"He was a bold and unwavering voice in defense of life, championing the unborn, the vulnerable, and the marginalized with conviction and compassion. Cecilia and I join more than one billion Catholics across the globe to honor the legacy of Pope Francis. Our hearts go out to all who join us in mourning his death and remembering the impact his teachings had. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him."

Upskill Texas enables businesses to invest in training solutions that address evolving industry demands and ensures they remain competitive in the marketplace. This initiative provides funding to support technical training for employers that are introducing new technologies, expanding into new markets, introducing new services, or restructuring to better serve their customers. The deadline to apply is Monday, June 30th, 2025.

With more than 89.4 million records now digitized – up by more than six million since last October – the RRC is fast approaching 100 million records being added to its online digital archives by the end of this fiscal year. The accomplishment saves RRC staff significant man hours and reduces the processing time for routine records requests, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks that require more time to fulfill.

Texas' economy continued its strong performance in March, with the labor market achieving record highs in both total jobs and the size of the civilian labor force. Texas added 26,500 positions over the month to reach a total of 14,282,600 nonfarm jobs. The state added 192,100 jobs over the year, bringing the annual nonfarm growth rate to 1.4 percent which outpaced the national growth rate by 0.2 percentage points.

As severe weather season approaches, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar reminds Texans they can purchase certain items tax free during the state’s sales tax holiday for emergency preparation supplies, which begins at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, and ends at midnight on Monday, April 28. The Comptroller’s office estimates shoppers will save about $2.3 million in state and local sales taxes during the tax holiday, which was approved by the Texas Legislature in 2015.

“For the first time in Texas history, our state has passed a Universal School Choice Bill out of both chambers in the Texas Legislature," said Gov. Abbott, adding, "This is an extraordinary victory for the 1,000s of parents who've advocated for more choices to educate their children. Texas could not have accomplished this without the hard work and unwavering support from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, and Committee Chairmen Brandon Creighton & Brad Buckley."

"As NASA’s leadership has languished in our nation’s capital, the core missions of this critical agency are more divided than ever. This seismic disconnect between NASA’s headquarters and its missions centers has opened the door to bureaucratic micromanagement," say Cruz, Babin, and other Texans in Congress, arguing that Houston is well suited with Mission Control, the NASA Astronaut Corps, and the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility already located there.

“Last week, the Texas Senate did not take its foot off the gas pedal, passing 186 bills over to the Texas House – including 3 of our Top 40 Priority Bills. We passed a giant business tax cut, established a homeland security division within the Texas Dept. of Public Safety (DPS), passed legislation stopping squatters from taking advantage of Texas property owners, and more. The Senate's firing on all cylinders, and we will not be stopping any time soon," said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

Last week I voted in favor of the budget resolution to continue advancing our America 1st Agenda, blocked non-citizens from voting, reined in District Judges, participated in two full committee markups, joined a News Event discussion on investing in America, and much more. These are all necessary steps to implement President Trump’s agenda. We have to look the American public in the eye, and give them the confidence that we are committed.

“Texas is where the future of innovation is building,” said Gov. Greg Abbott earlier today, congratulating NVIDIA on the announced construction of two Supercomputer Manufacturing Facilities in Texas, partnering with Foxconn in Houston, and with Wistron in Dallas. Production at both facilities is expected in 12-15 months. "As demand for technologies powered by artificial intelligence grows, we will work with industry leaders from around the globe to accelerate production."

Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) has introduced transformative legislation to increase access to capital for small businesses and small banks."The Small Bank Holding Company Relief Act" raises the consolidated asset threshold of Bank Holding Companies (BHCs) to qualify as Small Bank Holding Companies (SBHCs) from $3 billion to $25 billion. Raising the asset threshold for SBHC would enable more banks to operate at higher debt levels, which can allow them to raise capital more cheaply. 

Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 532,100 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 52,400 criminal arrests, with more than 44,500 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 668 million lethal doses of fentanyl—enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, Mexico, and Canada combined during this border mission.

Last week I proudly voted to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility "SAVE Act" to restore public confidence in our Election System and close loopholes that enable non-citizens to vote. Americans deserve to know their elections will be safe & secure – yet 208 Democrats voted against this commonsense legislation. Their opposition underscores why we need the bill — to provide a line of defense against fraudulent Democrat efforts. 

Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Dallas Independent School District (“ISD”) have entered into an agreed order to ensure that the District is not violating Texas law by permitting biological males to participate in girls’ sports. In February, Paxton requested records from Dallas ISD related to alarming evidence, including a video, that the District had – in violation of state law – implemented an unwritten policy of encouraging male students to alter their birth certificates to play in girls' sports. 

Gov. Greg Abbott today held a meeting with Governor Hideaki Ohmura of Aichi Prefecture to discuss the strong economic relationship between Texas and Japan and explore new opportunities to increase trade at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin. During the meeting, Governor Abbott and Governor Ohmura highlighted the successful economic partnership between Texas and Japan, pointing to the Statement of Mutual Cooperation (SMC) both leaders signed during Governor Abbott’s economic development mission last year to Japan.

"The fact that we even need this legislation proves just how far Democrats have gone in opening our elections to abuse. House Republicans are taking a stand to restore trust, secure our elections, and stop foreign interference," said Cong. Brian Babin after having voted in favor of H.R. 22, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or "SAVE Act" that was introduced and sponsored by Babin's fellow Texas Congressman Chip Roy.​​​​​​​

This process is about fulfilling the American people’s mandate and advancing the President’s America First agenda. We ought to remind ourselves of the imperatives that remain top of mind for Americans across the entire country. They want a secure border, lower taxes, American energy dominance, and a smaller, less costly, and more accountable federal government. We ought to address these imperatives without delay – and that means proceeding to the reconciliation process and continuing our work that began just a few short months ago.

 Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) joined Congressman Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) in a bipartisan effort to get the U.S. Army to review regulations that prevent eligible veterans and service members from receiving one of our nation’s most distinguished military honors, the Purple Heart. A Purple Heart is given to current and former members of the Armed Forces who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving.  

Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) has introduced bicameral legislation to prevent the federal government from imposing burdensome restrictions on how Americans can invest into their self-directed 401Ks. the "Financial Freedom Act of 2025" would prevent overreaching and burdensome restrictions on investments made in a self-directed 401(k) account and prohibits the Department of Labor from limiting the types of investments that self-directed 401(k) account investors can choose to invest through a brokerage window.

President Donald Trump has signed Executive Orders to revitalize the use of coal as an American energy source. The orders signal an end to the Biden/Obama-era coal moratorium, and directs federal agencies to encourage coal powered development. “President Trump is fulfilling his promise to drive down energy prices, and make America Energy dominant again by revitalizing American coal production,” said RRC Commissioner Wayne Christian.