Governor Greg Abbott today issued a proclamation calling for a statewide moment of silence at 7:00 AM CDT on Monday, October 7th, 2024, to honor the victims whose lives were tragically taken due to the acts of war committed by the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, and to remember those who are still being held hostage to this day. Gov. Abbott will lower the Texas and U.S. flags to half-staff next Monday, and asked religious leaders to light a candle at their next service in observance of this solemn day.

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced The Advancing Research in Nuclear Fuel Recycling Act. The bill requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Academy of Science to create an independent committee of experts to study recycling the country’s spent nuclear fuel. The DOE-commissioned study would evaluate the cost, benefits, and risks of recycling our spent nuclear fuel compared to the status quo of interim storage.

Governor Greg Abbott today announced 36 Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA) grants totaling more than $8.6 million were awarded to 32 organizations in Dallas-Fort Worth and the North Texas region as part of the Texas Veterans Commission’s (TVC) Grants Across Texas presentations. Presented by TVC today, the funding will provide services to more than 10,900 veterans and their families across 30 counties.

"I joined my colleagues on the House Oversight & Accountability Committee. Tuesday, I chaired my Subcommittee on Government Operations & the Federal Workforce to oversee the egregious spending habits of the Department of Defense, and am carefully watching as taxpayers deserve transparency in how their hard-earned dollars are being spent to support them. The DOD is the only federal agency unable to achieve a clean audit," said Cong. Pete Sessions.

With a rapidly growing population and economy, it is vital Texas remains powered.  Texas set a daily power consumption record six times in May 2024, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas anticipates the state's growth will continue to push power consumption to new highs. This growing demand necessitates a diverse energy portfolio that can meet the needs of our state with reliable and dispatchable power.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced the Regional Impact of Disasters and Emergencies Relief (RIDER) Act to improve access to and delivery of federal relief to disaster-struck communities. This bipartisan, bicameral bill would amend existing law to better address the on-the-ground experiences of communities affected by major disasters. Reps. Brian Babin (R-Texas-36) and John Garamendi (D-Calif.-8) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

The lawsuit follows comments previously submitted by Commissioner Buckingham to the USFWS more than a year ago outlining inconsistencies with listing the DSL as endangered and how moving forward with this classification "could have a crippling impact on the oil and gas industry" which will result in job losses across the state and decreased revenue for the Permanent School Fund (PSF) and Permanent University Fund (PUF).

The House Republicans brought up H.R. 7909, the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, which amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make illegal immigrants who are convicted of, who admit having committed, or who admit committing sex offenses or domestic violence inadmissible and deportable from the United States.

This biennial award honors women in state service who are helping to shape the future of Texas by contributing their notable talents and skills. Candidates were nominated by their respective state agency leadership in four categories, and an independent committee selected the women whose contributions best exemplified the categories of leadership, professional development, community involvement, and rising star. 

"The Israeli government has the right and obligation to respond and protect the Israeli people, and it imperative for that the Biden-Harris administration to reverse its policy of equivocating between Israel and Hezbollah and for the United States to unequivocally stand with our Israeli allies as they respond to the attacks Iran has been waging through Hezbollah,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, who serves as amember of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The Permian Basin is the largest oil-producing region in the United States, contributing 46.3% of the nation's oil production in 2022. However, since the start of the calendar year, the area has encountered a sharp rise in oil and gas theft – worsened by the ongoing Border Crisis. “It’s time to get laws on the books that hold criminals accountable for coming into West Texas to steal our energy resources – and the 'Protect the Permian Act' will do just that,” said Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales.

"Based on what whistleblowers and former agents are telling our Task Force, the Secret Service – with a budget of $3.1 billion and 8,000 personnel – is well able to accomplish their zero-fail mission. We should all be thankful for the elite and dedicated agents who make up the vast majority of the force, but its clear the failures we have seen of late come from poor and dysfunctional leadership at the top," says Texas Congressman Pat Fallon, who serves on the House Oversight & Accountability Committee.

Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Office of the Governor’s Public Safety Office is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of known or suspected members of the dangerous Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) who have been or are involved in criminal activity and pose an increasing danger to the public safety of Texans.

Electric vehicles are considerably more expensive than gas vehicles – and much less reliable in cold weather and with our current grid stability, making them an unrealistic option for most American families. Americans should be able to choose which car best suits their needs and the needs of their family, and not be forced to choose an EV because it’s the only option left in the marketplace. EVs are unrealistic for many Americans, and Americans don’t want to be forced to drive them shows a recent study.

"Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death in America's children. In 2009, I founded the Childhood Cancer Caucus to give children with this disease a voice on Capitol Hill – and last week I hosted the 15th Annual Childhood Cancer Summit, which was a celebration of their lives, a testament to their strength and courage, and a reminder of all the things we have accomplished over the past 15 years," said Cong. Michael McCaul of his efforts to protect children from the #1 killer — while partnering with so many advocates.

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry. Governor Abbott noted that Texas will deploy every tool and resource available to ensure that the state is a hostile territory towards this violent gang. 

In Fort Worth earlier today, Governor Greg Abbott swore in the the first, and newly appointed, judges to the Texas Business Courts which were created by the State Legislature last year to provide an efficient mechanism for business to resolve complex commercial disputes in Texas. Gov. Abbott was joined by Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd and Justice Evan Young, Senator Phil King, Representatives Davis Cook, Jeff Leach and Andrew Murr, as well as County Judge Tim O’Hare, and Ft. Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. 

​​​​​​​This legislation is part of my effort as the Chairman of the Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Subcommittee to eliminate waste and increase productivity in government agencies. Efficiency in government agencies is essential for taxpayers and government employees alike. By identifying areas where federal employees in supervisory positions need support, this survey will ensure our government is working effectively for our citizens.

The Texas labor market achieved a new record-high level for jobs and the civilian labor force in August. Texas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment increased to 14,239,200 after 78,000 jobs were added over the month. Texas added 302,400 jobs from August 2023 to August 2024. Texas’ annual nonfarm growth rate currently sits at 2.2 percent, outpacing the U.S. growth rate by 0.7 percentage points.

“The passage of this bipartisan bill will put laws on the books that protect the most vulnerable children among us. The 'Find & Protect Foster Youth Act' will improve communication between State & Federal Agencies to help find missing foster children, and will strengthen reporting standard and investigations if missing foster youth were victims of abuse, sex trafficking, and other forms of harm.,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales’ (R-TX-23).