to pay for health insurance premiums. Allow HSAs to Pay for Direct Primary Care and Other Direct Medical Care Arrangements. Allows account holders to use HSAs to pay for periodic fees for direct primary care or other direct medical care. Ensures that such arrangements are treated as qualified medical expenses, not secondary insurance plans. Allow HSAs to Cover OTC Medicines and Repealing the Enhanced Penalty For Nonqualified Distributions. Expands HSAs to cover over-the-counter medicines. Repeals the 20 percent enhanced penalty for nonqualified distributions from HSAs, implementing a lower 10 percent penalty. Allow HSAs to Pay for the Costs of Healthcare Sharing Ministries and Arrangements. HSAs may be used to pay for healthcare sharing ministries and their associated administrative fees. (Healthcare sharing ministries and arrangements do not label these costs as ""premiums,"" but as sharing payments and administrative fees.) Read the full bill here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=video&id=4836,Sen. Cruz at the Heritage Foundation Discussing Democrats Partisanship During Impeachment Process,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Central TX (512) 916-5834 300 E 8th Suite 961 Austin, TX 78701 Email North TX (214) 599-8749 Lee Park Tower II 3626 N. Hall St. Suite 410 Dallas, TX 75219 Email Southeast TX (713) 718-3057 The Mickey Leland Federal Building 1919 Smith Street Suite 9047 Houston, TX 77002 Email South/Cen. TX (210) 340-2885 9901 IH-10W Suite 950 San Antonio, TX 78230 Email East TX (903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway Suite 501 Tyler, TX 75702 Email South TX (956) 686-7339 200 S. 10th St Suite 1603 McAllen, TX 78501 Email Washington, D.C. (202) 224-5922 127A Russell Washington, DC 20510 Contact",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://hurd.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hurd-bill-stop-drug-smugglers-border-crisis-becomes-law,"Hurd Bill to Stop Drug Smugglers, Border Crisis Becomes Law",2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Will Hurd,H001073,hurd.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Today, the bipartisan bill by U.S. Representatives Will Hurd (TX-23) and Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) to ensure the intelligence community prioritizes resources to combat drug trafficking, human trafficking and human smuggling in the Northern Triangle and Mexico was signed into law as part of theNational Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bipartisan initiative marks Hurd's 16th piece of legislation to be signed into law since 2015 and continues his efforts to find long-term, bipartisan solutions to the migration crisis as the Representative of over 820 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, more than any other member of the House. Earlier this year, he expressed concern that the intelligence community was not maximizing the use of intelligence to deny and disrupt transnational smuggling networks that are key contributors to the migration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico Border. The former CIA officers introduced H.R. 3720, the Trafficking and Smuggling Intelligence Act earlier this year, and it first passed the House on July 17 as an amendment to the Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act. My philosophy is simple and has remained the same: the only way we get big things done in Congress is by working together. My bipartisan effort with Rep. Spanberger to stop drug smugglers exacerbating our border crisis and putting innocent lives at risk is the perfect example of that, said Hurd. I'm proud that this is my 16th piece of legislation to be signed into law in 5 years, and I'll continue to work with my colleagues in Congress over the next year to find solutions to big problems and deliver real results back home. To tackle the security and humanitarian challenges at our southern border, we need to understand the root causes of instability, illegal migration, increased levels of asylum seekers, and senseless violence in Mexico and the Northern Triangle, said Spanberger, a former federal law enforcement agent and CIA case officer. As two former intelligence officers, Congressman Hurd and I recognize how the reprehensible activities of criminal organizations in this region create a devastating ripple effect that threatens our national security and exacerbates the ongoing humanitarian crisis along the U.S-Mexico border. At its core, our bipartisan legislation will deploy the expertise of the intelligence community to keep the American people safe and secure. Today, I'd like to thank President Trump for signing our bill into lawand I'd like to thank Congressman Hurd for working across the aisle to protect vulnerable populations in Central America and for committing to strengthening the security of our borders and points of entry.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://olson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/olson-urges-december-release-of-citgo-6,Olson Urges December Release of Citgo 6,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Pete Olson,O000168,olson.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today urged the Venezuelan government to release the Citgo 6. These six Americans were called to Venezuela and arrested in 2017. They have been imprisoned and detained without needed healthcare for two years without trial. Since then 18 hearings have been scheduled and cancelled while they remain separated from their families. Four of the men are residents of TX-22. Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro can give the Citgo 6 the only thing they want for Christmas: release back to their homes in the United States, Olson stated. My discussions with the State Department and the families of the Citgo 6 all indicate that there is no time like the present for the Venezuelan government to act in good faith, end the unjust imprisonment of these Americans and reunite Tomeu Vadell, Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, Alirio Zambrano, Jose Luis Zambrano and Jose Angel Pereira with their loved ones in the United States at long last. Additional information about the Citgo 6 can be found here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://williams.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/locals-weigh-in-on-trump-s-trials,Locals weigh in on Trumps trials,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Roger Williams,W000816,williams.house.gov,,,legacy,"While Trump is all but certain to avoid removal from office, a portion of his legacy took shape Wednesday when he became just the third president in American history to be impeached by the U.S. House. The two articles of impeachment approved along largely partisan lines on Wednesday stand as a constitutional rebuke that will stay with Trump even as he tries to trivialize their meaning and use them to power his reelection bid. It'll be impossible to look back at this presidency and not discuss impeachment. It is permanently tied to his record, said Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University. Trump now always becomes part of the conversation about misusing presidential power. Ukraine will be his Watergate. Ukraine will be his Lewinsky. History books will add Trump to the section that features Bill Clinton, impeached 21 years ago for lying under oath about sex with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, and Andrew Johnson, impeached 151 years ago for defying Congress on Reconstruction. Richard Nixon, who avoided impeachment by resigning during the Watergate investigation, is there, too. Trump himself is keenly aware of the impact that impeachment may have on his legacy. Allies in recent months have described him as seething over the prospect, taking impeachment more as a personal attack and an attempt to delegitimize his presidency than a judgment on his conduct. Trump said Tuesday that he took zero responsibility for his expected impeachment. Few people in high position could have endured or passed this test, Trump wrote in a fiery six-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the eve of his impeachment. You do not know, nor do you care, the great damage and hurt you have inflicted upon wonderful and loving members of my family. The letter, rife with exclamation points, random capitalizations and scores of grievances, portrayed the president as the victim of an unfair and politically motivated attack. One hundred years from now, when people look back at this affair, I want them to understand it, and learn from it, so that it can never happen to another President again, he wrote. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham conceded Thursday that Trump was unhappy with the outcome. The president has said many times that this isn't something he necessarily wants on his resume, she said in an interview with ABC's Good Morning America. With Republicans in control of the Senate, Trump's acquittal in a January trial there seems assured. He has asserted that a public backlash to impeachment may help him politically by firing up loyal supporters and attracting more independents to his cause. He's mused about taking a post-verdict victory lap, a veritable Not Guilty Tour akin to the Thank You Tour he conducted during the 2016 presidential transition. Local reaction Local reaction to Wednesday's vote also fell along party lines. U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, roundly condemned the vote. Today will be remembered as the day that House Democrats, claiming a false moral supremacy over the desire of the American people, executed a deliberate and orchestrated plan to overturn a Presidential election, Williams said. It will be the first time in history that a party paraded out their ivy league academics to explain to 31 states and almost 63 million people, that their voices should not be heard and why their votes should not be counted. This entire impeachment charade has been an extraordinary disservice to the people we were elected to represent, and it has set a dangerous precedent for future generations. Donald J. Trump is our President, chosen by the American people. The Democrats' attempt to change history will never undo that. Cleburne Republican Elizabeth Victory said the fact that the Senate will almost certainly take the matter no farther renders Wednesday's House vote ultimately meaningless. Honestly, I've had enough of all their talk and wasting time and haven't really been watching or reading about it, Victory said. I have a life and more important things to do. [The impeachment vote] is going anywhere in the Senate anyway. There's no reason for these supposed charges against the president anyway. It's all a hoax. The Democrats have been trying to come up with something to get the president out of office since the day he was elected. Bill Hammons, Johnson County Democratic Party Precinct 5 Chairman, agreed with Victory that impeachment proceedings against Trump will almost certainly die in the Senate. No, Hammons said. With the division and partisanship of the country and Congress there's no chance of this going anywhere in the Senate. Part of the reason is that [Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell] is as much of a problem as Trump. He's just a dismal person, certainly not someone I'd want to have a drink with. That said, Trump's impeachment vote relays a message well worth proclaiming, Hammons said. It was well deserved by Trump and well earned, Hammons said. Trump is probably a criminal and definitely a traitor to our country. Victory countered that Democrats should be wary of November's general election. I think this impeachment situation will most likely help Trump get re-elected next year, Victory said. Hammons begged to differ. I think this hurts Trump's chances next year, Hammons said. I think this may lead to an awakening among some people who maybe marginally supported Trump in the past. I'm being too optimistic maybe but I hope not. Trump's reaction [to Wednesday's House vote] was certainly sad. It doesn't seem possible that so many people can continue their support for him. But so far no one in the Republican party has been willing or able to stand up to him or put a cap on his antics. One thing's for sure. It's going to be a nasty 11 months between now and November and a lot more money is going to be spent on elections than should be. First in history Presidential historian Jon Meacham said impeachment will make Trump the first insurgent incumbent president in American history. He compared the reflexive partisanship of this moment to the 19th-century tribalism that surrounded Johnson and Reconstruction, requiring a divided nation to assess what's being said instead of simply saluting the person saying it. Uniquely able to command attention, Trump has held sway over his adopted Republican Party, reshaping it in his image even while defying its orthodoxy. He has thrilled his base of supporters with his confrontational style and tough rhetoric, using his combative Twitter account to fight political rivals and dispute from the outset accusations of foreign electoral interference during special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe. While Trump escaped that episode with his grip on power unchanged, the Ukraine story stunned the White House with the speed that it overwhelmed Washington. Trump fell back on the same playbook -- deny, delay, denounce -- but could not avoid an impeachment inquiry at the hands of the Democratic-controlled House. Kellyanne Conway, senior counselor to the president, on Wednesday rejected the notion that Trump believes his legacy will be tarnished by impeachment. No, he doesn't, Conway said. He sees it as a stain on the legacy of people who have been so focused and hell-bent on removing him from office. While Clinton apologized for his behavior and Nixon stepped aside, Trump has remained unbowed, sticking to his contention that he had a perfect phone call with Ukraine's president. Trump and many of his Republican defenders have rejected the testimony of a parade of government witnesses who testified about Trump's efforts to push Kyiv to investigate potential election rival Joe Biden. At a rally in Michigan that began mere minutes after the House began its historic vote, Trump tried to publicly downplay the stain on his record. It's impeachment lite. With Richard Nixon, I could see it as a very dark era, Trump said. I don't know about you, but I'm having a good time. But I also know we have a great group of people behind us in the Republican Party. The president's approval rating has largely remained unchanged during the impeachment inquiry, his pugnacious personality and populism helping cement his hold with supporters. Extraordinary polarization around impeachment is not new, but the fierce partisanship this time has been heightened by a unique aspect of this moment: Trump is standing for reelection, while Clinton and Nixon were halfway through their second terms when they faced the threat of impeachment. The outcome of that election may alter how Trump's impeachment is ultimately remembered. Donald Trump is now going to be synonymous with impeachment. There is no way to market it like a badge of honor. It's a medallion of shame, said Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian at Rice University. But if he wins, the impeachment looks somewhat smaller. It means he defied it and remade the modern Republican Party in his own image and kept them loyal.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://williams.house.gov/media-center/newsletters/i-voted-no,I Voted No,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Roger Williams,W000816,williams.house.gov,,,legacy,"Dear Texans, Wednesday's vote toimpeach the duly-elected President of the United Stateswas truly historical. However, its unique place in history is not for the reasons the Democratic party is so desperately trying to convey. It will be remembered as the day that the Democrats, claiming a false moral supremacy over the desire of the American people, executed a deliberate and orchestrated plan to overturn a Presidential election. It will be the first time in history that a party paraded out their ivy league academics to explain to 31 states and almost 63 million people, including nearly 4.7 million Texans, that their voices should not be heard and their votes should not be counted. Despite the Democrats' urgency to rush this process through the House because of ""national security concerns,"" Speaker Pelosi's threat to withhold sending the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for a full trial, as is historical precedent, proves once again that this entire process is a mockery of our Constitution. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle arrived at a partisan and self-directed fork in road, and chose the road never before traveled. Donald J. Trump is our President, chosen by the American people. The Democrats' attempt to revise history will never change that. May God bless the greatest country in the world, the United States of America. Clickhereor on the image above to watch my remarks on the House floor condemning the impeachment of President Trump. In God we trust, Roger Williams Member of Congress",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn%E2%80%99s-bill-streamline-military-voting-overseas-become-law-today,Cornyn’s Bill to Streamline Military Voting Overseas to Become Law Today,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Cornyn,C001056,www.cornyn.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement in advance of President Trump signing Sen. Cornyn's Military Voting Protection Act into law this evening as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act.The new law will ensure service members are provided with ballots and registration cards necessary to vote while deployed overseas along with instruction from trained personnel on how to cast their vote in their registered state: Soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines regularly put their lives on the line to defend our democracy, and it's only right they have ample opportunity to fully participate in that democracy, said Sen. Cornyn. This law will ensure that all service members' voices will be heard, regardless of whether they're donning the uniform at home or abroad. Background: Registration and participation for active duty service members voting by absentee ballot dropped between the 2012 and 2016 elections, with a third of those surveyed saying the absentee voting process was too complicated. The Military Voting Protection Act takes definitive steps to ensure all overseas military voters have the opportunity to cast their vote if they choose to do so. Currently, military voting assistance officers distribute voter registration and absentee ballot requests or Federal Post Card Applications (FPCA), which allow them to register and request an absentee ballot, to military service members. Depending on the state, the federal write-in absentee ballot can serve as registration to vote as well as the actual ballot itself. Currently, 22 states and three territories require both the FPCA as well as an actual ballot. However, 28 states allow the federal write-in absentee ballot to serve as both the registration/request form and the ballot itself. Under the MVP Act, a deployed service member will receive the following within 45 days of a general election for Federal office: A briefing on and an opportunity to fill out the FPCA for absentee voter registration application and ballot application prescribed under the Uniformed Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (as applicable); and A federal write-in absentee ballot prescribed pursuant to section 103 of that Act with instructions on the appropriate use of the ballot with respect to the state in which they are registered to vote. The MVP Act was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA FY20), which passed the Senate on December 17, 2019. A more comprehensive summary of NDAA FY20 can be found here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn%E2%80%99s-dogs-courthouse-bill-passes-senate,Cornyn’s Dogs in the Courthouse Bill Passes the Senate,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Cornyn,C001056,www.cornyn.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Bill Gives Judges Authority to Allow Certified Facility Dogs to Comfort Witnesses in Courtrooms WASHINGTON U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after the Senate passed his Courthouse Dogs Act, which would clarify federal judges' authority to allow certified facility dogs in courtrooms during legal proceedings. This legislation is based on the successful efforts of many states around the nation and guidance from experts in the field. Testifying in court can be a stressful experience for many, and especially children who may be asked to recall traumatic memories, said Sen. Cornyn. By allowing trained dogs to sit with witnesses, we can ease stress, help witnesses feel safe to share their stories, and ultimately promote justice. Earlier this year, Sen. Cornyn visited the South Texas College of Law in Houston with certified facility dogs and handlers from various District Attorneys' offices, representatives from victim support groups, and local special court judges to discuss the benefits of this bill. Click here to watch the video or here to download photos. Background on the Courthouse Dogs Act: When vulnerable witnesses testify, they often experience emotional trauma that impairs their ability to participate, think, or answer questions. The use of certified courthouse dogs in the courtroom has expanded rapidly in the United States as a mechanism for calming and supporting individuals involved in courtroom proceedings. The scientific evidence for the physical and mental calming effects of appropriately bred and trained dogs is overwhelming. Currently, eight states have legislation allowing for the use of certified facility dogs to assist witnesses giving testimony, and eight other states' courts have determined that the use of certified facility dogs may be appropriate in certain instances. The Courthouse Dogs Act allows for any party in a federal criminal proceeding to request an order authorizing an available certified courthouse dog to accompany a witness while testifying in federal court. In order to be certified facility dogs, they must meet the following requirements: The dog must have graduated from an assistance dog organization that is a member of an internationally recognized assistance dog association whose primary purpose is based on excellence in the areas of dog acquisition, training, and placement. The dog must be accompanied by a trainer who is trained to manage the dog and has knowledge about the legal and criminal justice processes. Judges may grant the request and enter an order. If the dog is certified, he or she will aid the witness in providing testimony, and the dog is insured for liability protection. The Courthouse Dogs Act is supported by the Courthouse Dogs Foundation, the National District Attorneys Association, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-highlights-year-accomplishments-texans,Cornyn Highlights Year of Accomplishments for Texans,2019-12-20,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Cornyn,C001056,www.cornyn.senate.gov,,,legacy,"SENATOR JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): While I know the news is dominated by the impeachment controversy, Congress has been able to, under the radar screen, tick some important legislation off our to-do list this year on behalf of Texans. This year, Senator Cornyn had four bills signed into law or currently awaiting the President's signature: the Debbie Smith Act, the HAVEN Act, the Military Voting Protection Act, and the Veteran STEM Scholarship Improvement Act. Accomplishments During 2019 HURRICANE HARVEY RELIEF: Led the fight for the Trump Administration to release $4 billion in Harvey relief for Texans that was caught up in red tape. DEBBIE SMITH ACT: Worked to get the Debbie Smith Act, which includes funding to fight the nationwide rape kit backlog, to the President's desk after political foot-dragging by House Democrats. STRENGTHENING NADBANK: Worked to include a provision to strengthen the North American Development Bank in the proposed USMCA trade deal. BORDER COMMUNITY REIMBURSEMENTS: Helped secure $30 million in reimbursements made available for Texas border communities that provided care during the influx of migrants this past summer. HAVEN ACT: Passed his HAVEN Act into law, which will protect the economic security and well-being of veterans and their families who rely on disability benefits and may be experiencing financial hardship. MILITARY VOTING: Passed the Military Voting Protection Act, which will be signed into law as part of the Defense Authorization bill and ensures service members are provided with the means and information necessary to vote in their registered state while deployed or stationed overseas. STEM EDUCATION FOR VETERANS: Passed the Veteran STEM Scholarship Improvement Act, into law, which will help veterans to take full advantage of the GI scholarship provided to study science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. JUDICIAL CONFIRMATIONS: Helped to fill 20 Texas judicial vacancies since the start of this Administration, with more than 170 federal judges confirmed nationwide. BORDER FUNDING: Fought for $4.6 billion in funding to support the Homeland Security's efforts to secure our southern border. DEFENSE FUNDING: Enacted (once signed) the largest pay raise for U.S. servicemembers in a decade through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which also included $400 million for military construction projects in Texas. IRS REFORM: Passed the Taxpayer First Act, now law, which contained the most significant reforms to the IRS in 20 years. SMALL BUSINESS DISASTER LEGISLATION: Passed the Rebuilding Small Businesses After Disasters Act, now law, which extends provisions to help homeowners and small businesses access certain U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. AUTISM RESEARCH: Passed the main source of federal funding for autism research, the Autism CARES Act, which is now law. RELIEF FOR FARMERS: Passed the Family Farmer Relief Act, now law, to help family farmers reorganize their debt during tough economic times. Helped secure $400 million in relief for farmers and ranchers affected by drought in 157 Texas counties. ELECTION SECURITY: Enacted bills with unanimous support ensuring hacking a voting system is a federal crime and deporting and denying entry to foreign nationals who have violated U.S. election law. SUPPORTING LAW ENFORCEMENT: Passed legislation that will help law enforcement officers in crisis and their families and legislation to provide grants for state and local law enforcement to purchase bulletproof vests.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://burgess.house.gov/blog/?postid=402255,Burgess Votes to Approve USMCA Trade Agreement,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Michael Burgess,B001248,burgess.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Republican Leader of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the United States Mexico and Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA). After years of asking for a rewrite of NAFTA, the House of Representatives has finally delivered a vote of approval for a new trade agreement, Burgess said. Thank you to President Trump for delivering on the promise to provide a better deal for farmers, manufacturers, and all Americans. I appreciate Republican Leader of the Ways and Means Committee and fellow Texan Kevin Brady for his leadership in getting this passed. Mexico is Texas' biggest trading partner. The USMCA increases opportunities for all Texans and keeps our economy strong. The passage of USMCA is a win for the American economy because it will: Brings an estimated 176,000 new jobs. Increases the GDP by one percent. Creates a level playing field for manufactures. Expands fair trade for American Farmers. Modernizes the NAFTA for the 21st Century.