Last week in the Washington Times, I addressed the heartbreaking tragedy unfolding in Iran and the brutal reality of a regime that answers peaceful dissent with bullets and prison cells. For 47 years, since 1979, Iran’s rulers have exported terror, fueled instability across the Middle East, and oppressed their own people with impunity. I also wrote about a truth history has proven time and again: peace is not preserved by weakness.
Last week, I proudly voted to pass the SAVE America Act to secure U.S. elections. It's common sense that only Americans should be able to vote in American elections, and this legislation ensures just that. It protects and preserves the right of American citizens to vote by requiring individuals provide proof of citizenship to register to vote, and to present a valid photo identification when voting.
Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) joined officials at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) to commemorate a $2 million investment to expand drone testing and operations infrastructure at the University’s remote facilities in Fabens and Tornillo, Texas. Congressman Gonzales secured the funding through his seat on the House Appropriations Committee.
The national competition challenges students to craft compelling scary stories in just 100 words. Carefully crafted story starters help young writers overcome the blank page and begin writing quickly, while the word limit encourages them to sharpen vocabulary and make intentional plot choices. The genre invites students to experiment with character, viewpoint, tension and structure. Jazmin’s winning entry, titled “I Don’t Want What You Have I Wanna Be You,” tells the haunting story of a narrator who discovers her own name on a missing persons list.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez flew to Munich, Germany, this week to participate a security conference where she and her fellow Democrats whine about their claim that the President is a fascist in the home of fascism, “genocide” in Gaza in the places where real genocidal plans were hatches, and climate change in person when they could have simply done a Zoom call and saved the “carbon footprint” of the flight.
Governor Greg Abbott announced earlier today a $4,162,550 Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) grant to Arm Inc. for an expansion of their Austin campus for a new Semiconductor Lab with failure analysis capabilities. The expansion is expected to create over 320 jobs, and represents more than $71 million in Capital Investment. Arm’s Austin operation is central to designing advanced processors for mobile, cloud, and data center applications.
“Programs in Minnesota for welfare and childcare were designed to channel resources into protecting vulnerable children, but were treated like an open ATM by criminals. The mass fraud in Minnesota shows that American taxpayers can no longer rely on Local & State politicians to prevent abuses, because those politicians have electoral and partisan incentives to look the other way," said Sen. Ted Cruz, as he, Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the "Payment Integrity Act."
This wasn’t just some regulatory tweak. President Donald Trump just delivered a knockout punch to Obama-era climate hysteria, and the bureaucrats are having a total meltdown. On Thursday, the Trump administration finalized rules repealing the EPA’s "Endangerment finding" — that dubious 2009 determination claiming six greenhouse gases threaten human health under the Clean Air Act.
Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock today announced that Texas will double its investment in Israel bonds from approximately $140 million to $280 million, marking the largest one-time investment in Israel bonds in Texas history and elevating the state from the 6th-largest to the 2nd-largest U.S. state investor in the securities. Texas has invested in Israel bonds since 1994.
One of the main tenets of Marxism is that there should be no borders. That also seemed to be the policy of the Joe Biden administration. But high school students marching in the streets yelling eff ICE? How did that happen? How did the protests, so prevalent on college campuses, get started in high schools where 15-year-olds are essentially promoting anti-capitalist ideologies? Will middle school students be next?
Governor Greg Abbott announced Davie Defense Inc. will expand their shipbuilding capacity in Galveston and Port Arthur to build Arctic icebreakers, creating more than 2,400 new jobs and representing more than $730 million in capital investment. A Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) grant of $21,771,000 has been extended to Davie Defense. Davie Defense intends to make its Texas operations ground-zero for the revitalization of the American shipbuilding industry.
“When the news broke about the Childcare Service Fraud by Somali nationals in Minnesota, the American people were shocked and outraged. But as soon as the magnitude of the fraud was amplified by independent investigators, the Mainstream Media & Radical Left immediately began calling the U.S. government’s actions 'racist,'” said Sen. Cornyn earlier today as he chaired a Senate Judiciary Hearing on the issue. Now, we know it may be just the tip of the iceberg.
Yesterday, every single House Democrat (except one) voted AGAINST requiring Photo ID to vote in Federal Elections. Think about that – and all the other daily activities that require a Drivers License or ID. If only U.S. Citizens should vote in U.S. elections, how come a handful of states today require absolutely no form of identification to vote. Elections are the foundation of our Republic, and that’s why I’m proud to support the "SAVE America Act."
In response to the recent increase in threats toward Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) introduced the Bulletproof Law Enforcement Vehicles Act to expand existing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resources for law enforcement vehicle security upgrades. The Bulletproof Law Enforcement Vehicles Act is endorsed by the Police Officers' Defense Coalition, the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition, and the Southwest Border Sheriff's Coalition.
The House is expected to pass the SAVE America Act, after which it will move to the Senate. The challenge will be in the Senate, where at least seven Democrats are needed to join 53 Republicans to reach the 60 needed to pass the filibuster plateau. Should this bill be passed and signed into law? Absolutely. The core premise of this bill is beyond any question or dispute -- that anyone voting in a federal election must be a U.S. citizen and provide documentation to prove it.
Well, with an Election Year upon us and Early Voting starting next week, it will soon be the season for the shifting winds & fleeting alliances to determine who will be Texas House Speaker in 2027. And because the Speaker is elected by the sitting members of the House, that means the Texas GOP’s leadership (read the State Republican Executive Committee,) has already tried to influence the race by bullying some great candidates and incumbents not to run in the party's primary. Beware the so-called "Purity Test."
“Most Americans are completely unaware that Sharia Law is insidiously trying to take over their communities – and undermine our Constitution and way of life,” said House Judiciary Subcommittee Chair Chip Roy. “Dallas has become ground zero for the Islamification of America, more mosques being built in Texas than in any other state, and if we are not careful, America will fall just like we’re seeing in London & Paris,” Roy warned.
The Trump administration is renewing the United States' emphasis and focus on the Western Hemisphere — and its a move I strongly support. We must prioritize what is happening in our own backyard to ensure the prosperity and stability of our region of the world. That's why, this weekend, I led a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Mexico to meet with Mexican lawmakers and other government officials.
