Over the past month, videos have surfaced of unidentified & unauthorized drones flying over the Eastern United States. It's unacceptable that the Biden Administration's Dept. of Defense is not protecting the sovereignty of American airspace. So as Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee on Counterterrorism, I led a hearing to examine the threats posed by drones to the U.S. homeland. In the wrong hands, drone technology could impact American national security – and disrupt our nation's critical infrastructure.

The world is on fire, our adversaries are on the move, and the United States cannot afford to fall behind. Last week, 1,000s gathered to commemorate the valor and sacrifices of the U.S. Soldiers who fought in the bitter cold during one of the greatest American battles of World War II, the Battle of the Bulge. House Republicans are committed to restoring the focus of our military back to lethality, giving our warfighters the tools they need to combat our adversaries, and counter the increased aggressions against the United States.

In case you missed it, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz and Elliston Berry, a 15-year-old high school student from Aledo, Texas – and a victim of deepfake pornography – last week urged the U.S. House to pass the bipartisan, bicameral "TAKE IT DOWN Act" which Sen. Cruz introduced with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN.) During a press conference, Ms. Berry and others spoke about the importance of ensuring that other women and girls don’t face the same horrific trauma.

The Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) today highlighted the many steps the industry is taking to prepare for winter weather events to ensure reliable oil and natural gas production and transportation no matter the weather, noting several positive policy developments designed to encourage investment in dispatchable electricity generation and expand electricity transmission infrastructure in the Permian Basin, both critical to meeting electricity needs in Texas.

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. Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by over 87% due to our historic border security mission.

Finally, after three years, numerous subpoenas, and facing contempt of Congress, Secretary Blinken appeared before my committee this week. Secretary Blinken repeatedly stated that this was a false and partisan report, but during my hearing, he admitted he never read my report. What’s partisan is claiming something is false without having read it simply because it does not advance your political agenda.

It’s an incredible honor to be chosen to serve as the next House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee Chairman. Between our nation’s booming science, space, and tech sectors and the growing threat posed by adversaries like Communist China, there has never been a more important time for this committee. Falling behind in any of these critical arenas is not an option.

This week’s news of a new EPA report showed that methane emissions from the largest oil and natural gas-producing basins fell 44 percent between 2011-2013; and also dropped in seven oil and natural gas-producing basins by up to 87 percent from 2019-2023. Following the update, Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian criticized the Biden Administration for creating new rules and taxes on oil and gas producers and power plant

On Wednesday, December 11th, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will host a press conference celebrating unanimous Senate passage of his bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act, which now moves to the House for consideration. Sen. Cruz will be joined by the TAKE IT DOWN Act’s lead House sponsor Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), as well as victims and advocates for legislation to protect against online sexual exploitation.

As a Member of Congress, I've long been a supporter of cutting government spending, believing that we should give the government every dollar it needs – but not one penny more. I also have long worked to counter waste, fraud, and abuse at the federal level. These experiences have prepared me to serve as Co-Chair of the House DOGE Caucus, and last week I had the pleasure of attending two meetings with Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy.

The Biden-Harris Administration has imposed a ban on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports. There have been several reports that the Department of Energy (DOE) used a flawed study to shut down LNG exports. The U.S. House passed my legislation in a bipartisan vote to reverse this de facto ban that would hurt American energy production.

Since the launch of "Operation Lone Star," Texas' multi-agency effort has led to over 527,600 Illegal Immigrant Apprehensions, and more than 49,000 Criminal Arrests – with more than 42,200 Felony Charges. In the fight against the Fentanyl Crisis, Texas Law Enforcement has seized over 573 million lethal doses of fentanyl – enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States and Mexico combined.    

“Farmers and ranchers near the Texas-Mexico Border have had their homes and businesses forced onto the frontline of Joe Biden’s invasion, bearing the brunt of the immediate damage from illegal border crossings. Our 'Landowner Compensation Program' has begun to provide relief to those who need help with the costs imposed by border crime,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

"I am leading this effort to uphold American sovereignty – and our 2nd Amendment,," said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, as he and members of the Senate and House of Representatives filed an amicus brief in the Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos case. In their brief, they argue a lawsuit filed by Mexico in U.S. Federal Court against American firearms manufacturers – for crimes committed by Mexican cartels in Mexico – is a violation of American sovereignty and threatens the 2nd Amendment.

The 11-member Council, established by the Legislature and chaired by RRC Chairman Christi Craddick, was tasked with making recommendations to lawmakers on updates necessary for the oversight and regulation of production, pipeline transportation, and storage of hydrogen. The hydrogen industry is already well-established in Texas, primarily serving the petrochemical and refining industries. ​​​​​

These Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grants awarded through the the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) will help public junior, state, and technical colleges; school districts; and open-enrollment charter schools buy equipment for career and technical education (CTE) programs that help students across the state go into high-demand industries. 

"In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1325 by Rep. Tracy King of Uvalde to bolster agriculture in Texas. Part of that bill allowed for the commercialization of hemp – which might include un-removable, non-intoxicating trace amounts of Delta 9 THC. This effort will have broad bipartisan support in the Senate, and I trust in the House they will also see the danger of these products and pass this bill with overwhelming support,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, announcing that Senate Bill 3 will be carried by Lubbock Senator Charles Perry.

In 2022 Congress passed legislation creating a Civil Cause of Action for victims of Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery, or NCII, to sue individuals responsible for publishing even AI-generated “deepfake revenge pornography.” However, because Civil Actions can be time-consuming and expensive, Senators Ted Cruz & Amy Klobuchar (D-MN,) have now passed the "TAKE IT DOWN Act" to criminalize the publication of NCII and require social media websites to remove the content within 48 hours of notice from a victim.

Here's an idea for Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy – the co-chairs of the exciting new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. It could raise tens of billions of dollars, overnight! Sell unused or underused U.S. Assets to the highest bidder. Sell buildings, loan notes, furniture, unused land, computers, slices of the electromagnetic spectrum, vehicles, planes, and the like. Not including land and minerals, estimates are that the federal assets have a market value of more than $8 trillion.

After a dramatic and unexpected Sunday Evening "full & unconditional pardon" of son Hunter, Joe Biden is facing a rapidly growing chorus of blowback from within his Democrat Party as state and national leaders are raising their voices in criticism to his now-abandoned pledge to not interfere in his son’s legal problems – which was repeatedly and adamantly sold to the American Public as Mr. Biden's principled stand to stop the U.S. Justice System from weaponization, legal warfare, and political influence. What are voters to make of that idea now?