Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz today led a bi-cameral, bi-partisan coalition of lawmakers representing Texas border communities in sending a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to resolve delays in providing permits for key cross-border bridge projects between the United States and Mexico in Brownsville, Laredo, and Eagle Pass, Texas.

"I have been clear that I will not leave Austin without property tax relief targeted at homeowners through an increased Homestead Exemption to provide them as much relief as possible. Homeowners need property tax relief right now," said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick following the passage of Senate Bill 1 and Senate Joint Resolution 1, the Texas State Senate's Property Tax Relief efforts both introduced by Sen. Paul Bettencourt.

As Chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement & Intelligence, I held a hearing this week to examine the threats posed to the U.S. by malign nation-state actors in Central & South America. The chaos of the southwest border could be taken advantage of by anti-U.S. regimes, and our foreign adversaries are expanding their influence in Latin America — essentially in our backyard.

"We achieved a great deal during the 88th Legislative Session that I have signed into law, including laws to provide more than $5.1 billion for border security, hold rogue district attorneys accountable, and add $1.4 billion to make schools safer, but the job is not done. Special Session #2 needs to provide lasting property tax cuts for Texans," said Gov. Abbott.

Sen. Ted Cruz & Cong. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) re-introduced Kate’s Law, a bill which was first introduced in July 2015. The legislation is named in memory of Kate Steinle, a 32-year-old woman tragically shot and killed by an illegal alien who had several felony convictions and had been deported from the United States five times.

The Defense Appropriations package includes several priorities secured by Congressman Gonzales that will strengthen Department of Defense (DOD) operations across Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. Over $158 million (a $40 million increase from FY23 funding levels) in funding will go toward the Defense Community Infrastructure Program.

"Families throughout District 23 & the nation have been devastated by skyrocketing energy costs. We have abundant, safe, and reliable energy resources right here in Texas – and we can't devastate our national or Texas economy by surrendering to President Biden's half-baked green ideas,” said South Texas Cong. Tony Gonzales.

As Americans are hoping for, and demanding some semblance of the truth in politics today, I can tell you the House of Representatives has referred a resolution on the impeachment of President Biden to both the House Judiciary Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee to begin investigating the misconduct and illegal activity that's coming to light daily.

When businesses succeed, so do Texans—and our business climate ensures that Texas continues to offer world-class educational opportunities, good-paying careers to support families, and endless possibilities to prosper.

Texas has bused more than 10,000 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022, over 8,200 migrants to New York City and 2,600+ to Chicago since August 2022, over 1,600 to Philadelphia since November 2022, over 210 to Denver since May 2023, and 40+ to Los Angeles since June 14th. Operation Lone Star has so far apprehended over 384,000 illegal immigrants – 29,000+ with criminal arrests and 28,000+ on felony charges.

“The Biden White House is discriminating against and banning funding scientific research with Jews based on where they live, but defends funding in Wuhan with the Chinese Communist Party. Joe Biden and his administration officials are pathologically obsessed with undermining Israel. Since day one they've launched campaigns against our Israeli allies that are granular – and done in secret," said Sen. Ted Cruz.

In light of the massive revelations and findings of FBI misconduct in Special Counsel Robert Durham's Report, House Republican's work has only just begun. We must now consider: Referring those involved to Federal Attorneys for prosecution; Subpoenaing Democrat leaders who knew about or facilitated the spread of Trump-Russia collusion "mis-information"; and fundamentally restructure the FBI. Partisan biases wore a badge.

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is proud to celebrate the passage of a $400 million funding allocation for the historic Alamo Plan, which was included in the state's budget recently signed by Governor Greg Abbott. The Alamo Plan funding will go to several construction projects – including the Alamo Visitor Center & Museum, the Alamo Plaza, Alamo church, and Cenotaph.

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic Act, which would rename the Veterans Affairs clinic in Plano, Texas, to honor the late Congressman Sam Johnson’s legacy of selfless service.

Texans can see what Appraisal Districts are doing; They're jacking up appraisals in order to ‘bank’ appraised values for the next decade so they can get more funding even if confronted with a Legislature in Austin that's willing to stop them. That means the benefits from a Homestead Exemption Increase might be eaten up within the next couple of years - so let's address this.

With an increased reliance on high-speed internet, the Trump Administration began taken important steps to provide connectivity to those that need it, particularly in rural areas, which still continues today. One such program that started during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), which eventually became the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP.)

The RRC’s well plugging program, which has exceeded goals set by the Legislature for six straight years, will continue its prioritization system to extend its successful work plugging orphaned oil and gas wells throughout the state with state funds.

The bill extends financial assistance to older cadets who attend the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, or one of the other five state maritime academies, and who commit to a post-graduation service obligation. Current age requirements for the federal Maritime Administration’s Student Incentive Payment Program prohibit cadets older than 25 from participating in the program.

The grant supports the New Beginnings Project, a reentry program by Alvin Community College in partnership with Lee College, to assist second-chance individuals with classes that lead degrees and certifications in the Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast, Brazos Valley, Capital Area, Coastal Bend, Deep East Texas, Heart of Texas, and Rural Capital regions.