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://flores.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401258,Bill Flores Statement on USMCA Passage,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Bill Flores,F000461,flores.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Representative Bill Flores (R-Texas) issued the following statement following House passage of H.R. 5430, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act: ""Today's vote to approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a big win for America's farmers, ranchers, workers, manufacturers and businesses. After more than a year of advocating for this important trade deal, we are finally one-step closer to modernizing and rebalancing trade relationships with our most important export markets Mexico and Canada. The USMCA will expand agricultural trade, increase American manufacturing and protect intellectual property. It will lead to freer markets, fairer trade and robust economic growth in North America. As the major hub of North American economic activity, Texas stands to greatly benefit from this strengthened agreement as we move into a diverse 21st century economy. It is shameful that America had to wait so long for Nancy Pelosi to finally prioritize progress over politics. I urge the Senate to swiftly pass the USMCA so that it can be signed by President Trump."" ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://flores.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401260,Bill Flores Discusses the Latest from Washington,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Bill Flores,F000461,flores.house.gov,,,legacy,"NDAA ""Our nation's military works relentlessly to defend and protect America. The National Defense Authorization Act provides our military men and women with the essential resources they need to keep America safe. The House passed this bipartisan bill to increase funding to rebuild our military, make critical investments in defense systems, give our troops the largest pay raise in a decade and put an end to the unjust Widow's Tax' on survivor benefits. Strengthening our military and defense will support our continued work to combat emerging threats and provide for the safety and security of hardworking American families.""Federal Government Funding ""This week, Congress considered two legislative packages to fully fund the federal government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2020. These packages a national security-oriented package and a non-defense/domestic oriented package. The defense related package prioritizes national security, continues to strengthen our military and provides new funding for border security. I supported the defense package, however, I voted against the non-defense package because of its excessive spending levels and deficit impact. Going forward it is imperative that Congress commit to putting our nation's budget on a path to balance by addressing the long-term drivers of the nation's deficits unsustainable and ever-increasing levels of mandatory spending."" H.R. 3 ""Last week, Nancy Pelosi continued to push her hyper-partisan agenda as the House considered a socialist bill that implements price-controls in the prescription drug industry. Make no mistake, this bill will crush drug innovation, lead to fewer lifesaving cures and will drive jobs and investment overseas. Rather than working to find bipartisan solutions to address prescription drug costs, Speaker Pelosi is working to appease the most extreme socialist members of her party and radical special interest groups. ""According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), this bill will dramatically decrease the number of new lifesaving cures. Families who have relatives with tragic diseases like Alzheimer's and ALS should fear this legislation because it will drastically reduce investment in innovation and breakthrough cures for society's toughest illnesses."" ""While I did not support H.R.3, I supported a substitute amendment that would have replaced it with the Lower Costs, More Cures Act. This alternative contained over 40 provisions that Democrats and President Trump support. By promoting increased competition and strengthening transparency, these solutions would lower the cost of prescription drugs while protecting innovation and access to medicines and cures. Even though the provisions of the Lower Costs, More Cures Act have broad bipartisan support, Democrats voted against this solution in favor of their socialist plan which will neither advance in the Senate nor be signed by the president. It is time for Nancy Pelosi to stop her political posturing and work in a bipartisan manner to address high prescription drug costs."" Closing Thoughts ""The three-week period that the House of Representatives was in session in December produced mixed results for hardworking Texas families. On one hand, we began to see the emergence of a few bipartisan legislative accomplishments including passage of the NDAA, funding the federal government for the rest of Fiscal Year 2020, passage of robocall prevention legislation, and, most importantly, passage of the USMCA trade agreement. Regarding the government funding bills, they included substantial military funding as discussed above, funding for additional border security barrier and increased funding for important basic research like that performed at our local higher educational institutions Texas A&M University, Baylor University and the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, these funding bills also included important pro-life protections, despite strong efforts by Democrats to remove them. ""On the other hand, these positive legislative outcomes were largely overshadowed by the House Democrats' campaign to remove Donald Trump, our lawfully elected president, using the weakest articles of impeachment and the shabbiest, unfair process in our nation's history. This activity will likely go down as one of the darkest stains on the history of the House of Representatives. ""One of the interesting questions that folks ask is why did it take so long for the House to start working on bipartisan legislation this year? In order to answer that question, we must first discuss the House's performance prior to December. During the first 11 months of this year, virtually every meaningful piece of legislation passed by the House was hyper-partisan and focused on appeasing the hard-Left, socialist elements of the Democrat base. This hard-left legislation included the first partisan NDAA in 58 years, partisan prescription drug bills, partisan efforts to takeover state and local election processes, and partisan appropriations bills. In contrast, the last Congress (the 115th) during 2017 and 2018 produced 443 bills which were sent to President Trump's desk for his signature. Of those bills, 99 percent were bipartisan even though Republicans controlled the House, Senate and White House. ""So, why did the House finally start working on bipartisan solutions in December? It was because of you, the American people you were letting the Democrats know through ongoing national and regional polling that you were losing patience with the impeachment circus, and that you were tired of a do nothing' House that was failing to focus on your real-world issues at home. This polling set off alarm bells with Democrat leadership and they finally started working with Republicans to bring the USMCA to the floor and to produce bipartisan solutions. They then put that bipartisan legislation up for votes over the past two weeks to try to offset the damage from their impeachment sham that was showing up in polling. ""Looking forward, as the First Session (2019) of the 116th Congress ends, and the Second Session (2020) begins in early January, the question is, what will the House do now? Will it produce bipartisan results like the 115th Congress (2017 and 2018)? Or, will it produce only partisan results similar to JanuaryNovember of this year, that will go nowhere in the Senate nor be signed by the President? I pray that we pursue the bipartisan path to produce real-world solutions for you, your families and our communities. ""As we close out 2019, I hope that each of you have a Blessed Christmas and holiday season, and that God will continue to Bless our nation.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4831,Sen. Cruz on Democrats' Collapsing Impeachment Narrative: Speaker Pelosi Knows the House Hasn't Proven Its Case,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on The Constitution, this morning appeared on Fox News' Fox & Friends' following House Democrats' late-night partisan impeachment vote against President Trump. Sen. Cruz said: ""The Democrats are in a panic because in the last month their case collapsed. Rewind back to a month ago. A month ago every Democrat was saying over and over again, bribery.' Remember that was their talking point? Bribery, bribery, bribery.' The reason was the Democratic Campaign Committee, they polled that and their focus groups had told them that bribery is bad. The American people don't like bribery. So in one day, every Democrat began saying bribery."" Sen. Cruz continued, noting House Democrats have taken the extreme' position that they can impeach the president without alleging he committed a crime: ""Here's the problem: the facts, the actual evidence doesn't support bribery. As they heard the evidence, they couldn't prove bribery. And they've now backed away from bribery, they've backed away - remember quid pro quo? That was their favorite phrase. That's disappeared. And they've now taken the position they can impeach the president without alleging he violated any criminal law whatsoever, without alleging he violated any federal law. Literally - not even alleging a speeding ticket. That is a remarkable position, it's an extreme position."" Finally, Sen. Cruz said the House Democrats failed to prove their case, which is why Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is considering holding the Articles of Impeachment: ""This has never happened in the history of the country. The prior impeachments, every one of them, the articles alleged a federal crime. This one doesn't. It is exceptionally weak and it doesn't meet the constitutional standard for high crimes and misdemeanors. And that's why Pelosi knows when it goes to the Senate, there's going to be a fair trial in the Senate but this is not going to succeed because the House hasn't proven its case."" Watch Sen. Cruz's full interview here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4832,"On Sino-British Joint Declaration Anniversary, Sens. Cruz, Hawley, Colleagues Send Bipartisan Letter Urging U.N. to Raise Issue of China's Human Rights Violations",2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - On the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) today sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres. In the letter, the members urge him to raise the issue of China's violations of human rights and its destruction of its documentary record in his discussions with member states and at the U.N. Human Rights Council and the U.N. Security Council. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) also signed onto the letter. The letter comes on the anniversary of the Dec. 19, 1984 signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration -- a bilateral agreement that was registered at the U.N. which defined the terms of the ""one country, two systems"" principle that would protect Hong Kong's autonomy as it transferred from British to Chinese authority. In the letter, the senators write: ""China's actions in Hong Kong are consistent with its actions in other parts of the region and its treatment of those within its borders who may hold different beliefs from those of the Communist Party of China. Its detention camps in Xinjiang holding nearly a million Uyghur Muslims reflect China's true ambitions."" They continue: ""We the undersigned urge you to work with both member states and with the U.N. Human Rights Council and the U.N. Security Council to take meaningful steps to condemn China's operation of its detention camps in Xinjiang and to protect the documentary record of what is taking place in Xinjiang. Your actions on this matter will be a testament to the United Nations' important mandate of protecting human rights wherever they are threatened."" Read the full letter here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4833,"Sens. Cruz, Cornyn Urge Trump Administration to Prioritize Bringing CITGO 6 Home",2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) John Cornyn (Texas) today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to urge the State Department to do everything it can to ensure the safe homecoming of the six CITGO employees currently being detained in Venezuela. They wrote: ""As the administration continues to successfully craft policy and solutions, we write to express our steadfast commitment to securing the release of Gustavo Cardenas, Jose Angel Pereira, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, and Jose Luis Zambrano, otherwise known as the CITGO 6, from their unjust detainment in Venezuela. ""We realize there are competing equities at play in Venezuela and we strongly support the Administration's commitment to securing free and fair elections in Venezuela; however, it must be made clear to all stakeholders that American citizens must be released and not made political pawns by anyone or any group. Therefore, we urge the Administration to use every tool at its disposal to help these Americans."" Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Kennedy (R-La.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) also signed the letter. You can view the signed letter here, and text is below. December 19, 2019 The Honorable Michael R. Pompeo Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20320 Dear Secretary Pompeo, We write to express our support for ongoing efforts to secure the release of Americans held hostage or unlawfully detained in many rogue nations such as Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria and others. As the administration continues to successfully craft policy and solutions, we write to express our steadfast commitment to securing the release of Gustavo Cardenas, Jose Angel Pereira, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, and Jose Luis Zambrano, otherwise known as the CITGO 6, from their unjust detainment in Venezuela. As you know, the CITGO 6 have suffered from over two years of inhumane detainment conditions and lack of due process. They have experienced significant health hardships as a direct result of their treatment by the oppressive Maduro regime and others who support them. Imprisoned in an overcrowded basement for two years with limited access to sufficient nutrition, exercise, or medical treatment, the men are reported to have suffered severe weight loss and significant physical pain. Although their recent transfer to house arrest is a promising development, we believe it is crucial the Administration maintain maximum economic and diplomatic pressure in order to secure their full release and return. We realize there are competing equities at play in Venezuela and we strongly support the Administration's commitment to securing free and fair elections in Venezuela; however, it must be made clear to all stakeholders that American citizens must be released and not made political pawns by anyone or any group. Therefore, we urge the Administration to use every tool at its disposal to help these Americans. American national interests and citizens must come first. We will continue to support efforts to maintain diplomatic and economic pressure on the illegitimate Maduro regime in Venezuela and secure the release of the CITGO 6. Sincerely, /s/ ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4834,"Sen. Cruz: End-of-Year, $1.4 Trillion Spending Monstrosity Is Lobbyists' Christmas Present",2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued the following statement after voting against the $1.4 trillion end-of-year spending package: ""With a $23 trillion national debt, this 2,313-page spending package that Congressional leaders unveiled just days ago represents everything Americans hate about Washington. Though there are several good provisions included in the final bills that I was proud to fight for, including a well-deserved pay raise for our men and women in uniform and additional support for our Armed Forces and veterans, this $1.4 trillion spending monstrosity plunges our nation even further into debt - haphazardly spending taxpayer dollars on the priorities of lobbyists and Democrats at the expense of the priorities of the American people, from funding Planned Parenthood, sanctuary cities, and Obamacare, to raising the tobacco purchasing age to 21. ""This ridiculous, rushed, end-of-year spending process, year after year, is an example of government of the lobbyists, by the lobbyists, and for the lobbyists. Instead of funding liberal Democrat's priorities and running up bills we cannot pay, we should be fighting for the common-sense priorities of the American people, like providing families with more education opportunities and freedom, securing our border, and reducing the burden of federal taxes and regulations on workers, families, and local job creators. These are the priorities I will continue to fight for in the Senate."" As Sen. Cruz explained, the spending package includes: An extension of the Ex-Im Bank, corporate welfare that Sen. Cruz has long worked to end. A provision to raise the tobacco purchasing age to 21, which means our 18-year-old men and women in uniform can be sent to the front lines, but they cannot have a smoke. Extensions of corporate subsidies for renewable energy by extending tax credits for biodiesel, wind, and solar. Funding for the Center of Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health to conduct studies and research on gun control, which threatens the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. Meanwhile, the package fails to: Defund Planned Parenthood, a common-sense conservative priority Sen. Cruz has championed. End Obamacare, which Sen. Cruz has long fought to achieve. Expand College 529 Savings Plans and education freedom, which would help families cover the costs of educational expenses for their children. Stop sanctuary cities and enforce our immigration laws. Fully fund the wall, which is critical to securing the border and ensuring the safety of communities in Texas and across the country. Watch Sen. Cruz's video describing the problems with the bill here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=video&id=4830,Sen. Cruz on Fox & Friends: DEMOLISHES Democrats' Biased Impeachment Against President Trump,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Central TX (512) 916-5834 300 E 8th Suite 961 Austin, TX 78701 Email North TX (214) 599-8749 Lee Park Tower II 3626 N. Hall St. Suite 410 Dallas, TX 75219 Email Southeast TX (713) 718-3057 The Mickey Leland Federal Building 1919 Smith Street Suite 9047 Houston, TX 77002 Email South/Cen. TX (210) 340-2885 9901 IH-10W Suite 950 San Antonio, TX 78230 Email East TX (903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway Suite 501 Tyler, TX 75702 Email South TX (956) 686-7339 200 S. 10th St Suite 1603 McAllen, TX 78501 Email Washington, D.C. (202) 224-5922 127A Russell Washington, DC 20510 Contact",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://arrington.house.gov/2019/12/arrington-statement-on-usmca-passage-in-u-s-house-of-representatives/,Arrington Statement on USMCA Passage in U.S. House of Representatives,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Jodey Arrington,A000375,arrington.house.gov,,,legacy,"Arrington Statement on USMCA Passage in U.S. House of Representatives December 19, 2019 WASHINGTON Today, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) issued the following statement as the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of ratifying the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to modernize free trade in North America: I want to thank the ranking member, my dear friend Kevin Brady for his leadership on this very important trade deal that strengthens our largest and most important relationship of all of our trading relationships. I also want to thank our chairman, Richard Neal, for keeping this deal on track and keeping people in the game so we could have a bipartisan deal, as the only way that this was going to work if we had a bipartisan consensus, said Arrington. But let's give credit where credit is due for the one who led the charge, who did the heavy lifting our President Donald J. Trump. In 2016, he was already calling out some of these trade deals as a rip off on American workers and manufacturers. While we saw a 400% increase in trade for agriculture products since the inception of NAFTA, it hasn't been good all the way around, it hasn't been fair all the way around, and it hasn't been productive in terms of keeping jobs here in the United States. I applaud our president for his dogged commitment to American first trade policies that doesn't mean America only, it means that we negotiate from strength and we negotiate for the best interest of American workers, manufacturers, and farmers. That's what the USMCA does $70 billion in economic growth, 170,000 jobs and billions in investment in the auto manufacturing sector. Our agriculture producers, dairy producers, and farmers are going to have open access to new customers in Canada. This is a huge win for America, and I want to join all my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, and champion this deal all the way through. I applaud my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for voting yes on the USMCA and voting for an even greater America and an even greater prospect for American prosperity. WATCH CONGRESSMAN ARRINGTON'S FULL REMARKS ON THE HOUSE FLOOR:",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=68,Arrington Statement on USMCA Passage in U.S. House of Representatives,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Jodey C. Arrington,A000375,arrington.house.gov,arrington,https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Today, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) issued the following statement as the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of ratifying the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to modernize free trade in North America: “I want to thank the ranking member, my dear friend Kevin Brady for his leadership on this very important trade deal that strengthens our largest and most important relationship of all of our trading relationships. I also want to thank our chairman, Richard Neal, for keeping this deal on track and keeping people in the game so we could have a bipartisan deal, as the only way that this was going to work if we had a bipartisan consensus,” said Arrington. “But let's give credit where credit is due for the one who led the charge, who did the heavy lifting – our President Donald J. Trump. In 2016, he was already calling out some of these trade deals as a rip off on American workers and manufacturers. While we saw a 400% increase in trade for agriculture products since the inception of NAFTA, it hasn't been good all the way around, it hasn't been fair all the way around, and it hasn't been productive in terms of keeping jobs here in the United States. I applaud our president for his dogged commitment to American first trade policies – that doesn’t mean America only, it means that we negotiate from strength and we negotiate for the best interest of American workers, manufacturers, and farmers.” “That's what the USMCA does – $70 billion in economic growth, 170,000 jobs and billions in investment in the auto manufacturing sector. Our agriculture producers, dairy producers, and farmers are going to have open access to new customers in Canada.” “This is a huge win for America, and I want to join all my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, and champion this deal all the way through. I applaud my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for voting yes on the USMCA and voting for an even greater America and an even greater prospect for American prosperity.” WATCH CONGRESSMAN ARRINGTON’S FULL REMARKS ON THE HOUSE FLOOR:",1,2026-04-07T12:09:11Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://babin.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5353,U.S. Rep. Babin Hosts Lucas Lowe Memorial Post Office Dedication,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Brian Babin,B001291,babin.house.gov,,,legacy,"DAYTON, TX On Monday, December 16, U.S. Congressman Brian Babin (TX-36) along with the United States Postal Service hosted countless community and family members, local dignitaries, and top military officials for a ceremony renaming the Post Office in Hardin, Texas after a local hero, Chief Warrant Officer II Lucas Maurice Lowe. Chief Lowe, a decorated veteran with tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, tragically passed away on December 28, 2016, during a flight with the Texas Army National Guard. The event began with a flyover by two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters piloted by members of Chief Lowe's unit, the 1st-149thAttack and Reconnaissance Battalion, a fitting tribute for a man who achieved his dream of flying as an Army pilot. Congressman Babin, author of the bill (H.R. 1250) which designates the postal facility as the Lucas Lowe Memorial Post Office, addressed the crowd and presented Lucas' widow, Kami, with an official copy of the bill signed into law by President Donald Trump on August 23, 2019. We gathered together just a few days short of the third anniversary of Lucas' passing,said Rep. Babin. He died in the service of the Texas Army National Guard, and looking around me on Monday, it was evident how much of an impression he made upon his family, community, and brothers and sisters in uniform. I consider it a distinct privilege to have been able to honor a man like Lucas Lowe, who was as much an irreplaceable part of Southeast Texas as that very post office. State Representative Ernest Bailes, County Judge Jay Knight, Hardin Mayor Harry Johnson, and Samantha Pickett (Lucas' aunt) each made special presentations to the family. Adjutant General for the State of Texas, Major General Tracy Norris, discussed her admiration for Chief Lowe's military service as a model soldier and great patriot and presented Mrs. Lowe with his awards from the Army and Texas National Guard. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://carter.