New data from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) indicate that upstream oil and natural gas employment grew by 2,500 in January 2025 compared to December 2024. This is growth on top of TWC’s just-released upward revisions for 2024. For example, December 2024 employment is now estimated at 200,900 whereas the original estimate was 195,500. Since the COVID-low point of September of 2020, the industry has added 46,400 Texas upstream jobs, averaging growth of 892 jobs per month.
This week President Donald Trump signed the Congressional Review Act (CRA) repeal of the Biden administration’s natural gas tax. This legislative action nullifies the methane fee imposed by the Biden administration on oil and natural gas production, which would have driven up costs to producers and American consumers. For Texas, this legislation is vital. As the nation's largest producer of oil and gas, Texas is the source for America’s reliable energy.
Another day, another unelected activist judge playing constitutional hopscotch with America’s safety. This time, Judge James Boasberg, an Obama appointee (because, of course, he is), has decided that foreign gang members—yes, actual criminals with suspected ties to violent Venezuelan crime syndicates—deserve a golden parachute back into the U.S. after President Trump rightfully ordered them deported.
House Republicans remain committed to a secure border, a strong military, and a government that works for the American people — not against them. While Republicans are working to govern responsibly, Democrats are playing political games. In December, not a single House Democrat voted AGAINST the Continuing Resolution Funding Bill (CR,) but last week all but one voted against it. Why? They'd rather shut down the government than allow Republicans to deliver results for hardworking Americans.
Governor Greg Abbott today announced that Texas has begun the process to close the Operation Lone Star jail booking facility in Jim Hogg County thanks to President Donald Trump’s decisive and swift leadership on the border crisis that has led to historically low illegal immigration. The state has offered the use of the facility to the Trump Administration in support of their robust border security operations.
Last week President Trump signed my legislation to unleash America's energy potential and repeal Joe Biden's burdensome regulations – particularly on one of the cleanest fuels available, natural gas. And as Democrats almost caused a government shut down to spite President Trump & the American people, Congressional Republicans began to restore America by codifying his actions into law to ensure our victories cannot and will not be undone by future liberal administrations.
“We are moving rapidly to ensure all these bills – which reflect the will of the conservative majority of Texans – have ample time to pass the Texas House, and arrive at Gov. Abbott’s desk to be signed into law. This session has started out with a hopeful working relationship with Speaker Burrows, and working together with the Texas House, this could be the best session ever for all Texans – especially for conservatives," said the Lt. Governor while listing a total of 15 more "Priority Bills."
The mainstream media has become so biased in recent years that President Donald Trump popularized the phrase “fake news” and Elon Musk, posts rants about them almost daily on his X platform. Both have sued the media for libel or defamation. But little has changed; outside of some pushback at a few publications like The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times due to their publishers, the mainstream media is doubling down with the slant and partisan bias against Trump and conservatives, further decimating their shrinking numbers.
Senate Bill 25, by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, requires food labels to warn Texas consumers which ingredients are banned in other countries starting in 2027. SB 25 also requires daily physical education for students from kindergarten to eighth grade and prohibits the removal of recess, physical education, and sports practice for disciplinary reasons. SB 25 establishes a nutrition advisory council at the Department of State Health Services with a focus on metabolic health, functional medicine, and chronic disease.
Governor Abbott noted the momentum that school choice has picked up in the Texas House and thanked Speaker Dustin Burrows for his support to pass a universal school choice program. Additionally, Governor Abbott highlighted Texas' robust homeschooling program to ensure parents remain in charge of their child's education and debunked lies being spread by school choice opponents that school choice will interfere with homeschooling pathways.
Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) hosted Laurent Bili, the French Ambassador to the United States, in San Antonio. Ambassador Bili is the most senior French government official ever to visit San Antonio. Through various stops across the city, Congressman Gonzales and Ambassador Bili highlighted the importance of the U.S.-France relationship and emphasized the strength of this partnership as it relates to the San Antonio community.
This week Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced his agency will take 31 actions to roll back onerous Biden and Obama era regulations. Included in these actions will be a reconsideration of the 2009 ill-named 'endangerment finding', which made greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, pollutants subject to agency regulation. This finding provided the legal framework to regulate CO2 and enabled the Net Zero movement to gain traction both in the United States and worldwide.
Over the last three decades, elite American universities have engaged in economic, political, social, and cultural practices that were often unethical, illegal -- and suicidal. They did so with impunity. By the 1970s, non-profit universities had dropped pretenses that they were apolitical and non-partisan. Instead, they customarily violated the corpus of iconic civil rights legislation by weighing race, gender, and sexual orientation in biased admissions, hiring, and promotions.
“SpaceX is investing 100s of millions of dollars in our Bastrop facility, and incredible innovation and high-tech manufacturing is happening in Texas as a result of Gov. Abbott’s leadership,” said SpaceX President & COO Gwynne Shotwell after Abbott announced the 5th Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund grant of $17.3 million for a Semiconductor R&D and Advanced Packaging Facility just Southeast of Austin. The effort will create over 400 jobs, involves more than $280 million in Capital Investment, and will be the largest of its kind in North America.
"There's bipartisan agreement that American Flags should be produced in America – using American materials – but loopholes in existing law still allows Chinese manufacturers to sell flags, including through fraudulently-branded websites. This bill would close those loopholes. Congress should take it up and expeditiously pass it.” said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, introducing his bill to ensure that American flags displayed on Federal Property or procured by Federal Agencies are manufactured in the United States.
"Ensuring the safety & security of every Texan – especially our children – is a top priority for me and the Texas Senate, so I want to thank Committee Chair Joan Huffman for her prompt effort to advance this crucial legislation,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick earlier today, after Sen. Huffman's Senate Bill 260 to increase School Safety Funding was passed. “Today we acted to permanently enhance school safety by $500 million – and that funding is in addition to the $366 million allocated for ongoing support," said Patrick.
"The growing doctor shortage is a crisis we can’t afford to ignore," said Texas Congressman Brian Babin (TX-36,) as he and Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) reintroduced their "Resident Education Deferred Interest Act" (The REDI Act) to address a growing doctor shortage, make medical education more affordable, and boost health care outcomes in Southeast Texas and across America. "By passing the REDI Act, we can remove a major financial barrier for future physicians & dentists."
President Trump is serious about reducing the bloated size of government and its spending. And, after his popular & triumphal "Joint Address to Congress" last week, he and Congressional Republicans are pushing to keep spending in the last 6 months of the year at about the same levels of the first 6 months while they work out what should be spent – and what should not. Waste, Fraud & Abuse have been exposed everywhere, and the ball is in Senate Democrat's Court. The choice is theirs – and America IS watching.
