The largest gains in April came from the sectors driven primarily by consumer spending, with the retail trade and service sectors both increasing by double digits compared with April 2025. The growth in receipts from the service sector reflects a surge in spending on live entertainment. Within the retail trade sector, double-digit gains in receipts came from the general merchandise subsector — with strong results from big box retailers and warehouse clubs — as well as from electronic shopping.

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) will be introducing the Barring American Citizenship by Keeping Out Foreign Fraudsters (BACK OFF) Act, which would put a stop to birth tourism, a long-abused system that America’s foreign adversaries like China and Russia have exploited to undermine our nation’s sovereignty and ensure their children are born on American soil to automatically gain U.S. citizenship.

Texas' agriculture community is one of the key backbones of our nation's economy, and a critical pillar of our national security. Last week, House Republicans passed the Farm, Food & National Security Act of 2026, commonly known as the Farm Bill. It's one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in the United States, and while it's supposed to be renewed every five years, Congress has not passed a Farm Bill since 2018, making this year's bill especially important.

Last week I was proud to help advance key priorities for East Texas families, farmers, and our Nation’s Security. I voted to pass the Farm, Food & National Security Act of 2026 – the first Farm Bill since 2018. This legislation is one of the most consequential tools we have to support American agriculture, shape our food supply, and strengthen rural communities. For too long, Texas farmers and ranchers have been pushed to the brink, facing rising costs, labor shortages, and unpredictable weather.

All we hear about from the Left these days are shouts of voter suppression. Don't believe a word of it! Voting among Hispanics, Blacks & Asians have all increased over the last two decades. Hispanic turnout alone rose to 37.9% in 2022, and 40.4% in 2018 from 31.2% in 2010. ​​​And since we think a picture is worth a 1,000 words, we prepared a chart showing the trend of minority voting in non-presidential election years – and yes, t​​​​​​​he numbers are up, not down for each minority group.

More than 6,000 Veterans die by suicide each year, and as lawmakers we have a responsibility to the men & women who wore the uniform – as well as to the families who stood beside them – to pursue every credible option to improve their post-war outcomes and save lives. President Trump signed an Executive Order last week that will advance Federal Research into the therapeutic potential of ibogaine, and it signals a shift toward prioritizing evidence, accountability, and results.

Texas added 46,800 nonfarm jobs in March to reach a total of 14,403,500. Over the year, the state added 117,200 jobs for an annual nonfarm growth rate of 0.8 percent, outpacing the national growth rate by 0.6 percentage points. Texas’ civilian labor force registered at 15,916,600 after decreasing by 25,200 over the month. Over the year, Texas’ civilian labor force has added 82,200 people.

I have been laser-focused on security preparations for these games. As transnational gangs and nation-state adversaries increasingly use unmanned aircraft systems — or drones — to carry out attacks around the world, we must do everything in our power to secure the airspace over our 11 U.S. host cities. That's why this week, I wrote to Secretary Hegseth, Acting Attorney General Blanche, and Secretary Mullin, urging the administration to empower the National Guard to counter drone-related threats.

The new report released this week by the Department of Justice’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias is a wake-up call. The task force, led by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, has produced one of the most, if not the most, substantive works of this administration. The report, entitled “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias within the Federal Government,” lays bare what is at the heart of the Left’s disdain for religious freedom: it is a clash of “worldviews” over abortion, gender ideology, and sexual orientation.

The "10% Credit Card Interest Rate Cap Act" – sponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) – would impose a ceiling on credit card rates for five years. But because whatever government touches has catastrophic consequences, the results would be at least 64 million U.S. consumers having less access to Credit Cards or paying higher fees – and, millions of lower-income Americans with poor credit ratings would be at risk of losing their cards entirely.

Governor Greg Abbott today directed the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) Board of Trustees to implement the maximum feasible premium reductions that both preserve the long-term financial stability of the TRS-Care fund and reduce Medicare Advantage insurance costs for retired educators.  Last year, the Governor delivered the largest investment in public education in Texas history, including over $4 billion for teacher and staff pay raises.

From Edinburg, Texas, Cassy Garcia brings nearly two decades of experience in public service and government relations at the local, state, and federal levels. She began her career as a Regional Field Representative for the Texas Agriculture Commissioner, and later served as Sen. Cruz’s South Texas Regional Director and Deputy State Director. She most recently served as Senator Cruz’s Acting State Director.

Gov. Greg Abbott today announced that a Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) grant in the amount of $20,852,518 has been extended to Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) for an expansion of their manufacturing capacity in Sugar Land, Texas. The expansion represents more than $279 million in capital investment, and is expected to create 500 jobs. The expansion of the Sugar Land facility will increase production of specialized semiconductor chips and transceivers used to build high-speed optical networking infrastructure.

"As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Morens and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed information and falsified records," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. David M. Morens is charged with: Conspiracy Against the United States; Destruction, Alteration, or Falsification of records in Federal Investigations; Concealment, Removal, or Mutilation of Records; and Aiding & Abetting. He served as a senior advisor in the Office of the Director for the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases from 2006 through 2022.

The Operational Excellence Award is given to cemeteries that significantly surpass the quality standards set by the National Cemetery Administration's Compliance Review Program, which conducts thorough inspections every three years. The Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Abilene was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 25, 2009, and is the third TSVC built and run by the Texas Veterans Land Board under the Texas General Land Office.

The Left clearly needs the tone of the National News to be frantically negative – all the time – to feed their highly agitated base and hopefully motivate it to vote against President Trump. But this is exactly why half the country views the national news as fake. So as the nation's "mainstream" media has demonstrated a profound double standard for at least the last decade, the third assassination attempt against Donald Trump is an opportunity to assess where we stand on the question of Political Violence.

“Congress has to protect innocent Americans who are being defrauded left and right while crooks and illegal migrants profit,” said Sen. John Cornyn, introducing the "Protecting American Taxpayers Act" – a comprehensive legislative package to recover stolen funds, protect taxpayer dollars, and stop fraudsters that includes his Veterans Scam & Fraud Evasion (VSAFE) Act which would establish a Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer at the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA.)

During the ceremony, Governor Abbott reflected on the legacy of Texas law enforcement, noting that today’s officers carry forward the same proud tradition as the lawmen who helped tame the Wild West. Governor Abbott emphasized that while the role of law enforcement has evolved over time, their commitment and dedication to protecting Texans remains unchanged. Governor Abbott was joined at the ceremony by surviving spouses, family members, and state leaders.

Last year, I introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, which would require placing Nigeria back on the country of particular concern list and impose sanctions on officials involved in enforcing blasphemy and Sharia laws. When Christians are being systematically persecuted, anyone who remains silent is complicit. We need to continue shining a light on these atrocities for justice and for an end to persecution, for peace.

Is any Republican in Congress listening? The mid-terms are shaping up to be a disaster, you’re in big trouble, and you’re whistling Dixie. You’re preparing a “skinny” Budget Resolution with more debt spending – and no growth enhancers! No tax cuts, no fraud reforms. No health care savings. Are you TRYING to lose the House & Senate? Our Committee to Unleash Prosperity co-founder, Larry Kudlow, finally gave the GOP a well-deserved spanking yesterday on the Fox Biz Kudlow Show.