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=40&itemid=2446,Carter on Passage of USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Carter,C001051,carter.house.gov,,,legacy,"(Washington, D.C.) Representative John Carter (TX-31) released the following statement after voting in favor of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). After more than a year of delay by Speaker Pelosi, the House of Representatives has finally passed the USMCA with overwhelming support. While this agreement will significantly benefit the United States, Texas is positioned to be one of the USMCA's biggest winners thanks to its annual export of $140 billion in goods to Mexico and Canada. With nearly 60 percent of all jobs in my district reliant on trade with our North American partners, the USMCA's passage is a clear victory for Texas' 31st District. Nationally, trade with Mexico and Canada supports 12 million American jobs, so having a free and fair trade agreement is crucial to the health of the U.S. economy. Along with the added $68 billion in new economic activity, the USMCA will be responsible for the creation of 176,000 U.S. jobs. The USMCA will serve as the model for all future U.S. trade agreements, and is an example of how Congress should work with the Administration to create prosperity for Americans. The USMCA is set to modernize the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to better serve the interests of American workers and our economy. The agreement will deliver key economic wins in the auto manufacturing, agricultural and digital commerce industry, which are crucial to Texas' economy. # # # Rep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as the Rank Member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee and the Vice Ranking Member of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations. Rep. Carter is the co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://carter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1457,Carter Statement on Impeachment of President Donald Trump,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John R. Carter,C001051,carter.house.gov,carter,https://carter.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Representative John Carter (TX-31) released the following statement after voting against both of the Democrats’ articles of impeachment. “It is a fundamental ideal of our republic that every American receives justice under the law. As Members of Congress, we are required to uphold that ideal and as a former judge, I was tasked with the same responsibility. I find that this entire impeachment process has lacked impartiality, respect for the Constitution and justice. When I was on the bench, I instructed every jury the same way. I told them, “what someone heard from another source other than what they directly observed is not evidence.” The evidence presented by the House Majority in this case was hearsay. In fact, the most substantial direct evidence is the transcript of the President’s telephone call, which did not prove an impeachable offense. “While the Democrats try to rewrite their history, the truth is that the impeachment of President Trump began the day he was inaugurated. In fact, 17 of the 24 Democratic members on the House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Trump well before the phone call with the Ukraine President even occurred. The last month of impeachment hearings have been political theatre designed to present hearsay and rumors as facts. Make no mistake, today’s vote isn’t about justice, or upholding the rule of law, this is politics.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://carter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1458,Carter on Passage of USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John R. Carter,C001051,carter.house.gov,carter,https://carter.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Representative John Carter (TX-31) released the following statement after voting in favor of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). “After more than a year of delay by Speaker Pelosi, the House of Representatives has finally passed the USMCA with overwhelming support. While this agreement will significantly benefit the United States, Texas is positioned to be one of the USMCA’s biggest winners thanks to its annual export of $140 billion in goods to Mexico and Canada. With nearly 60 percent of all jobs in my district reliant on trade with our North American partners, the USMCA’s passage is a clear victory for Texas’ 31st District. “Nationally, trade with Mexico and Canada supports 12 million American jobs, so having a free and fair trade agreement is crucial to the health of the U.S. economy. Along with the added $68 billion in new economic activity, the USMCA will be responsible for the creation of 176,000 U.S. jobs. “The USMCA will serve as the model for all future U.S. trade agreements, and is an example of how Congress should work with the Administration to create prosperity for Americans.” The USMCA is set to modernize the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to better serve the interests of American workers and our economy. The agreement will deliver key economic wins in the auto manufacturing, agricultural and digital commerce industry, which are crucial to Texas’ economy. # # # Rep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as the Rank Member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee and the Vice Ranking Member of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations. Rep. Carter is the co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://hurd.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hurd-applauds-historic-usmca-passage,Hurd Applauds Historic USMCA Passage,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Will Hurd,H001073,hurd.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Today, U.S. Representative Will Hurd (TX-23) proudly supported the House passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Rep. Hurd served as a member of the Republican Whip Team to ensure support for this landmark trade deal and has been a tireless advocate for free trade with Mexico and Canada throughout his time in Congress. Rep. Hurd spoke on the House floor urging his colleagues to support USMCA and issued the following statement after the vote: Free trade with Mexico and Canada impacts just about every aspect of our lives, from the food on our tables and the clothes on our backs to the fuel in our cars. The United States, Mexico and Canada build things together, and this landmark trade deal makes sure that we continue our important trilateral relationship built from NAFTA into the 21st Century and beyond. We also live in a world where our nation's military and economic dominance is no longer guaranteed, and the USMCA is vital for us to maintain our quality of life as we know it. This trade agreement will allow continued economic prosperity and North American competitiveness as China tries to replace the United States as the most important economy in the world. The USMCA also helps us continue to lead the way in advanced technology by modernizing NAFTA to account for technological change over the last quarter century. While today's passage is a huge win for American workers, we must make sure that we are not at this same position 25 years from now. The technological change in the next quarter century will make the changes over the last quarter century insignificant, and we need our friends in Mexico and Canada in order to be prepared for this global disruption. Among other benefits, the USMCA will provide: Estimated investments of over $68 billion in new economic activity; 176,000 new jobs in America; Estimated investment of $34 billion in new auto plants; and, 76,000 new American automotive sector jobs.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://kaygranger.house.gov/media/e-newsletters/usmca-texas-sized-trade-deal,USMCA A Texas-Sized Trade Deal,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Kay Granger,G000377,kaygranger.house.gov,,,legacy,"Dear Friends, This week, the House passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, also known as the USMCA. After years of hard work, the Trump Administration was able to finalize this new trade deal that brings our trade policies into the modern age and is a huge win for our Texas workers, farmers, and manufacturers. My staff and I have had the opportunity to meet with many of you in Washington, D.C., and back home who have felt the impact of our nation's bad, outdated trade policies. These businesses, farmers, and manufacturers have seen first hand their jobs and opportunities outsourced to other countries. As a former small business owner, I know that those jobs aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet--they represent thousands of Texas families and their livelihoods. Passing the USMCA is a major boost for our economy, and provides more than 176,000 new jobs for American workers. The USMCA puts in place the strongest and most comprehensive labor protection of any trade agreement in American history. It also removes unfair restrictions on America's farmers so they can sell more products to Mexico and Canada. Finally, the deal's new rules on intellectual property will better protect our District's high-tech businesses and innovators. Our great state of Texas exported over $137 billion to Mexico and Canada last year. Forty-seven percent of exports from our District, some $3 billion worth of goods, went to Mexico and Canada. In addition, over half of all trade-related jobs in our District were connected to commerce with our North American partners. The USMCA is a win for the U.S. economy and Texas families, and it will serve as a new standard for all future U.S. trade deals. I was proud to vote for the deal and I am happy Democrats were finally able to put partisan politics aside in Washington and level the playing field for Texans, and the rest of the nation, so we can continue to grow the U.S. economy and create good-paying careers. Sincerely, Kay Granger",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-applauds-house-passage-of-usmca,McCaul Applauds House Passage of USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Michael T. McCaul,M001157,mccaul.house.gov,mccaul,https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. –Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10), the Lead Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, applauded the House passage of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), a modernized trade agreement that will grow the American economy and create Texas jobs. ""The USMCA is a major victory for the American people. I commend the Administration's leadership in modernizing the agreement to boost our economy, open markets, and create jobs in the United States. Many have billed the USMCA as a political win for President Trump, but legislation this impactful should transcend politics. This is a win for the American worker, first and foremost. ""Throughout USMCA negotiations, I engaged with leaders from Mexico and Canada to reach a final product that helps American and Texan farmers, workers, and manufactures succeed. ""Trade with Mexico and Canada is critical to the economy of my home state of Texas. We export $137 billion worth of goods and services to Mexico and Canada, contributing to our three countries' overall $1.2 trillion dollars in trade. By opening markets in Mexico and Canada for American agricultural and manufacturing goods, the USMCA will build on the more than 12 million American and nearly one million Texan jobs that are supported by North American trade. Additionally, the USMCA will establish rules on digital trade that will further empower Texans to continue to lead in technology and innovation. ""I was proud to cast my vote in support of the USMCA today. I am pleased we came together to deliver a win for the American worker, and it is imperative the USMCA be enacted as soon as possible."" USMCA by the numbers: Out of all 50 states, Texas is the #1 exporter to Mexico and the #2 exporter to Canada U.S. trade with Mexico and Canada totaled $1.2 trillion in 2018 and supports 12 million American jobs Texas trade with Mexico and Canada totaled $137 billion in 2018 and supports 950,000 jobs USMCA will add an estimated $68.2 billion to the American economy and create over 176,000 American jobs As co-chair of the U.S.-Mexico Interparliamentary Group, McCaul co-led a Congressional delegation to meet with Mexican lawmakers to the 54th IPG, where lawmakers from both nations discussed the importance of ratifying the USMCA. Read about McCaul's efforts to advance the USMCA here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://olson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/olson-welcomes-final-passage-of-usmca,Olson Welcomes Final Passage of USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Pete Olson,O000168,olson.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today issued the following statement following House passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in a bipartisan vote of 385- 41: Make no mistake: the top priority for businesses, manufacturers, employers, importers, exporters and the more than 40% of TX-22 jobs that depend on trade with Mexico and Canada wasn't impeachment; it was passage of USMCA. This new trade agreement replaces NAFTA and will continue to be a critical driver of our Texas economy. Today's bipartisan vote gives the United States a 21st Century trade deal that will create jobs, supercharge our already thriving economy and continue to reduce our reliance on OPEC by laying the foundation for NAPEC: North American Petroleum Exporting Countries. Thanks to the determination of President Trump, the diligent work of House Republicans and good-faith actions of our colleagues across the aisle, a major victory has been delivered to the American worker.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://ratcliffe.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1440,Rep. Ratcliffe votes to revitalize American trade through USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Ratcliffe,R000601,ratcliffe.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) voted for the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (H.R. 5430) today in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill will initiate implementation of the USMCA, which was negotiated between the Trump administration, Canada and Mexico to open new, fair trade opportunities that will grow the U.S. economy and boost job creation. According to the International Trade Commission, the USMCA will create more than $68 billion in new economic activity and 176,000 new jobs in America. Just one day after my Democratic colleagues voted to impeach President Trump, they took a bipartisan vote to implement the Trump administration's historic trade deal. It shouldn't have taken Speaker Pelosi several months to get this vote on the calendar, especially with such wide support from Americans on both sides of the aisle. But, yesterday, she made it clear that Democrats' No. 1 priority is politics, Ratcliffe said. In the state of Texas, 949,000 jobs are supported by imports with Canada and Mexico, which translates to more than $127 billion in goods in services. I thank President Trump for working out this new trade deal with our North American neighbors that will open the door for vast economic growth here in Northeast Texas and across the country, and I look forward to its long-awaited implementation. H.R. 5430 now awaits Senate passage and the president's signature for the USMCA to go into effect. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://roy.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-chip-roy-statement-after-voting-passage-text-ratify-us-mexico-canada-free,Rep. Chip Roy Statement After Voting on Passage of the Text to Ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement:,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Chip Roy,R000614,roy.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Chip Roy Statement After Voting on Passage of the Text to Ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement: Today I voted to support passage of H.R. 5430, the bill implementing USMCA. While I would have preferred to keep NAFTA intact and negotiate some additional provisions to modernize it, I voted to support the deal to give our companies trade certainty and our country market stability. I would not have written the legislative text the same way, but it is important we strengthen our continent and bolster our capitalistic economic system to better pushback against communist China's corrupt trade practices and foreign policy malfeasance.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://thornberry.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401423,Congressman Mac Thornberry's Statement for the Record on Impeachment,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,William Thornberry,T000238,thornberry.house.gov,,,legacy,"Statement of Rep. Mac Thornberry (Texas 13th) H. Res. 755 Madam Speaker, In 1998, I voted for three of the four counts of impeachment brought against President Clinton. Those votes were some of the most difficult I have cast during my 25 years in Congress. Impeachment is an extreme remedy, which, in effect, alters a decision made by the American people through an election. It was clear, however, that President Clinton had lied under oath in a judicial proceeding, a felony crime for which other Americans are routinely prosecuted and convicted. In my view, dismissing such a crime because the lies involved private rather than public actions or because the perjurer was the President of the United States would have undermined the rule of law and presented a danger to our constitutional system of government. Therefore, I voted for three of the counts. The count of impeachment that I voted against in 1998 involved abuse of power. It was essentially a repeat of the perjury recited in other counts and a failure to provide information to Congress. It was also one of two counts that failed to receive a majority of the votes on the Floor of the House. In contrast to 1998, the votes I make today are not difficult at all. After three years of investigating this President, House Democrats center their case for impeachment on one phone call between President Trump and the President of Ukraine, a transcript of which has been released. I believe that aspects of that phone call, particularly discussing an investigation of a political opponent, were inappropriate for a president. I recognize that ignoring potentially corrupt behavior because of political prominence could lead to another set of problems. Nonetheless, under the circumstances, I believe that it would have been best if the President had avoided such topics. Inappropriate does not mean impeachable. The Constitution sets a high standard for impeachable conduct: Treason, Bribery, other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. (Article II, Section 4) A potentially inappropriate conversation does not begin to approach that standard, as the counts brought before us today demonstrate. Count one alleges abuse of power, the same phrase rejected by the House in the Clinton impeachment. The allegations relate to the phone call, an investigation that was never conducted, and a temporary delay in military aid being released. In spite of a last-minute attempt in the Judiciary Committee's report to allege some form of bribery, the evidence and the law do not support the charge, and the Committee made no serious attempt to prove it. Instead, we are left with a nebulous, subjective phrase that can be used to cover any political or stylistic difference. Count two alleges obstruction of Congress. I find it remarkable that an impeachment process which, in contrast to those prior, has been totally partisan with no attempt at a jointly-decided bipartisan process, would attempt to impeach a president for resisting such partisanship. In addition, I believe that it is a mistake to essentially criminalize the inherent tensions between the legislative and executive branches of government. To describe these counts as weak overstates them. A partisan process, designed from the beginning to achieve a desired result, brings to the Floor two counts that do not begin to meet the constitutional standard for impeachment, even if all of the facts alleged are assumed true. It is a misuse one might say ""abuse"" -- of the Constitution's impeachment power. One final concern: the partisan process used in this case degrades established boundaries of political competition that have helped this nation survive intense political differences for over two hundred years. As a result, I fear that partisan impeachment efforts may well become just another tool in the political arsenal, expected to be pursued by whichever party loses a presidential election. The damage done to our constitutional processes and to our institutions by this hyper-partisan, flawed process is greater than any alleged harm done by the President's phone call. I hope and trust that the American people in their wisdom will see that appropriate boundaries and constitutional balance are restored.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://thornberry.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401424,Congressman Thornberry votes in favor of USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,William Thornberry,T000238,thornberry.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Thornberry votes in favor of USMCA f t # e Washington, December 19, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:Jordan Hunter December 12, 2019 (202) 225-3706 Congressman Thornberry votes in favor of USMCA WASHINGTON Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) voted today for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Under the current trade agreement, NAFTA, all agricultural tariffs were phased out to zero except for certain products, which include U.S. imports from Canada of dairy products, peanuts, peanut butter, cotton, and sugar, and Canadian imports from the United States of dairy products, poultry, eggs, and margarine. All food and agricultural products that have zero tariffs under NAFTA would remain at zero under USMCA, and market access would be expanded for the additional agricultural products traded between Canada and the United States. Our trade partnerships with Mexico and Canada are important to the well-being of our economy. USMCA is a win for farmers, ranchers, manufactures, and the American economy,said Thornberry. This agreement is good for our markets. It is important that Americans have open markets in which to sell goods. How will this agreement affect you? Eliminates the NAFTA loopholethat exempts purchases by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from the Buy American requirements known as the Kissell Amendment, affectingcotton. TSA will now be required to purchase uniforms made ofAmerican-grown cotton. In Fiscal Year 2017, TSA purchased approximately $34 million worth oftextile and apparel products. Texascurrently exports more than any other state to Mexico and is second in exports to Canada. This totaled $137 billion worth of products to North American partners in 2018. More than 950,000jobsin Texas are supported by trade with Mexico and Canada including 60,400jobssupported byexporting agriculture products. The annual value of Texas' agricultural exports to our North American neighbors total more than $7.2 billion. Economy-wide models estimate that USMCA willincrease America's GDPby about $68.2 billion and employment by 176,000full-time jobs. Wagesare expected to increase for workers in all fields by .27 percent or $150 per worker per year. U.S.agricultural exportsto Mexico and Canada would increase by $2.2 billion, when implemented. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://vantaylor.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2469,Rep. Taylor Votes to Support Collin County Workers and Families,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Van Taylor,T000479,vantaylor.house.gov,,,legacy,"Today, Congressman Van Taylor voted in favor of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. share: f t WASHINGTON - Today, after more than a year of waiting for the agreement to be brought to the House Floor for consideration, Congressman Van Taylor (TX-03) voted in favor of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Congressman Van Taylor said, ""Collin County is home to retailers, high-tech companies, manufacturing companies, and corporate headquarters - all of whom depend on trade with Mexico and Canada."" He continued, ""But USMCA isn't just a win for job creators, it's a win for families right here in North Texas and across our country. As a result of this trade agreement, families in Collin County will see more job opportunities, increased wages, and lower cost of goods."" A vocal supporter of USMCA, Congressman Taylor has advocated to implement the trade agreement since being sworn-in at the beginning of 2019. In fact, the first meeting of the Texas Delegation this year focused on updating the North American Free Trade Agreement. Since then, Congressman Taylor has worked to educate and his colleagues on the benefits of USMCA, organizing several bipartisan meetings on trade with his colleagues in the House of Representatives. On December 9, 2019, Congressman Taylor and 158 Republican Members of the House sent a letter urging Speaker Pelosi to bring the trade agreement to the House Floor for consideration before the end of the year. The text of the letter can be found here. Most recently, Congressman Taylor joined with a bipartisan group of Members from the Texas delegation again highlight the critical need to pass the trade agreement before the end of the year. Estimates show trade with Mexico and Canada supports eleven million jobs in the United States, with nearly a million of those jobs located in Texas. North American trade accounts for approximately $1.3 trillion in U.S. exports annually, over $120 billion from Texas alone. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which preserves and strengthens the benefits of North American trade for American workers, businesses, and consumers, is supported by the Frisco and Plano Chambers of Commerce. ""Trade with Mexico and Canada is not only a critical component of our local economy but is responsible for the livelihood of countless Frisco workers and their families. Frisco is already an international city, as is the entire region, and is poised to grow even more so in the years ahead. International trade is crucial for our continued growth and development. In Congress, Representative Taylor has been resolute in his efforts to get the USMCA implemented and we are excited to stand with him as the voice of business in Frisco. - Tony Felker; President/CEO, Frisco Chamber of CommercePlano is home to some of the most innovative companies in the world companies that share their products and services across the globe. Congressman Taylor knows without access to foreign markets these local companies cannot continue to grow and create jobs right here in Plano. We are proud to join him in urging Congress to support passage and implementation of the USMCA. - Kelle Marsalis; President/CEO, Plano Chamber of Commerce A 7th generation Texan, Congressman Van Taylor is a dedicated family man, successful businessman, and decorated Marine Officer. Taylor served Collin County both in the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate. On November 6, 2018, Van Taylor was elected to represent Texas' 3rd Congressional District in the United States Congress.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://weber.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=569,Weber introduces THE U.S. LEADERSHIP IN SPACE ACT OF 2019,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Randy Weber,W000814,weber.