Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA), in partnership with South Texas College, Texas State Technical College, Texas Southmost College, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley will use these funds to provide education and training programs in high demand occupations, including healthcare and specialized trades, for 420 students.

“Today, we gather to honor those who served our country to ensure the freedoms we enjoy each & every day,” said Gov. Greg Abbott, as he and Texas' 1st Lady Cecilia Abbott honored the service and sacrifice of Texas Veterans at the Wreaths Across America wreath-laying ceremony at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin earlier today. Held as part of the annual National Wreaths Across America Day, this is the fifth year Gthe governor has participated in the ceremony.

“The Biden administration has announced CBP will issue yet another closure of two Texas-Mexico rail bridges, which will stop critical goods like farmers' grain and other consumer goods from flowing between our countries. President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas's failed immigration policies must not stand in the way of commerce."

“As a 20-year Navy veteran, taking care of the men & women in our military and those protecting our homeland is a top priority of mine,” said South Texas Cong. Tony Gonzales. "This 2024 National Defense Authorization Act strengthens our National Security efforts, delivers for our Servicemembers and their families, and enhances Congressional District 23’s Military Installments," Gonzales said, after several of his initiatives and priorities were included in the bill – including a provision to increase Border Patrol Agents in TX-23's overtime pay.

“We have a collective responsibility to make sure that we provide the power & electricity to support our growing state by adding new, reliable power plants like this one," said Gov. Greg Abbott earlier today, celebrating Texas’ effort to add new, reliable power plants to the Freestone County Energy Center expansion project. The expansion – expected to come online in 2024 – will bring over 300 new jobs to Freestone County, and 425 megawatts of new, dispatchable generation to the Texas Grid.

“This Proposed Rule ignores nearly seven years of oversight conducted by Congress and the Office of Inspector General, and reveals chronic foot-dragging — if not total reluctance — when it comes to protecting vulnerable children. It provides ample protections to government bureaucrats — at the expense of children. ​​​​Even more concerning, the requirements in this proposed rule are already being enforced by the Office of Refugee Resettlement,” said Senators Ted Cruz, Chuck Grassley, and 37 other Senate Republicans.

"Over the past decade, we’ve seen Texas rise to be a top state for the nation's Tier 1 Research Universities. Also, this past year Texas has created far more new jobs and is home to more Fortune 500 Company Headquarters than any other state – and the primary reason CEOs are choosing Texas is because of our premier workforce,” said Gov. Greg Abbott earlier today, celebrating the higher education achievements Texas has made at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s (THECB) 2023 Higher EDge Leadership Conference.

​​​​​​​“We appreciate the Legislature and Governor Abbott for recognizing this important issue,and attacking it head-on with the passage of HB 5066. We look forward to working with the Texas Public Utility Commission and others to address this important challenge on behalf of our members – and the oil and gas industry in Texas,” said Karr Ingham, Interim President of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.

"As a Texan who grew up near the coast and lived on Galveston Island for more than a decade, I'm honored to be able to bring this much-needed funding to Galveston County for this project – preserving our state’s precious shorelines and their communities is a top priority," said Texas' General Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham earlier today, announcing the approval of the Coastal Erosion Planning & Response Act (CEPRA) funding for the Bolivar Peninsula Beach and Dune Restoration Project.

“Under Joe Biden’s leadership, we’ve seen the largest illegal immigration crisis in our nation’s history. Every single day, 1,000s of illegal aliens pour over our Southern Border and strain our communities. Women are being raped, children brutalized, and over 100,000 Americans are dying every year from narcotics & fentanyl flooding into our country. We cannot turn a blind eye to the perilous invitation the Biden White House continues to freely give out to break our immigration laws," said Sen. Ted Cruz.

"We had the solemn opportunity to meet with the families of the hostages held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists, and we were appalled by the horrific stories of October 7th that we heard. As Members of Congress, we stand in bipartisan & unwavering solidarity in calling for their immediate release. With the rise of terrorism, sexual violence against women, and over 100 hostages still held in Gaza, the work to combat these evils is urgent," said Representatives Tony Gonzales, Debbie Wasserman Shultz, Mario Díaz-Balart & Adriano Espaillat.

The examples found by the Office of the Attorney General pretend to be from the Social Security Board, fraudulently warning that the person’s social security number will be suspended due to being charged with crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering, theft, and tax evasion. These emails may also tell the recipient to call a toll-free phone number that the scammers will use to steal their personal information.  

​​​​​​​“The Council took important action to provide hospital districts with additional resources to combat this crisis, as hospitals in many cases bear a significant burden and often administer the last line of life-saving health care to prevent overdose deaths. This is a key step in ensuring these facilities can continue, and expand their work saving the lives of Texans,” said Comptroller Glenn Hegar, announcing how state-dedicated funds to fight the opioid crisis will be allocated. 

Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas Dept. of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work to secure the border, to stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas, and prevent, detect & interdict transnational criminal activity in the Lone Star State. ​​​​​​​Every individual apprehended or arrested – and every ounce of drugs seized – would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Biden’s open border policies.

"Unfortunately, the administration’s military & economic responses to Iran and its proxies have not only been disproportionate, they appear to be completely disjointed. We therefore request that your departments provide us with a classified assessment on the administration’s plan to deter Iranian aggression and prevent the escalation of conflict in the Middle East," said Senators Ted Cruz, Tim Scott, and others in a letter to Biden's Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Defense calling for clarification of the policy to grant Iran access to tens of billions of dollars via special waivers.

“Although nothing can replace a family’s loved one, our state seeks to honor the cherished memory and brave service of those who lost their lives in Operation Lone Star. We have the opportunity to honor their sacrifice by distributing this benefit through the Crime Victim Compensation Program,” said Attorney General Paxton,” said Attorney General Paxton, awarded four lump-sum death benefits for fallen soldiers in Texas’ Operation Lone Star pursuant to legislation enacted by the 88th Legislature for active-duty military members and national guardsmen.

"Birthright citizenship has long served as a powerful incentive for illegal immigration, and over time, has become wrongly accepted as law, with supporters claiming it is guaranteed by our Constitution," said Cong. Brian Babin (TX-36,) following the introduction of his new bill, the "Birthright Citizenship Act of 2023." This legislation has 21 original cosponsors, and would ensure America properly implements Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution – ending birth tourism.

“Opportunity knows no bounds in Texas – thanks to the hardworking men and women of this great state," said Governor Greg Abbott earlier today, celebrating Texas’ continuing economic momentum as new data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows the Texas economy expanded faster than the nation as a whole for the 4th Quarter in a row. Second quarter 2023 real GDP — the value of all goods and services produced — grew in Texas at an annual rate of 4.9%, well ahead of the U.S. rate of 2.1%.

"Given the $800 billion in trade that Texas has with Mexico each year, shortening the lengthy delays in border bridge crossings will help lower the cost of goods for American families," said Sen. Ted Cruz, after House & Senate lawmakers announced agreement on the annual Defense Authorization Bill that included Cruz's effort– pushed by a bi-partisan & bi-cameral coalition of Texas Legislators – to streamline the Presidential Permitting Process for new & expanded bridges across the Rio Grande River in Brownsville, Laredo & Eagle Pass, Texas.

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) issued the following statement after permitting reform language for cross-border bridges was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2024. Working with Senator Ted Cruz, Cuellar secured provisions reforming the Presidential permitting process for the World Trade Bridge expansion project in Laredo.