ICYMI: New World Screwworm Free Educational Course

Five Years Since Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – I am continuing to address the confirmed cases of the New World Screwworm (NWS) across Texas. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the State of Texas have taken immediate action to eradicate this threat to livestock and the American food supply. 

As part of these eradication efforts, my office is coordinating with the USDA and local ranchers to ensure that sterile flies are being deployed across affected areas; a proven method for eliminating NWS populations at the source. My office and I will remain in close contact with Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and the USDA as we work together to eradicate this parasite.

Governor Greg Abbott has launched a free, online educational course for Texans to learn more about NWS. If interested, you can access and take the course here.

If you see signs of maggot infestation in live or recently dead wild animals, please call 866-4USDA-WS (866-487-3297) to report it to your local USDA Wildlife Services office. If you are a rancher, please continue to monitor your livestock and report any unusual findings to USDA. For official updates, please visit screwworm.gov.

Loss of Two Service Members at Fort Hood
My prayers are with the families of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre Huey and Warrant Officer Seth Olmstead, who lost their lives in Wednesday's Apache helicopter crash near Fort Hood. These service members put on the uniform every day to defend our freedoms, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten. I'm grateful for the first responders and Fort Hood personnel who worked to secure the site, and I'm keeping the entire Fort Hood community in my thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.

Five Years Since Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Last Saturday marked the fifth anniversary of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Although I am thankful that our service members made it home, the execution was a disaster. The Biden Administration’s reckless planning cost thirteen American service members their lives in a terrorist attack at Abbey Gate in Kabul. The administration’s careless execution left $7 billion worth of military equipment behind and allowed the Taliban to regain control of the country, turning it back into a breeding ground for terror.

We will never forget the consequences of this action by the previous administration, and we grieve with the families of those killed. Their sacrifice and service will not be forgotten.

ICYMI: Combating Illicit Xylazine Act Passes Committee
Before the August District Work Period began, my legislation to combat the illicit use of xylazine advanced out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act would crack down on the deadly fentanyl additive xylazine by listing it as a Schedule III controlled substance.

Xylazine was never meant for human use, yet traffickers are increasingly mixing it into street drugs to make them more potent and more deadly. My legislation takes direct aim at traffickers exploiting this drug for illicit purposes, while preserving its legal use by veterinarians and agricultural producers. I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle until this critical legislation is signed into law. Read an op-ed I penned about the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act here or by clicking on the image below.