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON D.C. On Tuesday, December 17, 2019, Congressman Randy Weber (R-TX-14), introduced H.R. 5470, the U.S. Leadership in Space Act of 2019. H.R. 5470 extends International Space Station (ISS) operations from 2024 to 2030 and puts forward policies to promote the development and growth of a commercial market in low-Earth orbit (LEO). American leadership in low-Earth orbit is not only beneficial for science, but critical for our national security. As made clear in the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission's annual report to Congress, America must act to counter Chinese threats to America's presence in low-Earth orbit and to our domestic commercial launch and satellite sectors. ""We are truly living in an exciting time for space exploration and scientific discovery. President Trump and Vice President Pence are reinvigorating our nation's human spaceflight program with the task of returning U.S. astronauts to the moon, including the first woman by 2024. My bill would establish Johnson Space Center (JSC) as the Artemis program management office. Since its creation in 1961, JSC remains NASA's lead center for human spaceflight, serving as the global hub for managing and integrating complex activities associated with keeping astronauts alive and working in space. JSC led this charge not only to the Moon during the Apollo missions, but subsequently served as the location for the Space Shuttle, Space Station (ISS), Constellation, Orion, and Gateway programs. Created for the coordination of critical and long-duration development activities for humans in space, JSC is the right choice for Artemis lead center, said Congressman Randy Weber. The U.S. Leadership in Space Act of 2019 also focuses on crew transportation safety and transparency. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP) supports the extension of the International Space Station (ISS) operations to 2030 included in Congressman Weber's bill, the U.S. Leadership in Space Act of 2019 (H.R. 5470). ISS is important for scientific discovery and will continue to be crucial to commercial development in low-Earth orbit. BAHEP also supports designating Johnson Space Center (JSC) as the Artemis program management office for the coming manned missions to the moon and beyond. JSC has a long history and unique skillset when it comes to all components of human spaceflight and mission ops, said Bob Mitchell, President of Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://williams.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/us-house-passes-replacement-for-north-american-free-trade-agreement,U.S. House passes replacement for North American Free Trade Agreement,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Roger Williams,W000816,williams.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON - The U.S. House passed a major trade deal on Thursday that will reset the economic relationships within North America. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement passed with a 385-41 vote and will now head to the Senate, which is expected to approve it next year. The deal will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, a 1994 agreement that dramatically changed the landscape of the Texas economy. While the three countries announced the agreementa year ago, the deal hit some turbulence in the Democratically-controlled House. Many Texas lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have urged its passage, due to the state's reliance on cross-border commerce with Mexico. Texas has more ports of entry with Mexico or any country, for that matter than any other state in the U.S. In a sign of the trade deal's importance to the state, all Texans in the House voted in favor of it. ""It is a victory for Texas workers, businesses and communities, as trade between our home state and our North American neighbors supports nearly one million jobs, and results in billions of dollars flowing into our economy,"" said U.S. Rep.Roger Williams, R-Austin. ""This agreement is about growth and certainty for our country, and it sends the message that we are going to lead the world. Approving the agreement has been especially vital to Texans who represent districts along the border. ""As a representative of one of the largest manufacturing regions in North America, a vote for an updated NAFTA is a vote for the more than 23,000 El Pasoans dependent on a prosperous border economy,"" said U.S. Rep.Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso. Should it pass the Senate, the USMCA will be the capstone of President Donald Trump's economic agenda. Republicans from Texas praised the president for his administration's work securing the deal. ""Let's give credit where credit is due for the one who led the charge, who did the heavy lifting our President Donald J. Trump,"" said U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock. ""In 2016, he was already calling out some of these trade deals as a rip off on American workers and manufacturers. While we saw a 400% increase in trade for agriculture products since the inception of NAFTA, it hasn't been good all the way around, it hasn't been fair all the way around, and it hasn't been productive in terms of keeping jobs here in the United States. A number of Texans wereclosely involved in passage, thanks to assignments on the Ways and Means Committee and the number of Texans who represent the border. The new, Trump-negotiated deal will have many similarities with the old agreement, but there aresome differences. The changes that will most impact Texans include increased enforcement of labor and environmental laws and an increase in the threshold of how much of a car must be manufactured in a country to avoid tariffs. It is unclear when the Senate will take up the legislation. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated in recent days that he would not address the matter until the conclusion of Trump's coming impeachment trial. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not publicly determine Wednesday night when she would take the case to the Senate.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-williams-praises-house-passage-of-the-usmca,Rep. Williams Praises House Passage of the USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Roger Williams,W000816,williams.house.gov,williams,https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX-25) today released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives approved the United States Mexico Canada Agreement: ""I have long-championed the USMCA as a victory for Texas and our nation – and while it's disappointing that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle chose to play politics instead of finalizing this deal when called upon, I am grateful we finally put the best interests of our nation first. It is a victory for Texas workers, businesses and communities, as trade between our home state and our North American neighbors supports nearly one million jobs, and results in billions of dollars flowing into our economy. This agreement is about growth and certainty for our country, and it sends the message that we are going to lead the world."" Click here to view Congressman Williams' recent op-ed in the Cleburne Times Review urging Speaker Pelosi to bring the agreement up for consideration in the House of Representatives.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-announces-his-nadbank-provision-included-usmca,Cornyn Announces His NADBank Provision Included in USMCA,2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Cornyn,C001056,www.cornyn.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement applauding the inclusion of his provision to bolster the North American Development Bank (NADBank) in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA): Investing in modern, efficient infrastructure along our border streamlines trade and benefits not only Texas, but the entire nation, said Sen. Cornyn. The North American Development Bank has a proven record of improving the quality of life on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, and I'm glad the USMCA shows our commitment to strengthening it. The North American Development Bank was created jointly by the United States and Mexico in 1993 to preserve and enhance environmental conditions and the quality of life for communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. Since that time, NADBank has helped finance 63 Texas projects with a combined value of more than $1.7 billion. Earlier this year, Sen. Cornyn introduced the bipartisan North American Development Bank Improvement Act of 2019 to authorize the Treasury Department to increase its capital and provide additional authority to fund projects related to limited natural gas and land port of entry infrastructure.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-cruz-urge-trump-administration-prioritize-bringing-citgo-6-home,"Cornyn, Cruz Urge Trump Administration to Prioritize Bringing CITGO 6 Home",2019-12-19,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Cornyn,C001056,www.cornyn.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTONU.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to urge the State Department to do everything it can to ensure the safe homecoming of the six CITGO employees currently being detained in Venezuela. They wrote: As the administration continues to successfully craft policy and solutions, we write to express our steadfast commitment to securing the release of Gustavo Cardenas, Jose Angel Pereira, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, and Jose Luis Zambrano, otherwise known as the CITGO 6, from their unjust detainment in Venezuela. We realize there are competing equities at play in Venezuela and we strongly support the Administration's commitment to securing free and fair elections in Venezuela; however, it must be made clear to all stakeholders that American citizens must be released and not made political pawns by anyone or any group. Therefore, we urge the Administration to use every tool at its disposal to help these Americans. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Chris Coons (D-DE) also signed the letter. You can view the signed letter here, and text is below. The Honorable Michael R. Pompeo Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20320 Dear Secretary Pompeo, We write to express our support for ongoing efforts to secure the release of Americans held hostage or unlawfully detained in many rogue nations such as Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria and others. As the administration continues to successfully craft policy and solutions, we write to express our steadfast commitment to securing the release of Gustavo Cardenas, Jose Angel Pereira, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, and Jose Luis Zambrano, otherwise known as the CITGO 6, from their unjust detainment in Venezuela. As you know, the CITGO 6 have suffered from over two years of inhumane detainment conditions and lack of due process. They have experienced significant health hardships as a direct result of their treatment by the oppressive Maduro regime and others who support them. Imprisoned in an overcrowded basement for two years with limited access to sufficient nutrition, exercise, or medical treatment, the men are reported to have suffered severe weight loss and significant physical pain. Although their recent transfer to house arrest is a promising development, we believe it is crucial the Administration maintain maximum economic and diplomatic pressure in order to secure their full release and return. We realize there are competing equities at play in Venezuela and we strongly support the Administration's commitment to securing free and fair elections in Venezuela; however, it must be made clear to all stakeholders that American citizens must be released and not made political pawns by anyone or any group. Therefore, we urge the Administration to use every tool at its disposal to help these Americans. American national interests and citizens must come first. We will continue to support efforts to maintain diplomatic and economic pressure on the illegitimate Maduro regime in Venezuela and secure the release of the CITGO 6. Sincerely, /s/",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://burgess.house.gov/blog/?postid=402254,Burgess Votes Against Impeachment,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Michael Burgess,B001248,burgess.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), member of the House Rules Committee and Republican Leader of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed Articles of Impeachment. The rush to impeach first and solidify the case second threatens the credibility of the process and the body engaged, this House of Representatives, Burgess said. Since voting to authorize an official impeachment investigation, the nation has seen how the process has not protected the minority as in previous impeachment investigations. Chairmen of the investigating committees have violated House rules by refusing to grant access to committee records to Members or schedule a minority hearing within a reasonable timeframe. An abundance of anger helped initiate this process, all but guaranteeing the outcome before the investigation. This is a grave decision that I do not take lightly. I do not believe the evidence presented amounts to an impeachable offense. And, I am concerned about what we are missing while engaged in this partisan investigation. If the intent is to protect the integrity of our election, and our democracy, we must refocus on real threats, namely Russian intrusion, that we know to be ongoing. While the outcome of this impeachment has been known since the start, my desire is that the country will be able to come back together and heal the wounds caused by this partisan exercise. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://flores.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401256,Bill Flores Statement on House Impeachment Vote,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Bill Flores,F000461,flores.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Representative Bill Flores (R-Texas) issued the following statement regarding his decision to vote against articles of impeachment related to President Trump: ""Today, for the third time in our country's history, the House voted on articles of impeachment of a sitting president. This process has been partisan and politically motivated from the start. ""This afternoon, I delivered the following remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives regarding the pending articles of impeachment related to President Donald J. Trump Madam Speaker: On March 11th of this year, the Speaker of the House said the following in an interview with The Washington Post Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there's something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. I think most Americans would agree with that statement because it sounds thoughtful and reasonable. So, here we are today getting ready to vote on articles of impeachment. How did the majority party do in meeting the objectives stated by the Speaker? Here are the answers: First, the only compelling attribute about this sham is the lengths the majority has gone to appease the radical, socialist wing of their party. Second, the only overwhelming feature about this sham is the evidence of abuse of power by the majority and the reckless disregard for fairness by the majority throughout this circus. And, finally, the only bipartisan activity related to this sham will be the votes against these flimsy articles of impeachment. I ask my colleagues to join me in opposing these deplorable articles of impeachment and to demand that the House get back to working on the priorities that hardworking American families care about most.' ""As anyone can tell from my comments, I voted NO on the Democrats' articles of impeachment. In the paragraphs that follow, I will layout the truth behind this sad episode in American governance, and why I made my decision to vote against impeachment. ""I think it is instructive to reflect on the comments of Alexander Hamilton in Federalist 65, where he wrote that impeachment often will connect itself with the pre-existing factions, and will enlist all their animosities, partialities, influence, and interest on one side or the other,' causing the process to be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.' These warnings from Mr. Hamilton have manifested themselves in the current impeachment process, which is not about innocence, or guilt, or even about any crimes; rather, it is about the animosities of the House majority party toward our nation's duly elected president. ""The House of Representatives has considered the impeachment of a sitting president four times during the history of our Republic. I concur with House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy when he characterizes the current process as follows this impeachment attempt is the thinnest, fastest, and weakest impeachment in our country's history. The real fear that you have here going forward is that this will be the new norm of Congress [and] what Alexander Hamilton warned us all about -- that a political party would capture this just to use it for their own political gain...Speaker [Nancy Pelosi] admits for the last two and a half years that she's been trying to impeach this President.' ""President Trump also identified this problem in a letter that he provided to Speaker Pelosi yesterday where he stated, Any member of Congress who votes in support of impeachmentagainst any shred of truth, fact, evidence, and legal principleis showing how deeply they revile the voters and how truly they detest America's Constitutional order. Our Founders feared the tribalization of partisan politics, and you are bringing their worst fears to life. ... This is nothing more than an illegal, partisan attempted coup that will, based on recent sentiment, badly fail at the voting booth. ... History will judge you harshly as you proceed with this impeachment charade. Your legacy will be that of turning the House of Representatives from a revered legislative body into a Star Chamber of partisan persecution.' ""Since Speaker Pelosi announced the impeachment inquiry, the Democrats' pattern of behavior has been deeply irresponsible and reckless. They have operated in secret, abused the rules, abused their power, denied due process, disregarded the facts and evidence, and instructed witnesses not to answer Republican questions. They even used focus groups to decide which crime they should accuse the president of. Despite all these abuses, despite having stacked the deck in their favor, the Democrats have failed to prove their case. They proceeded in their partisan and irresponsible determination to impeach the president, putting the Constitution and the Republic in peril. Moving to impeach a president based on this record of assumptions and hearsay is, as liberal constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley testified, not just woefully inadequate, but, in some respects, dangerous as the basis for the impeachment of the American president.' Nowhere in the Constitution does it say you can impeach a president without direct evidence. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say you can assume impeachable conduct. The Constitution does not say if you are angry enough at a president of the opposing party and are afraid you cannot beat him in the election, that you can assume impeachable conduct. ""The Democrats' real reasons for pursuing this have been made clear in this video -- https://youtu.be/XZuSl55a69Y ""Even before the whistleblower complaint was filed, more than half of the Democratic caucus supported impeachment. In fact, 44 percent of the entire Democratic caucus has voted previously to impeach the president, and those votes took place prior to the July phone call even taking place. ""The Pelosi, Schiff, Nadler, Democrat impeachment process will fail because it was flawed from its origins. This was first suggested by The Washington Post only 19 minutes after the inauguration of President Trump when they published the following headline The Campaign to Impeach President Trump has begun.' Following that headline the impeachment campaign started with Russia, continued to the Mueller investigation, jumped to a so-called whistleblower, screamed with claims of quid pro quo', morphed to bribery, extortion, and wire fraud', before ultimately limping to the finish line with no criminal charges, and ultimately culminating with vague claims of abuse of power' and obstruction of justice.' ""Today's impeachment gamble will fail when it goes to the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell succinctly described the House Democrats' process in the speech that he gave yesterday on the Senate floor. He called the process the most rushed, least thorough, and most unfair impeachment inquiry in modern history.' He went on to state that, 'House Democrats' slapdash impeachment inquiry has failed to come anywhere near the bar for impeaching a duly-elected president,' and noted that they are, poised to send the Senate the thinnest, least thorough presidential impeachment in our nation's history.' ""Democrats justified this process today by calling it a solemn occasion'. In reality, it is business as usual for Democrats who are consumed by their blinding hatred for President Trump. Americans want Congress to focus on bipartisan solutions to fix real-world problems. The impeachment charade and the hyper-partisanship of the Left has kept Congress from doing the work necessary to fix the problems that hardworking American families care about most. Now that Pelosi, Schiff, Nadler, et al. have played this political stunt to its impending demise, my hope is that the People's House can now get back to doing the people's business. I also pray that future Congresses will look at the unfortunate history created by the House of Representatives of the 116th Congress and use it as an example to avoid. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4825,Sen. Cruz on Fox Business 'Mornings with Maria': Articles of Impeachment Are a Political Gesture of Anger,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, today appeared on Fox Business Network's Mornings with Maria' to discuss the House Democrats' Articles of Impeachment, which he called ""a political gesture of anger,"" and his expectations for the trial in the Senate. Sen. Cruz also highlighted his bipartisan bill to stop construction of Putin's Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was included in the final FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). On House Democrats' vote today on Articles of Impeachment, Sen. Cruz said: ""These two articles really are an admission of failure from the House Democrats. We have seen their case collapse. [...] Where the House Democrats are now, their position is they can impeach without the president having committed any crime or without the president having broken any law whatsoever. Their position is he doesn't even have to have a speeding ticket. They could impeach for what are essentially policy and political differences with the president. That's an abuse of our constitutional process. The Constitution sets out the standards for impeachment that is treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors. And what they've alleged here on its face doesn't meet that. This is a political gesture of anger. Their base hates Donald Trump, and they're voting to impeach him because they hate him. That really is telling the voters that Washington politicians think they know better than the people who cast their ballots."" When asked about Sen. Chuck Schumer's request to call witnesses in the Senate, Sen. Cruz said: ""In terms of the prosecution, the House Democrats, they have had several months of hearings. They've called their witnesses and they didn't follow their own House precedence. In other words, it was a one-sided hearing. The White House got zero chance to cross examine witnesses. Republicans were not able to call any witnesses because Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler denied them the ability to call witnesses. And so they built their evidentiary record entirely one-sided evidentiary record. So now Chuck Schumer is coming to the Senate and saying here are the witnesses we want to call. Well, if they want to call those witnesses, you know they can call all four of them. They need to postpone the vote today in the House, and issue subpoenas from the House."" Sen. Cruz continued, noting the president should have the opportunity to present his defense: ""The other side hasn't had a chance to call a single witness. The White House has not presented its defense. And so I think if the president's defense team, if the president wants to call witnesses, if the president wants to call Hunter Biden, if the president wants to call the whistleblower, both of whom should have been called in the House, the president should have the opportunity to do that. That means the Senate should allow the president to call the core witnesses necessary for his defense."" When asked about Inspector General Horowitz's report on FISA abuse, Sen. Cruz said: ""The Inspector General report is nothing short of stunning. It is 434 pages, and it details in excruciating detail a massive pattern abusive of power. In particular, it details 17 specific missed statements, material missed statements the DOJ and FBI made to the FISA court. The most stunning of which is an FBI lawyer doctored an email, doctored evidence, and submitted fraudulent evidence to the court. Somebody is going to jail over that."" On the passage of the FY20 NDAA, including imposing company-crippling sanctions to stop Russia's Nord Stream 2, Sen. Cruz said: ""This pipeline if it's completed, what it would do, it would generate billions of dollars for Putin. And Putin would use that to continue Russia's military aggressiveness. It would make Europe even more dependent on Russian energy, and that makes Europe susceptible to economic blackmail. Because Putin has already demonstrated he's perfectly willing to cut off the gas in the dead of winter to try to force people to do what he wants. Europe dependent on Russia is not good for Europe and it's not good for America. And by stopping this pipeline, by getting the sanction's legislation passed, [...] that will hurt Putin, it will take billions away from him, it will help Europe, it helps Ukraine enormously, and it helps American jobs. [It's] much better for European energy needs to be satisfied by American natural gas, that creates jobs here in America rather than fueling Putin's military aggression."" Watch Sen. Cruz's full interview here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4826,"Sens. Cruz, Johnson Put Company Installing Putin's Pipeline on Formal Legal Notice",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today sent a letter to the CEO of Allseas Group S.A. (Allseas), the company currently engaged in installing deep-sea pipes for Russia's Nord Stream 2. In the letter, the senators warn Allseas that as soon as President Trump signs the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) - which includes Sec. 7503, Sen. Cruz's bipartisan legislation to stop the Nord Stream 2 - it risks crippling sanctions that could devastate the financial viability of the company. As the senators wrote: ""This letter is to put you, your employees, your company, and your shareholders on formal legal notice. This legislation was passed specifically to immediately halt your company's work on Nord Stream 2. The only responsible course of action is for Allseas Group S.A. and its employees to stop Nord Stream 2 activities immediately. ""We understand that Russia is paying Allseas a very substantial amount of money to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. However, the consequences of your company continuing to do the work-for even a single day after the President signs the sanctions legislation-would expose your company to crushing and potentially fatal legal and economic sanctions."" They added: ""Section 7503 was the product of almost a year of bipartisan, bicameral, and interbranch efforts aimed at immediately stopping the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. It requires the President to report on and impose sanctions against individuals and companies that have ""sold, leased, or provided"" vessels that ""engaged in pipe-laying at depths of 100 feet or more below sea level for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project."" There is no discretion. It also mandates sanctions against foreign persons or companies that seek to circumvent those prohibitions by ""facilitat[ing] deceptive or structured transactions to provide those vessels for the construction"" of the pipeline. ""The prohibitions are immediate, and the sanctions are mandatory. [...] Although the report is due in 60 days, your legal exposure is immediate from the moment of signing."" As they outline in the letter, these devastating sanctions include: Blocking all assets in U.S. jurisdiction, including their U.S. headquarters in Houston, TX Cutting Allseas off from U.S. markets Blocking transactions with anyone in the U.S. or anyone using the U.S. financial system Denying key leaders in the company visas to enter the U.S. This morning, Sen. Cruz joined Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business to discuss the impact of these crippling sanctions and stopping Nord Stream 2. There he said: ""We just had a massive bipartisan foreign policy victory, which is in the National Defense Authorization Act-just passed the Senate yesterday. It's on the president's desk for signature right now. And what it does is it's designed to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. That's a pipeline, a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. It's nearly complete. There is right now-there are only five companies on Earth that are capable of building that pipeline. Russia has hired one, a Swiss company named AllSeas. I'm sending today a letter to AllSeas' CEO informing him that under these sanctions, AllSeas has a choice-they either cease construction the day the president signs that bill which is likely to be sometime this week, or they risk crushing sanctions that could put AllSeas out of business forever. The sanctions we're passing - it's my bill, that I got Democrats on board, brought together, the House, the Senate, everyone we passed these sanctions. And what it is designed to do, AllSeas has a ship, the Pioneering Spirit, that's right now laying this pipeline. AllSeas needs to instruct the ship's captain to set sail for other waters, because if they don't, they'll put the company out of business."" He added: ""This pipeline if it's completed, what it would do, it would generate billions of dollars for Putin. And Putin would use that to continue Russia's military aggressiveness. It would make Europe even more dependent on Russian energy, and that makes Europe susceptible to economic blackmail. [...] By stopping this pipeline, by getting the sanction's legislation passed, that will hurt Putin, it will take billions away from him, it will help Europe, it helps Ukraine enormously, and it helps American jobs. [It's] much better for European energy needs to be satisfied by American natural gas, that creates jobs here in America rather than fueling Putin's military aggression."" Read the full letter here and below. Learn more about Nord Stream 2 here and here. Watch Sen. Cruz's remarks on the Senate floor on the inclusion of his bipartisan legislation to stop Nord Stream 2 in the NDAA here. December 18, 2019 Edward Heerema Chief Executive Officer, Allseas Group Route de Pra de Plan 18, Case Postale 411 1618 Chtel-Saint-Denis Switzerland Dear Mr. Heerema, This week, President Trump will sign into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020. Section 7503 of that Act mandates that the President impose broad sanctions on foreign persons or companies involved in providing vessels for the installation of deep-sea pipeline for the Nord Stream 2 project. As of his signature, those activities are instantaneously subject to the full force of those sanctions. This letter is to put you, your employees, your company, and your shareholders on formal legal notice. This legislation was passed specifically to immediately halt your company's work on Nord Stream 2. The only responsible course of action is for Allseas Group S.A. and its employees to stop Nord Stream 2 activities immediately. We understand that Russia is paying Allseas a very substantial amount of money to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. However, the consequences of your company continuing to do the work-for even a single day after the President signs the sanctions legislation-would expose your company to crushing and potentially fatal legal and economic sanctions. Your contract surely contains an avenue to withdraw in the event regulations or sanctions prevent completion of the pipeline; with the passage of the NDAA, you have no reasonable choice but to exercise that avenue and immediately halt installing deep-sea pipeline for the Nord Stream 2 project. Section 7503 was the product of almost a year of bipartisan, bicameral, and interbranch efforts aimed at immediately stopping the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. It requires the President to report on and impose sanctions against individuals and companies that have ""sold, leased, or provided"" vessels that ""engaged in pipe-laying at depths of 100 feet or more below sea level for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project."" There is no discretion. It also mandates sanctions against foreign persons or companies that seek to circumvent those prohibitions by ""facilitat[ing] deceptive or structured transactions to provide those vessels for the construction"" of the pipeline. The prohibitions are immediate, and the sanctions are mandatory. Prohibited activities became sanctionable ""beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act,"" i.e. when the President signs the NDAA, and the ""the President shall"" designate violators. Under the sanctions in Sec. 7503, violators will be fully cut off from the United States and have any and all assets within the U.S. blocked for 5 years. Any individual designated will be denied the issuance of a visa required for admission to the U.S. and will have any current visa or entry documentation revoked. Moreover, for both individuals and companies, the President is required to exercise all powers granted to him by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) ""to block and prohibit all transactions in all property and interests in property"" to the extent they ""are in the United States, come within the United States, or come within the possession or control of a United States person."" Allseas has several vessels that, according to materials published by the Nord Stream 2 project, are engaged in the project: the construction vessel Pioneering Spirit (IMO: 9593505, MMSI: 249110000, Call Sign: 9HA4112), the pipelay vessel Solitaire (IMO: 7129049, MMSI: 249118000, Call Sign: 9HA4114), and the pipelay vessel Audacia (IMO: 9305130, MMSI: 249117000, Call Sign: 9HA4111). The Pioneering Spirit and Solitaire are currently in the Baltic Sea, and at least the Pioneering Spirit is engaged in deep-sea pipe-laying activities that are now sanctionable. If you violate the sanctions legislation, and your vessels enter U.S. jurisdiction, those vessels will become frozen assets. Allseas and its key personnel who knowingly sell, lease, or provide those vessels for the Nord Stream 2 project will be sanctioned if those activities do not cease immediately. For the next half decade your company and those personnel will be entirely barred from the U.S. In the meantime, any transactions they attempt to conduct with anyone who is in the U.S. or using the U.S. financial system will be blocked. Moreover, all property you have within our jurisdiction will be frozen, including assets related to Allseas USA headquartered in Houston, TX, any financial assets in U.S. banks, and any physical vessels or materials owned by Allseas that come into the U.S. It is important to reemphasize the immediacy required by Sec. 7503, because this aspect of the legislation has been broadly misunderstood and misreported. In two months, the President will report to Congress if Allseas ceased engaging in sanctionable activities and, if you did not, you will be sanctioned. Although the report is due in 60 days, your legal exposure is immediate from the moment of signing. To be sure, there is a 30-day ""wind-down"" period for which the President has the option of not imposing sanctions, but to exercise that option the President must certify to Congress that Allseas ""engaged in good faith efforts to wind down operations."" Rushing to finish the Nord Stream 2 project over that time would foreclose the possibility of that certification. If you were to attempt to finish the pipeline in the next 30 days, you would devastate your shareholders' value and destroy the future financial viability of your company. And, you would surely face billions of dollars in shareholder derivative suits for your breach of fiduciary duty. You face a binary choice: stop NOW, and leave the pipeline unfinished (the express intention of the sanctions legislation, which we authored), or make a foolish attempt to rush to complete the pipeline and risk putting your company out of business forever. The U.S. government knows that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is near completion and considers it a grave threat to European energy security and American national security. Top officials from the State and Treasury Departments have repeatedly emphasized the gravity of those threats and sought to forestall them. Sec. 7503 represents a whole-of-government approach to ensuring that the pipeline remains uncompleted and those threats are never realized. It's time for the Pioneering Spirit and Solitaire to find other waters in which to sail. Sincerely, /s/ ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4827,"Sens. Cruz, Cornyn Request Briefing from Defense Secretary on Housing at JSBA, Fort Hood",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to request a briefing on current initiatives to improve military housing in light of recent complaints of mold, lead, and a failure to address maintenance requests at military installations such as Joint Base San Antonio and Fort Hood. They wrote: ""Representing over a dozen military installations in Texas that provide for the nation's defense, we believe it is critical that DoD ensures service members and their families have access to quality housing. It is unacceptable that our service members have to worry about the safety of their families in on-post or off-post housing. We therefore request a briefing regarding the DoD's plans for implementing housing provisions included in the FY20 NDAA and current initiatives to address identified shortcomings at bases such as Joint Base San Antonio and Ft. Hood."" In the letter, the senators also note that Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA FY20), which includes provisions to establish a tenant bill of rights, a standardized assessment tool for evaluating military housing for risks such as lead and mold, and guidelines for a dispute resolution process. You can view the signed letter here, and text is below. The Honorable Mark T. Esper Secretary of Defense U.S. Department of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301-1000 Dear Secretary Esper: We are writing to urge the Department of Defense (DoD) to expeditiously implement provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20 NDAA) regarding military family housing and request a briefing on current DoD initiatives to alleviate military housing issues. For the past year, service members across the country, including those in Texas, have suffered from unsafe living conditions, substandard maintenance, and, in select cases, retaliation for filing complaints about their on-post privatized housing. The readiness of our service members stems directly from the ability to support their family members. We are concerned that substandard housing detracts from the training and preparation necessary to ensure our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines remain ready to execute any given mission necessary for the defense of our country. In 1996, DoD established the Military Housing Privatization Initiative to improve dire housing conditions for service members by allowing private companies to administer family housing on military bases. Recently, reports from service members have highlighted unacceptable issues in privatized on-post housing ranging from mold to lead contamination. Furthermore, many service members report that maintenance services are unresponsive and inadequate. Maintenance personnel allegedly routinely close out work orders without remediating the problem, forcing families to submit multiple work orders for a single maintenance issue. Over the past year, our offices have engaged in multiple discussions with service component leadership, met with installation leadership, and discussed directly with service members to ensure that this issue is addressed expeditiously. Additionally, the FY20 NDAA implements the most substantial overhaul of the Privatized Military Housing initiative since its creation in 1996. It requires the services to establish a tenant bill of rights, a standardized assessment tool for evaluating military housing risks such as lead and mold, and a dispute resolution process which allows the withholding of Basic Allowance for Housing until the dispute is resolved. While we believe these provisions are a step in the right direction, there is ultimately no replacement for engaged military leadership, both now and moving forward as the services begin implementation of these provisions. Representing over a dozen military installations in Texas that provide for the nation's defense, we believe it is critical that DoD ensures service members and their families have access to quality housing. It is unacceptable that our service members have to worry about the safety of their families in on-post or off-post housing. We therefore request a briefing regarding the DoD's plans for implementing housing provisions included in the FY20 NDAA and current initiatives to address identified shortcomings at bases such as Joint Base San Antonio and Ft. Hood. Thank you for your leadership and attention to this issue. Sincerely, /s/ ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4829,"Sen. Cruz Delivers Remarks on Senate Floor Urging Immediate Release of Americans Austin Tice, CITGO 6",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today delivered remarks on the Senate floor to renew his call for the immediate release of Americans Austin Tice, a veteran Marine Corps Captain and Texan, who has been kidnaped and detained in Syria, and the six CITGO executives, five of whom are Texans, who have been unjustly imprisoned in Venezuela. Sen. Cruz said: ""Mr. President, I rise today to talk about one of the most complicated areas where our diplomats have to engage -- when brutal regimes and terrorist groups seize Americans and use them as hostages, hoping to extract concessions from our government. These are situations that are infuriating and they are heartbreaking, and at the same time they are immensely complicated. There are no easy solutions when dealing with hostage takers. ""We know what doesn't work. We know that paying ransom for hostages, as the Obama administration did with Iran to the tune of billions of dollars, only incentivizes more hostage taking. ""It is exactly the behavior you would expect from hostage takers, and it's exactly the behavior that we've seen play out over and over again. ""My colleagues and I, along the Trump administration, have sought other ways of securing the release of American hostages. Sometimes what's called for is diplomatic pressure. And so early in my tenure in the Senate, the very first bill that I passed into law was legislation that kept Iranian regime figures who had seized American hostages in 1979 from receiving diplomatic visas to come into the United States. ""I also recently joined with Sen. Cotton to introduce the Global Hostage Act, a bill that would require the president to impose sanctions on foreign government officials responsible for taking Americans hostage. The Trump administration recently secured the release of Americans held hostage in Iran, without the need for pallets of cash flown in in the darkness of night. ""Nevertheless, all of these solutions are imperfect, and so it is no surprise that even in countries where we enjoy successes, those successes are often heartbreakingly partial, with hostages left behind. Today I want to talk about two countries specifically where Americans from my home state of Texas are languishing today. ""In Syria, we have seen some Americans released, while others remain away from their families. This summer, American Sam Goodwin and Canadian Kristian Baxter were released by captors in Syria, which were joyful developments on their own and encouraging signs of progress. ""But Austin Tice remains in captivity, after more than seven agonizing years. Austin is a Texan and a veteran Marine Corps Captain who served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he was working as a freelance journalist to inform Americans about the horror of the Syrian conflict when he was captured. ""I've repeatedly had the opportunity to sit down and visit with Austin's parents, Marc and Debra. Austin's picture sits on my desk, here in my Senate office. And I remain committed to working with President Trump, with the Trump administration, with my colleagues here in Congress, to bring Austin home. ""I joined with 51 Senators and 120 Representatives to write a letter to President Trump affirming that ""the Tice family and your own administration are confident that Austin is alive"" and calling on President Trump to redouble our country's efforts to bring him home. No one should doubt the entire U.S. government's commitment to this task. ""Secondly, in Venezuela we have also seen partial progress, but partial progress of a different sort. In the case of the CITGO 6 - five American citizens and one permanent American resident - they have been released from jail, which is a good thing, but they remain under house arrest. ""So, while Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Gustavo Cardenas, Tomeu Vadell, and Jose Angel Pereira are no longer under the constant threat of dying from abuse and neglect, they are still very much held captive and away from their loved ones. ""Today, here in the gallery - Gabriela and Alirio Rafael, the daughter and the brother of Aliro Zambrano. These five Texans and one Louisianan are now two years into their nightmarish journey. They had been summoned to Caracas a week shy of Thanksgiving and upon their arrival, they were summarily detained, and remained in jail on orders of the Venezuelan military. They would go days without food and months without sunlight, but the random punishments were nothing if not persistent. ""I have met members of the CITGO 6 families many times. Alexandra Forseth, Alirio Zambrano's daughter, shared with me haunting accounts that came from her father. He described exactly how harrowing the experience has been, and the physical toll that it has taken. ""These families have left no stones unturned in their efforts to bring back their loved ones. They have hired lawyers who have grappled with the shifting and inadequate legal institutions in Venezuela, and they have found little recourse. ""After years of this literal darkness, just last week, the CITGO 6 were released to house arrest. This is progress. It is undeniable progress. But it is far from enough, and here too we must redouble our efforts to ensure their full release, to ensure they can come home to America. ""Every effort must be made to bring them back to the United States, to their families, to their children, to their homes. ""Sergio Cardenas, the son of Gustavo Cardenas, was born with a rare disease and at the age of 17, he is battling chronic congestive heart failure. The doctors and his family are gravely concerned that he will never see his father. ""Jose Toledo's mother is severely handicapped and requires constant medical attention and care. Alirio and Jose Luis both have teenage daughters currently in high school. These families are waiting for their fathers, for their sons, for their husbands to come home. ""Venezuela has a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. If human rights mean anything, it is that citizens of all countries are entitled to speedy due process and that human rights violations must have human rights remedies. The CITGO 6 have suffered enough. It is past time for them to be released back to their families. ""Let me finally say, I believe that the light of truth - calling attention to these human rights atrocities - can overcome the darkness of imprisonment. The voices of the families and the voices of those who speak out on their behalf, resonate and resonate loudly. And those who are keeping Americans wrongfully imprisoned, who are committing evil, should know that we will not give up. We will not rest until these Americans are set free."" Watch Sen. Cruz's floor speech here. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=video&id=4824,Cruz on Fox Business with Maria Bartiromo: Dems' Impeachment Attempts Are Political Gesture of Anger,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Central TX (512) 916-5834 300 E 8th Suite 961 Austin, TX 78701 Email North TX (214) 599-8749 Lee Park Tower II 3626 N. Hall St. Suite 410 Dallas, TX 75219 Email Southeast TX (713) 718-3057 The Mickey Leland Federal Building 1919 Smith Street Suite 9047 Houston, TX 77002 Email South/Cen. TX (210) 340-2885 9901 IH-10W Suite 950 San Antonio, TX 78230 Email East TX (903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway Suite 501 Tyler, TX 75702 Email South TX (956) 686-7339 200 S. 10th St Suite 1603 McAllen, TX 78501 Email Washington, D.C. (202) 224-5922 127A Russell Washington, DC 20510 Contact",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=video&id=4828,ICYMI Sen. Cruz on the Senate Floor: Demands Immediate Release of Austin Tice & CITGO 6,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Central TX (512) 916-5834 300 E 8th Suite 961 Austin, TX 78701 Email North TX (214) 599-8749 Lee Park Tower II 3626 N. Hall St. Suite 410 Dallas, TX 75219 Email Southeast TX (713) 718-3057 The Mickey Leland Federal Building 1919 Smith Street Suite 9047 Houston, TX 77002 Email South/Cen. TX (210) 340-2885 9901 IH-10W Suite 950 San Antonio, TX 78230 Email East TX (903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway Suite 501 Tyler, TX 75702 Email South TX (956) 686-7339 200 S. 10th St Suite 1603 McAllen, TX 78501 Email Washington, D.C. (202) 224-5922 127A Russell Washington, DC 20510 Contact",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://arrington.house.gov/2019/12/arrington-speaks-in-opposition-to-articles-of-impeachment-against-president-trump/,Arrington Speaks in Opposition to Articles of Impeachment Against President Trump,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Jodey Arrington,A000375,arrington.house.gov,,,legacy,"Arrington Speaks in Opposition to Articles of Impeachment Against President Trump December 18, 2019 WASHINGTON Today, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, joining colleagues from both parties in opposing the Articles of Impeachment against President Donald J. Trump. Today, many of my Democrat colleagues will be making history, unfortunately, for supporting the first-ever, completely partisan impeachment of a President of the United States, said Arrington. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply disturbed that history will indeed be made today in this hallowed chamber but, for all the wrong reasons. Not for love of country, but hatred for a political foe. Not to pursue justice, but to punish a political adversary. Not to seek truth, but to seize political power. For the love of country, I urge my colleagues to oppose this disastrous political ruse. WATCH CONGRESSMAN ARRINGTON'S FULL REMARKS:",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=78,Arrington Speaks in Opposition to Articles of Impeachment Against President Trump,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Jodey C. Arrington,A000375,arrington.house.gov,arrington,https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Today, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, joining colleagues from both parties in opposing the Articles of Impeachment against President Donald J. Trump. “Today, many of my Democrat colleagues will be making history, unfortunately, for supporting the first-ever, completely partisan impeachment of a President of the United States,” said Arrington. “Mr. Speaker, I am deeply disturbed that history will indeed be made today in this hallowed chamber – but, for all the wrong reasons. Not for love of country, but hatred for a political foe. Not to pursue justice, but to punish a political adversary. Not to seek truth, but to seize political power.” “For the love of country, I urge my colleagues to oppose this disastrous political ruse.” WATCH CONGRESSMAN ARRINGTON’S FULL REMARKS:",1,2026-04-07T12:09:11Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://babin.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5352,Babin Votes No on Impeachment,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Brian Babin,B001291,babin.house.gov,,,legacy,"Babin Votes No on Impeachment Washington, December 18, 2019 WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Congressman Brian Babin (TX-36) released the following statement after voting against the articles of impeachment brought to the floor of the House of Representatives tonight. Today was a dark day in American history, said Rep. Babin. House Democrats have shamefully voted to remove President Donald Trump from office with zero concrete evidence of any wrongdoing. Speaker Pelosi's legacy will be forever stained by the only partisan impeachment vote in U.S. history despite promising the American people that if the House was going to vote on impeachment there must be overwhelming evidence and bipartisan support. Because Democratic leadership has bowed to their radical left wing, they are willing to make all future Presidential elections invalid until judged worthy by the majority in the House of Representatives. Our founders never intended for impeachment to be used as a political weapon or an alternative to election results. We are a democratic, constitutional republic in which power flows from We the People' to our President and elected representatives. The President does not serve at the pleasure of the United States Congress. He serves at the pleasure of the American people. I look forward to watching this disgraceful charade die in the U.S. Senate so that all of Congress can finally get back to the work of the American people. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://carter.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=40&itemid=2445,Carter Statement on Impeachment of President Donald Trump,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Carter,C001051,carter.house.gov,,,legacy,"(Washington, DC) Representative John Carter (TX-31) released the following statement after voting against both of the Democrats' articles of impeachment. It is a fundamental ideal of our republic that every American receives justice under the law. As Members of Congress, we are required to uphold that ideal and as a former judge, I was tasked with the same responsibility. I find that this entire impeachment process has lacked impartiality,respect for theConstitutionand justice. When I was on the bench, I instructed every jury the same way. I told them, what someone heard from another source other than what they directly observed is not evidence. The evidence presented by the House Majority in this case was hearsay. In fact, the most substantial direct evidence is the transcript of the President's telephone call, which did not prove an impeachable offense. While the Democrats try torewrite their history,the truth is that the impeachment of President Trump began the day he was inaugurated.In fact, 17 of the 24 Democratic members on the House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Trump well before the phone call with the Ukraine President even occurred.The last month of impeachment hearings have been political theatredesigned to present hearsay and rumors as facts.Make no mistake, today's vote isn't aboutjustice, or upholdingthe rule of law, this is politics. The Constitution is clear treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors are impeachable offenses. The evidence presented does not meet those standards required by the supreme law of the land. Impeachment is one of the most serious acts that Congress will undertake, it should not be taken lightly or used to strong-arm those you disagree with politically. It's irresponsible that theDemocrats haveweaponized the impeachmentprocess to appease their base, and their behavior over the last three years is the very behaviorthe Founding Fathers warned us about. Fortunately,I have no doubt that the American peoplerecognize Democrats' antics, and they will not easily forget.Today istruly a sad day forjustice.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://conaway.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399683,Conaway: Impeachment Should Not Be a Political Weapon,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,K. Conaway,C001062,conaway.house.gov,,,legacy,"Conaway: Impeachment Should Not Be a Political Weapon f t # e Washington, December 18, 2019 Tonight, the House of Representatives voted to approve two articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump. Congressman Mike Conaway (TX-11) released the following statement after voting against both articles of impeachment:This is a historic and somber day in the House of Representatives, said Congressman Conaway. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues have diminished what should be a solemn and grave proceeding into an absolute political circus, simply because they don't like the man occupying the White House. Many Democrats have been intent on impeaching this President since the day he took office. Their actions are clearly motivated by pure hatred for President Trump. Most importantly, we have not been presented with any real evidence that proves the president is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors,' and the Democrats' articles of impeachment notably omit any mention of an actual crime. We have forever weakened this body by turning impeachment into a political weapon, which will surely have negative ramifications far beyond this president. The American people see right through this charade, and are fed up. Watch Congressman Conaway's full remarks on the House Floor here. f t # e",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://crenshaw.house.gov/2019/12/crenshaw-statement-on-house-voting-to-impeach-the-president,Crenshaw Statement on House Voting to Impeach the President,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Dan Crenshaw,C001120,crenshaw.house.gov,crenshaw,https://crenshaw.house.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Dan Crenshaw released the following statement and video regarding tonight’s vote to impeach President Donald Trump: “Tonight’s vote cements Democrats’ true intentions since day one of Trump’s presidency: removing him from office. “Congress has wasted three months with biased, opaque impeachment proceedings that resulted in hearsay, assumptions and hollow allegations. During this time, Democrats allowed important legislative priorities – like national security, USMCA, an infrastructure package, improved border security, defense spending and more – to become an afterthought. “This is a sad, irresponsible, blatantly partisan move by Democrats who, sadly, have put their political dreams ahead of the well-being of the American people. I hope this day will be remembered in the history books for what it really is – a partisan vote on the thinnest, weakest, fastest case for impeachment since our nation’s founding.”",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://crenshaw.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=187,Crenshaw Statement on House Voting to Impeach the President,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Dan Crenshaw,C001120,crenshaw.house.gov,,,legacy,"Crenshaw Statement on House Voting to Impeach the President WASHINGTON, DC Congressman Dan Crenshaw released the following statement and video regarding tonight's vote to impeach President Donald Trump: Tonight's vote cements Democrats' true intentions since day one of Trump's presidency: removing him from office. Congress has wasted three months with biased, opaque impeachment proceedings that resulted in hearsay, assumptions and hollow allegations. During this time, Democrats allowed important legislative priorities like national security, USMCA, an infrastructure package, improved border security, defense spending and more to become an afterthought. This is a sad, irresponsible, blatantly partisan move by Democrats who, sadly, have put their political dreams ahead of the well-being of the American people. I hope this day will be remembered in the history books for what it really is a partisan vote on the thinnest, weakest, fastest case for impeachment since our nation's founding. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://crenshaw.house.gov/press-releases?ID=E2C3D155-2CEF-44DA-85C5-10407B39B60A,Crenshaw Statement on House Voting to Impeach the President,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Dan Crenshaw,C001120,crenshaw.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Dan Crenshaw released the following statement and video regarding tonight’s vote to impeach President Donald Trump: “Tonight’s vote cements Democrats’ true intentions since day one of Trump’s presidency: removing him from office. “Congress has wasted three months with biased, opaque impeachment proceedings that resulted in hearsay, assumptions and hollow allegations. During this time, Democrats allowed important legislative priorities – like national security, USMCA, an infrastructure package, improved border security, defense spending and more – to become an afterthought. “This is a sad, irresponsible, blatantly partisan move by Democrats who, sadly, have put their political dreams ahead of the well-being of the American people. I hope this day will be remembered in the history books for what it really is – a partisan vote on the thinnest, weakest, fastest case for impeachment since our nation’s founding.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://hurd.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hurd-scores-big-wins-texas-funding-package,Hurd Scores Big Wins for Texas in Funding Package,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Will Hurd,H001073,hurd.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC Today, U.S. Representative Will Hurd (TX-23), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, joined his colleagues to support the bipartisan Appropriations package for FY 2020. These bills provide funding not just to keep the government running but to provide for many programs vital for our national security, our military and veterans, border security and more. This funding package helps ensure the public health and safety of South and West Texans and provides for continued American military and economic dominance in today's interconnected world, said Hurd. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I was proud to deliver on many important priorities for local communities I represent and will continue to work with my colleagues over the next year to fight for my constituents in Congress. Hurd, who serves on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies and the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies subcommittees, was proud to help deliver in these funding bills many important initiatives for the 23rd District of Texas, including: Providing critical funding for South and West Texas military communities: $207.3 million for important military construction projects at Joint Base San Antonio, including a dormitory for Air Force basic military training and new training facilities for Air Force pilots and special forces. $50 million for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, which will provide grant funding to support infrastructure projects that benefit both military bases and the surrounding community. Continuing efforts to secure our Southern border and address the border crisis: $222 million for border security technology. $12.7 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations and support, which includes: $13 million for Border Patrol Processing Coordinators to help improve the intake of migrants apprehended by Border Patrol. $104.4 million to support over 800 new CBP positions in the Office of Field Operations. $109.6 million in additional funding for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which will fund additional immigration judges and administrative resources essential to addressing the asylum backlog at the border. $579.8 million for the U.S. Strategy for Central America, which addresses the root causes of mass migration: violence, poverty and lack of economic opportunity in the Northern Triangle. Funding grant programs that have provided vital assistance to local South and West Texas communities: $25 million for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure grants. $17.7 million for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Environmental Protection: National Priorities rural water technical assistance grants. $365 million for the Department of Education GEAR UP program. $166.8 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the Grants to State Library Agencies program. $38.5 million for museum services programs. $143 million for the Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institutions program. $37.8 million for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search and Rescue Teams. $665 million for FEMA Urban Area Security Initiative, with language requiring FEMA to address mid-sized and large metropolitan areas located within 200 miles of the southern border experiencing high rates of illegal activity in its annual risk assessment. $3.4 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grants. $1.4 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME Investment Partnership Program. Ensuring our veterans get the benefits and care they have earned: Fully funds the VA MISSION Act, which has increased access to healthcare for veterans and improved the VA's ability to recruit and train medical providers. $1.5 billion for the electronic health record program, an initiative championed by Rep. Hurd for years that will create a single health record that follows a soldier during their military service and at the VA. $60.3 million for Whole Health initiative. $24.3 million for National Veterans Sports Program, including $1.5 million for Equine Therapy. Fighting for farmers and ranchers in Southwest Texas rural communities: $8.5 million increase for the Cattle Health program at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to address the cattle fever ticks Requiring the Department of Transportation to exempt certain agricultural haulers from Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) $19.6 million for the Circuit Rider Program within U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Program Promoting domestic energy production while working to create a healthy climate for America's future generations: Not less than $7 million for Department of Energy carbon capture research for natural gas power systems. $16 million for Department of Energy Supercritical Transformational Electric Power Initiative. $46 million for Department of Energy Unconventional Fossil Energy Technologies.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://hurd.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hurd-speaks-house-floor-impeachment,Hurd Speaks on House Floor on Impeachment,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Will Hurd,H001073,hurd.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Representative Will Hurd (TX-23), who spent nearly a decade as an undercover officer in the CIA and serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, spoke to his colleagues on the House Floor today leading up to the vote on articles of impeachment against the President of the United States. Rep. Hurd participated in many depositions and hearings as a member of the Intelligence Committee and last month reflected on what the Committee had learned from the witnesses. You can watch Rep. Hurd deliver his remarks here and view the transcript below. Throughout this process the American people have learned of bungling foreign policy decisions, but we have not heard evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, of bribery or extortion. Allegations of these two crimes aren't even mentioned in the articles of impeachment being debated today. But, today we have seen a rushed process divide our country. Today accusations have been hurled at each other questioning one another's integrity. Today a dangerous precedent will be set impeachment becoming a weaponized political tool. We know how this partisan process will end this evening, but what happens tomorrow? Can this Chamber put down our swords and get back to work for the American people? This institution has a fabled history of passing legislation that has not only changed our Country but has inspired the world. This feat has been possible because this experiment we call America has one perpetual goal - make a more perfect union. We can contribute to this history if we recognize the simple fact that way more unites our county than divides us. Tomorrow, can we start focusing on that?",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://kaygranger.house.gov/media/press-releases/granger-votes-no-impeachment-calls-out-democrats-house-floor,"Granger Votes No on Impeachment, Calls Out Democrats on House Floor",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Kay Granger,G000377,kaygranger.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX), the Republican Leader of the House Appropriations Committee, delivered the following speech on the House Floor today before casting her vote against the Democrats' hyper-partisan articles of impeachment. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the politically-driven articles of impeachment that have been brought before the House of Representatives today. For the last three years, Democrats have been unable to accept the voters' choice to elect President Trump. They have used any and all undemocratic and unfair means necessary to try and remove him from office. My vote today is not only against the illegitimate impeachment of our President which began not with facts, but with a forgone conclusion it is against House Democrats making a mockery of due process and the rule of law. This will not go anywhere in the Senate, so all Democrats have accomplished is postponing the important work the American people sent their elected officials to Washington to do. This endless crusade by Democrats to remove the duly elected President of the United States has put partisan politics above the issues that Americans face every day. It is time Democrats stop playing partisan games that hurt hardworking taxpayers. It's time for the American people to be Congress' priority again. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting no, and I yield back the balance of my time.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://kevinbrady.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=404787,"Brady, Walden, Foxx Statement on Affordable Care Act Court Ruling",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Kevin Brady,B000755,kevinbrady.house.gov,,,legacy,"Brady, Walden, Foxx Statement on Affordable Care Act Court Ruling f t # e Washington, December 18, 2019 WASHINGTON, DCWASHINGTON, DC Ways and Means Committee Republican Leader Kevin Brady (R-TX), Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), and Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) released the following statement after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that the Affordable Care Acts individual mandate is unconstitutional:This is no surprise. Republicans warned Democrats the ACA, written in secret and rushed through Congress, was built on an unconstitutional foundation. And in their haste, Democrats forgot critical language that could have avoided this embarrassment. While this case will continue to make its way through the courts, nothing will change for patients. The ACA continues to fail too many Americans and fails to deliver on its promises to lower premiums and offer better care. Instead of partisan impeachment theatrics or Medicare for All which cancels good health care plans for 180 million Americans, Congress should use this opportunity to work together to bring down the high costs of health care, something that Obamacare promised, but never delivered on. We should put a stop to surprise billing and work together with President Trump to bring down the high costs of medicines,"" the leaders said. f t # e",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://olson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/olson-votes-against-democrats-impeachment-sham,Olson Votes Against Democrats Impeachment Sham,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Pete Olson,O000168,olson.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today issued the following statement after voting against the House Democrats' partisan, rigged and frivolous Articles of Impeachment against President Trump: Today House Democrats made history for all the wrong reasons. Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised three things regarding any impeachment action against President Trump: she stated the House Democrats' case would be compelling, overwhelming and bipartisan.' The Speaker was one for three the evidence in the impeachment proceeding was neither compelling nor overwhelming; however the vote was bipartisan against impeachment of President Trump. Democrats spent months wasting our nation's time and treasure, while issues that impact folks in TX-22 such as infrastructure, fixing our broken immigration system and supporting American energy dominance fell by the wayside. The fix was in from the start as Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler presided over a process with one goal: overturning the result of the 2016 election by any means necessary. Our Constitution and the rule of law are sacred, not something to be played with like a toy to achieve political ends. I was glad to see bipartisan support against impeachment in today's vote, and trust the Senate will reach a similar and swift conclusion to finally end this charade and close the book on this sad chapter of our republic's history.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://ratcliffe.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1439,Rep. Ratcliffe statement on vote against Trump impeachment,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Ratcliffe,R000601,ratcliffe.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Ratcliffe statement on vote against Trump impeachment Washington, December 18, 2019 Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) issued the following statement on his vote against the impeachment of President Trump: In a betrayal of the Constitution, Democrats finally got what they've been gunning for since the very day President Trump was duly elected to serve in the Oval Office. Despite failing miserably in their prolonged, desperate campaign to frame him for crimes he didn't commit, they moved forward with a vote to remove a sitting president from office based on nothing more than their personal and political opposition. This is the thinnest, fastest and weakest impeachment our country has ever seen rooted in a congratulatory phone call where there are no crimes alleged, where there is no victim, and where Democrats themselves could never decide what to even accuse the president of doing wrong. The Founders intended impeachment to be used for actions so extraordinary that it would happen only three times in almost 2 1/2 centuries. Alexander Hamilton warned of impeachment being used politically by the party that had the most votes. Today's impeachment is the Founders' worst nightmare. When voters go to the polls next November, I hope they'll hold Democrats accountable for wasting countless hours and taxpayer dollars on this disgraceful impeachment hoax that was designed to control the outcome of the 2020 election. Click here to watch Ratcliffe's floor speech prior to the impeachment vote. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://roy.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-chip-roy-5th-circuit-appeals-ruling-obamacares-individual-mandate,Rep. Chip Roy On The 5th Circuit Of Appeals Ruling On Obamacare's Individual Mandate,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Chip Roy,R000614,roy.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Chip Roy released the following statement Wednesday regarding 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on Obamacare's Individual Mandate: Today, Judge Reed O'Connor's correct analysis that a zeroed-out fake Obamacare tax renders it a mandate was upheld by the 5th Circuit.It was remanded for further analysis on sever-ability but suffice it to say, the plaintiffs can only be made whole if the regulations driving up the cost of their care and impacting them directly are not severed. In that case, the law is inviolated in its entirety, or close thereto. The Judge is owed an apology by the nay-saying hand-wringers in the swamp and in intellectual circles who laughed off his reasoned and proper analysis. Now, we are on notice in Congress that the law is likely to fall. For that, we should all be thankful. Millions of Americans are suffering from the higher cost of healthcare and the loss of coverage they were promised they could keep. We should make sure that in 2020 we run on healthcare freedom for a mandate to drive down prices for all Americans, so that no American is left unable to get healthcare due to rationing, expense, and lack of options. Healthcare freedom begins with legislation I introduced, HR3594. My bill would give Americans flexibility to manage own their own healthcare, allow employers to contribute to expanded Health Freedom Accounts, and remove both government and insurance bureaucrats from between them and their doctors.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://roy.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-chip-roy-his-vote-articles-impeachment-against-president-donald-j-trump,Rep. Chip Roy On His Vote On The Articles Of Impeachment Against President Donald J. Trump,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Chip Roy,R000614,roy.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Chip Roy released the following statement Wednesday regarding his vote on the articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump: Today, I voted against the articles of impeachment against President Trump. House Democrats have failed to provide compelling evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors meriting impeachment. What they have succeeded in doing is upending the legislative session and tearing our nation apart in their long-standing effort to remove the president, now just over 10 months until the 2020 election. The truth is the president had sufficient reasoning to demand that the new reformist President Zelensky would follow through on his promise to rout out corruption in a country that receives hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in U.S. aid. In addition to the direct attack on our elections by Russia, we have direct testimony from Democrat witnesses making clear Ukraine also meddled. And we have further evidence that actions of Vice President Biden and his son raise legitimate questions regarding self-dealing and are reasonably connected to overall corruption in Ukraine. Finally, allegations of obstruction ignore historic questions of privilege, ongoing litigation on the matter, and the fact many executive branch witnesses testified. Democrats cannot complain about lack of participation when they created an environment that made testifying untenable. The American people will have the opportunity to decide in November 2020. We should let them. It is time for Congress to work for the American people again. For my complete analysis and rationale on impeachment, please see my op-ed in the National Review. ### Robert Donachie | Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) 1319 LongworthHouse Office Building | Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-4236 | (202) 225-8628 (f)",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://thornberry.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401422,House passes government funding,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,William Thornberry,T000238,thornberry.house.gov,,,legacy,"House passes government funding f t # e Washington, December 18, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:Jordan Hunter December 17, 2019 (202) 225-3706 House passes government funding WASHINGTON Today, the House passed appropriations bills to fully fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year. We should have done this in September, but to minimize further damage to our military, I supported and voted for these bills now, said Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon). There is a lot included here that should not be, the main thing is to fully fund the men and women who serve our country. Defense highlights: Appropriates $695.6 billion to the Department of Defense (DOD); Includes a 3.1 percent pay increase for our servicemembers, the largest in a decade; Provides funding for defense health programs, including suicide and traumatic brain injury research; Increases funding for Impact Aid; Supports additional funding for bases impacted by natural disasters; and Funds High Explosive Science and Engineering Facility at Pantex by $80 million. Other key highlights: Maintains funding for the border wall; Funds the hiring of 1,200 Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers and 100 new border protection processing coordinators; Increases funds for rural broadband; Supports farmers and ranchers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019; and Increases National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for research of opioid, Alzheimer's, childhood cancer, and other important treatments and diseases. ### f t # e",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://vantaylor.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2468,Congressman Van Taylor Releases Statement Following Impeachment Vote,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Van Taylor,T000479,vantaylor.house.gov,,,legacy,"Congressman Van Taylor voted against H.Res. 755, a resolution impeaching the President. share: f t WASHINGTON - Today, the United States House of Representatives voted on H.Res. 755, a resolution impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States.After voting against both articles of impeachment, United States Congressman Van Taylor issued the following statement: ""Since taking the majority in January, some House Democrats have set their sights on impeaching the President resulting in an incredibly partisan impeachment process with a predetermined outcome despite an ever-changing set of accusations. This process ignored historical precedent, disregarded due process, and trampled over nearly every judicial standard we hold sacred as Americans.Less than a year away from a Presidential election is not the time for 435 politicians to override the will of the American people, nullifying millions of votes, and remove a President who some in the opposing political party disagree with.Outside of declaring war, voting to impeach a duly elected President of the United States is the most serious vote a Member of Congress can take, and I have yet to see anything that rises to the level of impeachment. Both articles of impeachment passed along mostly party lines. Article I passed by a vote of 230-197-1 with 2 Democrats joining Republicans to vote against impeachment. Article II passed 229-198-1 with 3 Democrats voting against impeachment on Wednesday, December 18, 2019. Adoption of the Articles of Impeachment trigger an impeachment trial in the Senate.A 7th generation Texan, Congressman Van Taylor is a dedicated family man, successful businessman, and decorated Marine Officer. Taylor served Collin County both in the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate. Today, Congressman Taylor is proud to serve on the House Committee on Education and Labor as well as the House Committee on Homeland Security.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-williams-condemns-house-vote-to-impeach-president-trump,Rep. Williams Condemns House Vote to Impeach President Trump,2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Roger Williams,W000816,williams.house.gov,williams,https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX-25) today released the following statement condemning the impeachment of President Donald Trump by the U.S. House of Representatives: ""Today will be remembered as the day that House Democrats, claiming a false moral supremacy over the desire of the American people, executed a deliberate and orchestrated plan to overturn a Presidential election. It will be the first time in history that a party paraded out their ivy league academics to explain to 31 states and almost 63 million people, that their voices should not be heard and why their votes should not be counted. ""This entire impeachment charade has been an extraordinary disservice to the people we were elected to represent, and it has set a dangerous precedent for future generations. Donald J. Trump is our President, chosen by the American people. The Democrats' attempt to change history will never undo that."" Earlier today, Congressman Williams addressed the U.S. House of Representatives denouncing the Democrats' Articles of Impeachment. Click here to view his full remarks on the House floor. Congressman Roger Williams represents the 25th Congressional District of Texas and serves as a member of the House Committee on Financial Services.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-cruz-request-briefing-defense-secretary-housing-jbsa-fort-hood,"Cornyn, Cruz Request Briefing from Defense Secretary on Housing at JBSA, Fort Hood",2019-12-18,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Cornyn,C001056,www.cornyn.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTONU.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to request a briefing on current initiatives to improve military housing in light of recent complaints of mold, lead, and a failure to address maintenance requests at military installations such as Joint Base San Antonio and Fort Hood. They wrote: Representing over a dozen military installations in Texas that provide for the nation's defense, we believe it is critical that DoD ensures service members and their families have access to quality housing. It is unacceptable that our service members have to worry about the safety of their families in on-post or off-post housing. We therefore request a briefing regarding the DoD's plans for implementing housing provisions included in the FY20 NDAA and current initiatives to address identified shortcomings at bases such as Joint Base San Antonio and Ft. Hood. In the letter, the Senators also note that Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA FY20), which includes provisions to establish a tenant bill of rights, a standardized assessment tool for evaluating military housing for risks such as lead and mold, and guidelines for a dispute resolution process. You can view the signed letter here, and text is below. The Honorable Mark T. Esper Secretary of Defense U.S. Department of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301-1000 Dear Secretary Esper: We are writing to urge the Department of Defense (DoD) to expeditiously implement provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20 NDAA) regarding military family housing and request a briefing on current DoD initiatives to alleviate military housing issues. For the past year, service members across the country, including those in Texas, have suffered from unsafe living conditions, substandard maintenance, and, in select cases, retaliation for filing complaints about their on-post privatized housing. The readiness of our service members stems directly from the ability to support their family members. We are concerned that substandard housing detracts from the training and preparation necessary to ensure our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines remain ready to execute any given mission necessary for the defense of our country. In 1996, DoD established the Military Housing Privatization Initiative to improve dire housing conditions for service members by allowing private companies to administer family housing on military bases. Recently, reports from service members have highlighted unacceptable issues in privatized on-post housing ranging from mold to lead contamination. Furthermore, many service members report that maintenance services are unresponsive and inadequate. Maintenance personnel allegedly routinely close out work orders without remediating the problem, forcing families to submit multiple work orders for a single maintenance issue. Over the past year, our offices have engaged in multiple discussions with service component leadership, met with installation leadership, and discussed directly with service members to ensure that this issue is addressed expeditiously. Additionally, the FY20 NDAA implements the most substantial overhaul of the Privatized Military Housing initiative since its creation in 1996. It requires the services to establish a tenant bill of rights, a standardized assessment tool for evaluating military housing risks such as lead and mold, and a dispute resolution process which allows the withholding of Basic Allowance for Housing until the dispute is resolved. While we believe these provisions are a step in the right direction, there is ultimately no replacement for engaged military leadership, both now and moving forward as the services begin implementation of these provisions. Representing over a dozen military installations in Texas that provide for the nation's defense, we believe it is critical that DoD ensures service members and their families have access to quality housing. It is unacceptable that our service members have to worry about the safety of their families in on-post or off-post housing. We therefore request a briefing regarding the DoD's plans for implementing housing provisions included in the FY20 NDAA and current initiatives to address identified shortcomings at bases such as Joint Base San Antonio and Ft. Hood.Thank you for your leadership and attention to this issue. Sincerely, /s/",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://burgess.house.gov/blog/?postid=402253,Burgess Rules Against House Floor Vote,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Michael Burgess,B001248,burgess.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), member of the House Rules Committee and Republican Leader of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health released the following statement about the House Rules Committee vote to send Articles of Impeachment to the House Floor. Earlier this year, Speaker Pelosi said that impeachment would divide the country and should only take place as a bipartisan effort, Burgess said. Since the announcement in September, this entire process has been partisan. The evidence that has been brought forward is not transparent, explicit or impartial. It shows an abundance of anger and the process has allowed Congress to lower the standards for impeachment.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=4823,Sen. Cruz: Final 2020 National Defense Authorization Act Reinforces America's Defense & National Security Interests,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Ted Cruz,C001098,www.cruz.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) this week voted in favor of final passage of the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which enhances America's national security and ensures that the men and women of our Armed Forces have the resources they need to defend our interests globally. President Trump is expected to sign the package into law later this week. Sen. Cruz fought for dozens of measures, including his bipartisan bill halting the construction of Nord Stream 2, Russia's natural gas pipeline that, if completed, would vastly strengthen President Vladimir Putin's hand at the expense of the rest of the free world. Thirteen of his measures were successfully incorporated into the final FY20 NDAA, including a range of amendments directly relevant to Texas military communities and our military families. Upon passage in the Senate, Sen. Cruz said: ""Despite the divisiveness pervading Washington, I am pleased both the House and Senate came together today to ensure our military is funded and equipped with the resources it needs to protect and defend our nation's security. At a time when our nation faces growing threats from countries like Iran, China, and Russia, this bill reinforces America's defense and national security interests by protecting the long-term readiness of the B-1B aircraft - one of our best assets for deterring aggression from our adversaries. And it fully funds the Texas-based F-35 program, which is necessary to ensure that our Air Force can field fifth generation jets able to dominate the battlefields and airspace of the future. Sen Cruz added: ""The legislation moves forward with a United States Space Force, which I was proud to see included my proposal to establish an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy and a Chief of Space Operations on the Joint Staff. ""The NDAA also includes resources for contesting and countering aggression in cyberspace, the Arctic, and against our electricity grid. Most importantly, it makes significant investment in America's soldiers and veterans, including a well-deserved 3.1 percent pay increase, reforms in military housing, as well as support for mental health and wellness."" Below are some of the overarching priorities and amendments Sen. Cruz fought for, and were successfully included in the final NDAA: Nord Stream 2 Sanctions: Protects European energy independence by imposing sanctions related to Russian energy pipeline Nord Stream 2. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy: The NDAA creates the position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, in line with legislation that Sen. Cruz introduced this Congress. This measure is necessary to ensure that the Space Force has sufficient influence and resources to address the challenges our nation will face as space increasingly becomes a domain of military competition. B-1B Bomber Recovery Plan: Sen. Cruz's provision enhances Congressional oversight of the B-1B fleet and requires the United States Air Force to brief Congress on a plan to increase readiness on the aircraft. The long-term health of the B-1B will help maintain Dyess Air Force Base as a premier installation in our nation's defense, and is a recognition of the important role that the Abilene military community plays and will continue to play. This amendment was cosponsored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). ""Widow's Tax"" Removal: Sen. Cruz joined a letter with Sen. Jones (D-Alabama) to conferees calling for the removal of the so-called ""Widow's Tax"" after the Senate did not include this in its version of the NDAA. The final version reinstitutes the Survivor Benefits Plan over the next three years removing the burden placed on families of fallen service members. Rough Terrain Container Handler (RTCH): Sen. Cruz's provision directs the Department of the Army and the Marine Corps to jointly develop a plan to sustain the Rough Terrain Container Handler fleets. This provision will support both the work occurring at Red River and Texas companies. Army Depot Maintenance: Requires a comprehensive strategy to improve the infrastructure of military depots with the goal of ensuring proper capacity and capability to support readiness. This provision requires an assessment of the conditions and performance, and the resources and investments necessary to successfully manage military depots, which would include sites such as Red River and Corpus Christi. License Portability for Military Spouses: Requires collaboration between the Pentagon and state governments to reduce professional relicensing burdens on military spouses changing duty stations. Increased Funding for Texas A&M National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV): Sen. Cruz's provision doubles the authorization for the NSMV in the Maritime Administration (MARAD), which will enable and empower the Texas A&M Maritime Academy to train more mariners, which in turn will increase our nation's response readiness for natural disasters in the Gulf region while reducing overall NSMV procurement costs by $40 million. Expedited Processing for Port Improvement Grants: Sen. Cruz's provision reduces the amount of paperwork and time required for Texas ports to apply for certain grants by allowing packages of projects to qualify as single grant applications, streamlining and enhancing the process. Sen. Cruz supported the following amendments, which were adopted into the final NDAA: Burn Pits Accountability: Sen. Cruz joined with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to require the Department of Defense evaluate whether U.S. service members have been exposed to airborne toxins or burn pits. This measure provides service members the option to be enrolled in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Accountability for Iranian Terrorism: Sen. Cruz joined with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to ensure that victims of Iran's violence and terrorism have the tools they need to recover damages from the Ayatollahs. Cybersecurity and Manufacturing Protections from Non-Free Market Governments: Sen. Cruz joined with Sen. Cornyn to keep U.S. tax dollars from going to transit vehicle supplier companies owned and subsidized by non-free market governments. Electromagnetic Pulse: Sen. Cruz joined with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) to strengthen our nation's resiliency against an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack. Strengthen Commitment to Taiwan: Sen. Cruz joined with Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to reaffirm the United States' support for Taiwan and direct the DOD to assess possible updates to the Taiwan Relations Act. Increase Pressure on North Korean Enablers: Sen. Cruz joined with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) to introduce sanctions on foreign banks and companies that do business with North Korea. Sen. Cruz led the fight to remove this provision from the final NDAA: Strike Spectrum Sharing: The final NDAA does not include the deeply problematic language on spectrum sharing that was in the Senate-passed version of the NDAA. This provision would have effectively allowed the Department of Defense to withhold spectrum from commercial use and threatened to upend established spectrum-management policy at a time when the United States is competing with China to win the race to 5G. Sen. Cruz led the fight to remove this language from the NDAA with his amendment to strike Section 214 when the NDAA was being considered by the Senate as well the letter he led with other senators to the Commerce and Armed Services Committee leaders when the NDAA was in conference. The final NDAA included the following measures, which directly benefit Texas: Military Construction Projects: The FY20 NDAA provides $207 million for projects at Joint Base San Antonio, $50 million for projects at Fort Hood, and $86 million for projects at Corpus Christi Army Depot. Additionally, the NDAA provides authority to carry out FY18 construction projects for Joint Base San Antonio. B-21 Program: Fully funds the B-21 program, ensuring that Dyes Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas remains a pillar of our nation's strategic capabilities and deterrence. F-35 Program: Authorizes the procurement of 94 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, which are built in Fort Worth, Texas. This will continue our air superiority with the world's most lethal fighter. Future Vertical Lift Program: Increases funding for advanced development of FVL Capability Set 3, which will enhance modernization. This program is essential to the future of Army Aviation and is supported by many Texans who support the development of this next generation of aviation technology. Privatized Military Housing: Provides reforms to address the challenges faced by military families, including steps to ensure accountability. Energy Projects: Provides $16.5M for energy resilience and conservation projects at Fort Hood, and $4.5 million to enhance the microgrid at Camp Swift. Military Working Dogs: Supports the transfer of retired military working dogs to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where veterinary screening and care are provided, and adoptions are carried out by the 341st Training Squadron. Spaceports: Expands infrastructure investment program to include FAA-licensed spaceports, including Houston Spaceport. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://arrington.house.gov/2019/12/arrington-sends-usmca-to-house-floor-applauds-efforts-to-further-strengthen-u-s-trade/,"Arrington Sends USMCA to House Floor, Applauds Efforts to Further Strengthen U.S. Trade",2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Jodey Arrington,A000375,arrington.house.gov,,,legacy,"Arrington Sends USMCA to House Floor, Applauds Efforts to Further Strengthen U.S. Trade December 17, 2019 WASHINGTON Today, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) voted to advance the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) out of the House Ways and Means Committee to the full House of Representatives for passage this week. Before the full Committee vote, Congressman Arrington spoke about the impact of the new agreement on establishing more fair and free trade deals for the United States with our partners around the globe: I want to thank my colleagues for the give and take, the push and pull, and the contributions of this committee to the point that we're here today and ready to vote it out of Committee and onwards toward ratification,said Arrington. I'm glad that we can all share in some contribution here, but the fact is, the heavy lifting was done by this president and our country is going to be better for it. This continues to build on America's successes there is a great awakening, there is a renaissance, and truly America is back like ever before and the best, I believe, is yet to be seen. This is a template for expediting more comprehensive free trade agreements. This will strengthen our hand against China and trying to get resolution to a fair, balanced, and equitable trade relationship. This is significant in so many ways, not the least of which is the stability and certainty for more investment and more growth not just in the United States, but in Mexico and Canada. WATCH CONGRESSMAN ARRINGTON'S FULL REMARKS ON USMCA: During today's Ways and Means Committee hearing, Congressman Arrington also spoke in support ofH.Res. 746, and emphasized the importance of achieving a real reset with China on trade, which includes much-needed structural reforms at the World Trade Organization (WTO) so that West Texas and American producers can compete on a level playing field at the global level. We haven't seen a politician, a political leader take on China like has been necessitated to get them to the table. We're looking at $200 billion in purchases of American products, $80 billion to $100 billion in ag that's almost twice what they purchased before,said Arrington. I'm more interested in the structural reforms, I hope we can make some headway there also. I think it's both, and I applaud the President for having the political courage to withstand the incoming from a lot of interests around the country, and it's real pain that's being felt. I can attest that, especially with respect to my farmers in West Texas, they can't sustain this for too long, so I hope we can hit reset in the near future and get on down the road. WATCH CONGRESSMAN ARRINGTON'S FULL REMARKS ON H.RES. 746:",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=81,"Arrington Sends USMCA to House Floor, Applauds Efforts to Further Strengthen U.S. Trade",2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Jodey C. Arrington,A000375,arrington.house.gov,arrington,https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Today, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) voted to advance the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) out of the House Ways and Means Committee to the full House of Representatives for passage this week. Before the full Committee vote, Congressman Arrington spoke about the impact of the new agreement on establishing more fair and free trade deals for the United States with our partners around the globe: “I want to thank my colleagues for the give and take, the push and pull, and the contributions of this committee to the point that we’re here today and ready to vote it out of Committee and onwards toward ratification,” said Arrington. “I’m glad that we can all share in some contribution here, but the fact is, the heavy lifting was done by this president and our country is going to be better for it. This continues to build on America’s successes – there is a great awakening, there is a renaissance, and truly America is back like ever before and the best, I believe, is yet to be seen.” “This is a template for expediting more comprehensive free trade agreements. This will strengthen our hand against China and trying to get resolution to a fair, balanced, and equitable trade relationship. This is significant in so many ways, not the least of which is the stability and certainty for more investment and more growth – not just in the United States, but in Mexico and Canada.” WATCH CONGRESSMAN ARRINGTON’S FULL REMARKS ON USMCA: During today’s Ways and Means Committee hearing, Congressman Arrington also spoke in support of H.Res. 746, and emphasized the importance of achieving a real reset with China on trade, which includes much-needed structural reforms at the World Trade Organization (WTO) so that West Texas and American producers can compete on a level playing field at the global level. “We haven’t seen a politician, a political leader take on China like has been necessitated to get them to the table. We’re looking at $200 billion in purchases of American products, $80 billion to $100 billion in ag – that’s almost twice what they purchased before,” said Arrington. “I’m more interested in the structural reforms, I hope we can make some headway there also. I think it’s both, and I applaud the President for having the political courage to withstand the incoming from a lot of interests around the country, and it’s real pain that’s being felt. I can attest that, especially with respect to my farmers in West Texas, they can’t sustain this for too long, so I hope we can hit reset in the near future and get on down the road.” WATCH CONGRESSMAN ARRINGTON’S FULL REMARKS ON H.RES. 746:",1,2026-04-07T12:09:11Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://carter.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=40&itemid=2444,Carter Secures Victories for Central Texas in Funding Package,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John Carter,C001051,carter.house.gov,,,legacy,"(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Today, Congressman John Carter (TX-31) released the follow statement after the House passed both FY20 Consolidated Appropriations bills. These bills provide substantial investments for Ft. Hood, provide a pay raise for soldiers, prioritize national security, direct resources to school safety and support veterans. The funding that the House passed today makes critical investments for our country and in Central Texas, we will see these results firsthand. These bills will give our military members at Ft. Hood a 3.1 percent pay raise, and provide an additional $32 million for barrack renovations, so our soldiers have high-quality, safe living quarters. Providing the resources to the men and women in uniform that help them be successful on and off the battlefield is a top priority for me. ""As the representative for the largest veteran population in Texas, I also fought to include measures that will support the wellbeing of our veterans through increased funding for mental health and suicide prevention programs, and provide over $1.8 billion to help end homelessness among veterans. This funding will go a long way in improving the lives of those who bravely served. ""Additionally, school safety programs will see an increase in funding, including additional resources for training law enforcement officers, so they can keep our communities secure. With the passage of this legislation, I believe we have made great strides to provide for the safety and well-being of Central Texans. Victories Congressman Carter Secured for Texas 31: $32 million for military construction for the Ft. Hood Army barracks. 3.1% pay raise for military members. $5 million for the VA Airborne Hazards and Burn Pits Center of Excellence. $18.5 million for the Army Unfunded Requirement vehicle bridge at Ft. Hood. $9.4 billion for the VA Mental Health and Suicide Prevention programs. $1.8 billion for VA Homeless programs. $132 million for the DoJ DNA Initiative which will help the vast number of untested rape kits so more offenders can be taken off the streets. This includes $102 million for the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grants. Language was included to address sexual assault and juvenile justice reforms to support victims on military bases like Ft. Hood. $12 million for DoJ Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. $10 million for the DoJ Protecting Our Lives through Initiating COPS Expansion Act (POLICE) grant program which provides training for law enforcement. Notable Highlights: Funds additional immigration judges to help address the backlog in immigration cases. Provides funding new border processing coordinators. Increases funding for DEA to crack down on drug trafficking and prosecute drug traffickers. Fully funds the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). $518 million for grant programs that support drug courts, prescription drug monitoring, at-risk youth programs. $1.5 billion to the VA to support the implementation of electronic health records system that is fully interoperable with DoD records so veterans may receive more efficient and higher quality care. # # # Rep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as the Rank Member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee and the Vice Ranking Member of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations. Rep. Carter is the co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://carter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1456,Carter Secures Victories for Central Texas in Funding Package,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,John R. Carter,C001051,carter.house.gov,carter,https://carter.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27,scraper,"Today, Congressman John Carter (TX-31) released the follow statement after the House passed both FY20 Consolidated Appropriations bills. These bills provide substantial investments for Ft. Hood, provide a pay raise for soldiers, prioritize national security, direct resources to school safety and support veterans. “The funding that the House passed today makes critical investments for our country and in Central Texas, we will see these results firsthand. These bills will give our military members at Ft. Hood a 3.1 percent pay raise, and provide an additional $32 million for barrack renovations, so our soldiers have high-quality, safe living quarters. Providing the resources to the men and women in uniform that help them be successful on and off the battlefield is a top priority for me. ""As the representative for the largest veteran population in Texas, I also fought to include measures that will support the wellbeing of our veterans through increased funding for mental health and suicide prevention programs, and provide over $1.8 billion to help end homelessness among veterans. This funding will go a long way in improving the lives of those who bravely served. ""Additionally, school safety programs will see an increase in funding, including additional resources for training law enforcement officers, so they can keep our communities secure. With the passage of this legislation, I believe we have made great strides to provide for the safety and well-being of Central Texans.” Victories Congressman Carter Secured for Texas 31: $32 million for military construction for the Ft. Hood Army barracks. 3.1% pay raise for military members. $5 million for the VA Airborne Hazards and Burn Pits Center of Excellence. $18.5 million for the Army Unfunded Requirement vehicle bridge at Ft. Hood. $9.4 billion for the VA Mental Health and Suicide Prevention programs. $1.8 billion for VA Homeless programs. $132 million for the DoJ DNA Initiative which will help the vast number of untested rape kits so more offenders can be taken off the streets. This includes $102 million for the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grants. Language was included to address sexual assault and juvenile justice reforms to support victims on military bases like Ft. Hood. $12 million for DoJ Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. $10 million for the DoJ Protecting Our Lives through Initiating COPS Expansion Act (POLICE) grant program which provides training for law enforcement. Notable Highlights: Funds additional immigration judges to help address the backlog in immigration cases. Provides funding new border processing coordinators. Increases funding for DEA to crack down on drug trafficking and prosecute drug traffickers. Fully funds the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). $518 million for grant programs that support drug courts, prescription drug monitoring, at-risk youth programs. $1.5 billion to the VA to support the implementation of electronic health records system that is fully interoperable with DoD records so veterans may receive more efficient and higher quality care. # # # Rep. Carter represents Texas District 31, which includes Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored military installation in the free world. He serves as the Rank Member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee and the Vice Ranking Member of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations. Rep. Carter is the co-chairman of the Congressional Army Caucus.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://crenshaw.house.gov/2019/12/crenshaw-supports-bipartisan-fy2020-appropriations-bills,Crenshaw Supports Bipartisan FY2020 Appropriations Bills,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Dan Crenshaw,C001120,crenshaw.house.gov,crenshaw,https://crenshaw.house.gov/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Dan Crenshaw released the following statement and video after voting for two appropriations bills that will fund the remainder of the 2020 fiscal year: “Today Congress did something we’ve seen very little of lately: compromise. Although I strongly disagree with the top-line spending, negotiators did a good job. Ultimately these bipartisan bills do a lot for our region by appropriating $22 million for maintenance of the Houston Ship Channel, nearly $18 billion for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund and delaying cuts in funding for several Houston hospitals. In addition to those local wins, this spending deal repeals taxes on health insurance plans and medical devices, raises military pay and funds barriers at our border and additional staff for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. While Congress must make a better effort to rein in our discretionary and mandatory spending, I appreciate the good faith compromise and find these provisions to be too important to oppose and risk another government shutdown.”",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://crenshaw.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=186,Crenshaw Supports Bipartisan FY2020 Appropriations Bills,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Dan Crenshaw,C001120,crenshaw.house.gov,,,legacy,"Crenshaw Supports Bipartisan FY2020 Appropriations Bills Washington, December 17, 2019 Crenshaw Supports Bipartisan FY2020 Appropriations Bills WASHINGTON, DC Congressman Dan Crenshaw released the following statement and video after voting for two appropriations bills that will fund the remainder of the 2020 fiscal year: Today Congress did something we've seen very little of lately: compromise. Although I strongly disagree with the top-line spending, negotiators did a good job. Ultimately these bipartisan bills do a lot for our region by appropriating $22 million for maintenance of the Houston Ship Channel, nearly $18 billion for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund and delaying cuts in funding for several Houston hospitals. In addition to those local wins, this spending deal repeals taxes on health insurance plans and medical devices, raises military pay and funds barriers at our border and additional staff for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. While Congress must make a better effort to rein in our discretionary and mandatory spending, I appreciate the good faith compromise and find these provisions to be too important to oppose and risk another government shutdown. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://crenshaw.house.gov/press-releases?ID=32C8BE8A-4B77-4781-8B51-C3DE64B7EF75,Crenshaw Supports Bipartisan FY2020 Appropriations Bills,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Dan Crenshaw,C001120,crenshaw.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Dan Crenshaw released the following statement and video after voting for two appropriations bills that will fund the remainder of the 2020 fiscal year: “Today Congress did something we’ve seen very little of lately: compromise. Although I strongly disagree with the top-line spending, negotiators did a good job. Ultimately these bipartisan bills do a lot for our region by appropriating $22 million for maintenance of the Houston Ship Channel, nearly $18 billion for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund and delaying cuts in funding for several Houston hospitals. In addition to those local wins, this spending deal repeals taxes on health insurance plans and medical devices, raises military pay and funds barriers at our border and additional staff for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. While Congress must make a better effort to rein in our discretionary and mandatory spending, I appreciate the good faith compromise and find these provisions to be too important to oppose and risk another government shutdown.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://kaygranger.house.gov/media/e-newsletters/wright-choice-hr-19,"The ""Wright Choice"": H.R. 19",2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Kay Granger,G000377,kaygranger.house.gov,,,legacy,"Dear Friends, Our fellow Texan, Representative Ron Wright, did not expect a cancer diagnosis when he went to his doctor for a routine physical last summer; unfortunately, that is exactly what he got. The doctor identified a spot on his lung that was concerning. Further testing showed that the spot was, in fact, lung cancer and it had already spread to his liver and his lymph nodes in his neck and chest. On August 23, 2018, Ron was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and was told the average life expectancy was 16 months. More clearly, Ron was not supposed to be alive today. The doctors immediately started Ron on an innovative immunotherapy cancer drug that had proven to be effective with several different cancers. This life-saving drug was developed through a large financial investment and the research and development was done solely in the private sector. The drug's development didn't use a single penny of your tax payer dollars. Today, Ron is feeling great and his future is brighter than ever. His last checkup showed that the cancer is gone from his liver and his lymph nodes and the mass in his lungs has shrunk to the size of a raisin.Five years ago, Ron's diagnosis would have been a guaranteed death sentence, but thankfully, he is still with us today representing the people of Arlington and the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area. Nancy Pelosi's drug pricing bill, H.R. 3, stifles the type of innovation and cutting edge research that saved Ron's life.In fact, the Congressional Budget Office expects Pelosi's bill to keep some 15 fewer diseases from being cured over the next decade. Others expect her bill to keep up to a third of new, life saving drugs from hitting the market. We need to make prescription drugs more affordable, but we cannot do it at the expense of finding breakthrough cures that save lives. That is why I am a cosponsor of H.R. 19, the Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2019. H.R. 19 gives Americans the affordability they need and the choices they deserve at the pharmacy counter. This measure rightfully puts the power back in the hands of you and your doctor, rather than with the insurance companies. Every single provision of the bill has demonstrated bipartisan support and President Trump is ready to sign it into law! H.R. 19 increases competition and puts more affordable, generic medicines on the market and is the Wright choice for you and your North Texas family. Sincerely, Kay Granger",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://kaygranger.house.gov/media/press-releases/granger-defense-bill-delivers-texas,Granger Defense Bill Delivers for Texas,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Kay Granger,G000377,kaygranger.house.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX), the Republican Leader of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement today upon House passage of the FY2020 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. Fort Worth and the Metroplex play a vital role in our national security. Not only do we have an exceptional base, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, thousands of my constituents design and build the equipment and technology that is needed to keep our military strong. I was proud to fight to make sure this year's defense spending bill provides our military with the resources needed to keep this country safe, and also provides the top-notch care our military families deserve. As the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, I was proud to be personally involved in creating the bill that is so vitally important to our national defense and to the thousands of North Texans whose careers and families depend on the defense and aviation industry. This bill provides for much needed modernization to include additional funding for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program and the Army's revolutionary Future Vertical Lift Program. Specifically, the bill provides 98 total F-35 aircraft to maintain air dominance and superiority over China and Russia. It also provides $779 million for the Army's Future Vertical Lift program and provides an additional 14 V-22 tiltrotor helicopters. These programs will keep our nation at the front of the fight and will both protect and increase jobs in North Texas. The bill alsorecognizes the vital role that Space plays in our national defense and provides President Trump with the funding needed to stand up the U.S. Space Forceour nation's sixth armed service. I strongly support the President and his efforts. China and Russia continue to be the leading threat in Space and the funding provided in the bill ensures our cutting-edge research and development will allow us to maintain control of the this most important domain. Our military families deserve the best support we can provide them. The bill funds a 3.1 percent military pay raise, the largest in a decade, and provides for critical research for diseases affecting our uniformed men and women, such as pancreatic cancer. Additionally, the bill provides the critical mental health resources necessary to support much needed military suicide prevention efforts. The health and well-being of our military members and their families is a national priority, and I am proud to support them in this year's appropriations bill.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://kevinbrady.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=404786,Brady Statement on Year-End Tax Package: 'This annual temporary tax circus needs to end',2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Kevin Brady,B000755,kevinbrady.house.gov,,,legacy,"Brady Statement on Year-End Tax Package: 'This annual temporary tax circus needs to end' f t # e Washington, December 17, 2019 WASHINGTON, DCToday, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady (R-TX) released the following statement regarding the year-end tax package: Regrettably, business as usual prevailed in our efforts to reform these supposedly temporary, annual tax policy changes. The fight is not over the focus turns to 2020. This annual temporary tax circus needs to end. Taxpayers deserve certainty, not midnight brinksmanship and short-term patches. Im hopeful we can continue to work to reform these temporary policies, providing certainty, predictability, and growth. f t # e",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/mccaul-applauds-passage-of-bipartisan-appropriations-package,McCaul Applauds Passage of Bipartisan Appropriations Package,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Michael T. McCaul,M001157,mccaul.house.gov,mccaul,https://mccaul.house.gov/media-center/press-releases,scraper,"Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10), Lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, made the following statement after the passage of the bipartisan 2020 Appropriations Package, which included increased funding to defeat childhood cancer, funding to improve community safety and the repeal of taxes that will help lower health care costs. In addition, multiple Foreign Affairs priorities such as the Global Fragility Act and Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act were included in the end of year spending package. ""I voted in favor of the bipartisan FY20 appropriations bill that keeps our government open, maintains our military readiness, and prioritizes the safety of our communities and furthering childhood cancer research. America on the global stage ""Over the course of this fiscal year, the House Foreign Affairs Committee has worked in a bipartisan fashion to advance our shared priorities, many of which were included in the legislation passed today. I am especially pleased that the Global Fragility Act, bipartisan legislation I championed with Chairman Eliot Engel, is part of the final appropriations agreement. This important legislation will rightly focus America's efforts on preventing the root causes of violence and instability in fragile regions around the world. ""The bill also includes my Championing American Business through Diplomacy Act, which promotes American economic interests abroad and counters China's predatory Belt and Road initiative in developing nations. Creating more international opportunities for American business engagement will help push back on China's growing influence across the globe. Securing our digital apparatus ""My DHS Cyber Incident Response Teams Act, also included in the final package, will better prepare our nation to face a new era of digital warfare. This bill will establish flyaway teams to help prevent but also respond to cyber-attacks. The fight against childhood cancer ""Sadly, over 15,000 children are in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. Programs created by my piece of the legislation, the STAR Act, will receive full funding of $30 million. In addition, this bill includes $50 million towards a new Childhood Cancer Data Initiative at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) that was part of the $500 million initiative to end childhood cancer that President Trump announced during his 2019 State of the Union Address. In total, the NCI will receive $6.4 billion in funding to eradicate cancer in the U.S. Repealing harmful health care taxes ""This bill also includes measures that will reduce healthcare prices and help the American consumer by removing the Cadillac tax on middle class health care plans, the 2.3% tax on medical devices, and the Health Insurer tax. Protecting our communities ""Finally, law enforcement, teachers, and first responders will have better access to training programs to better help those who live with mental illness. These two different programs, enhanced by my Community Safety Act, will receive $25 million in funding. ""The final appropriations agreement is a bipartisan product that prioritizes American leadership abroad and I am proud to have supported it today."" The package now goes to the Senate for consideration. Congressman Michael T. McCaul represents the 10th District of Texas. Currently, he serves as the Lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as the Chairman Emeritus on the House Committee on Homeland Security.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z https://olson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/olson-applauds-passage-of-help-act-to-expedite-recovery-process-after,Olson Applauds Passage of HELP Act to Expedite Recovery Process After Disasters,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Pete Olson,O000168,olson.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, DC Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2548, the Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects (HELP) Act, legislation Congressman Olson (TX-22) introduced in May together with Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07). The bill passed with bipartisan support in a vote of 409 to 7. In the aftermath of natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey, government should not be an obstruction to recovery, Congressman Olson said. No one should be forced to delay recovery under unsafe conditions due to bureaucratic red tape. The HELP Act eliminates needless federal regulations so that homes, businesses and infrastructure impacted by devastation are put on the fast track to recovery. I'm thrilled that the House passed our bipartisan bill today. I urge the Senate to act quickly as well. I am proud of the HELP Act and all it represents bipartisan, common-sense, meaningful legislation born out of a partnership with our community that will benefit all Americans, Congresswoman Fletcher said. By allowing certain disaster mitigation and recovery projects to begin more quickly without jeopardizing potential federal funding, the HELP Act provides a straightforward solution to a real problem that will have a meaningful impact at home and across the country. I thank my colleagues for working with me to make this improvement to the disaster recovery process, and I look forward to our next collaboration. The bill was introduced with bipartisan support from additional co-sponsors Reps. G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) and Mark Meadows (NC-11). The HELP Act is designed to assist municipalities and local agencies expedite certain disaster mitigation projects by removing unnecessary delays and streamlining the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) hazard mitigation grant program. The bill now moves to the United States Senate.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://roy.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-chip-roy-december-2019-spending-bills,Rep. Chip Roy On December 2019 Spending Bills,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Chip Roy,R000614,roy.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Chip Roy released the following statement Tuesday afternoon regarding his votes on H.R. 1158Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020: Defense; Commerce, Justice, Science; Financial Services; and Homeland Security and H.R. 1865 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2020: Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Agriculture; Energy and Water; Interior; Legislative Branch; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; State and Foreign Operations; and Transportation and Housing: Today, I voted against the two spending bills brought before the House of Representatives. What you heard from many of my colleagues today is what these bills provide for the American people. Let me be clear: these bills do not provide anything. The American People provide. They work hard to produce for themselves and their families. The federal government borrows. This bill borrows, and it borrows at a time when we can't afford to borrow another penny. Our nation is $23 trillion in debt, now racking up more than $100 million of debt per hour. Just as they've done time and again this year, my Democratic colleagues released the text of these bills less than 24-hours before my colleagues and I were forced to vote on them. Thousands of pages for members and staff to read through with less than 24-hours. Think about that. There is no way on earth anyone could know everything in these bills. But that is how Democrat and Republican leadership like it. These bills are troubling for several reasons. I'll name a few: - Authorizes DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020 - Includes a 7-year reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank - Increases the tobacco age to 21 - which is a violation of liberty and a play to Big Tobacco - Provides barely a fraction of the necessary border security funding -- $1.375 billion for fence and wall construction while the White House requested $8.6 billion It is unfortunate that many of my Republican colleagues, who spent years campaigning on repealing Obamacare and ""fiscal restraint,"" voted in favor of these bills which prop up Obamacare and spend money we don't have. My Democratic colleagues don't care about leveraging the financial futures of your children and grandchildren, so long as they get their pet projects and radical agendas funded. They've never met a spending bill they didn't love. While there are a plethora of reasons I could not support this bill, I'm pleased that the administration's conscious protections are codified, as well as other pro-Life initiatives. I also support the affirmative steps these legislative vehicles take to implement the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which I voted in support of last week. Among many things, including funding for a pay raise for our military, standing-up the Space Force, and continuing to provide missile defense and other lethal security cooperation and aid to our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel. My hope is that President Trump follows through on his promise from March 2018 and vetoes the spending bills. But I say to Congress: I will never sign another bill like this again. I'm not going to do it again. Nobody read it. It's only hours old. Some people don't even know what is in $1.3 trillion it's the second largest ever, President Trump, March 2018",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-williams-statement-on-house-passage-of-fy2020-appropriations,Rep. Williams Statement on House Passage of FY2020 Appropriations Packages,2019-12-17,2019,2019-12,Republican,House,TX,Roger Williams,W000816,williams.house.gov,williams,https://williams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX-25) today released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations packages for national security and defense (H.R. 1158) and domestic programs (H.R. 1865): ""Today's passage of the Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations packages was a disappointing display of what has become business as usual in Washington, D.C. Two pieces of legislation, appropriating nearly $1.4 trillion, were introduced and voted on in less than twenty-four hours. While I have several concerns with the process, I chose to support the national security and defense legislation that delivers a 3.1 percent pay raise for our troops, prioritizes border security efforts, and provides predictability for our military's modernization and readiness programs. ""Unfortunately, I could not support the Democrats' decision to include last minute, unnecessary funding increases and a provision that could infringe upon long-standing Second Amendment protections in the domestic priorities legislation. I look forward to continuing my work on behalf of the 25th District to deliver broadband access to rural communities, repeal the excise taxes on craft brewers and distillers, increase military construction funding at Fort Hood, and make individual tax cuts permanent."" Congressman Roger Williams represents the 25th Congressional District of Texas, which includes Fort Hood and is home to the III Armored Corps. He serves on the House Committee on Financial Services.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-06-27T23:45:33Z