"I'm proud to work with Sen. Booker to move towards solutions to the horrific fentanyl pandemic," said Sen. Ted Cruz, introducing the "Targeting Online Sales of Fentanyl Act" with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). “The online sale of illicit drugs laced with fentanyl has had a devastating effect – overdoses now surpass suicide, traffic accidents and gun violence as one of the leading causes of preventable death among those 18 to 45," said Sen. Booker.

During his Good for Texas Tour: Energy Edition, Comptroller Glenn Hegar is spotlighting the information his office has gathered about Texas’ energy sectors. He is touring some of the state’s key power entities, meeting with company officials and local community members to hear more about the challenges and successes in energy generation, management and planning.

The Texas Veterans Commission and Bexar County Military & Veterans Services Center event will be held on Saturday, October 28th in San Antonio at Mission Park 2, and includes an opening ceremony with TVC Chairwoman Laura Koerner, VLB Executive Secretary Tony Dale, and an inspiring performance by the Southwest High School's Mariachi Group. (Details are below.)

​​​​​​​“We are deeply concerned about the White House’s recent actions to release $6 billion in frozen funds as part of a prisoner exchange with the Iranian regime. Further, it is concerning that the administration’s U.S. Office for Palestinian Affairs called on Israelis to 'refrain' from a retaliatory response to Iran-backed Hamas’ terrorist attacks," said Cong Tony Gonzales – and every Republican member on the House Homeland Security Committee.

“As this conflict unfolds, I remind businesses that my office maintains a list of companies that boycott Israel. Texas Government Code defines 'boycott Israel’ as 'refusing to deal with, terminating business activities with, or otherwise taking any action intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on or limit commercial relations with Israel or an entity doing business in Israel.' On this issue, there can be no equivocating."

"Colleges and universities across Texas are dedicated to offering exceptional resources and educational support to our brave veterans – and I thank them for their ongoing work to provide comprehensive services for student veterans and military-connected students," said Gov. Greg Abbott, congratulating 21 Texas schools and honoring them with the Texas Veterans Commission's 2023 Veteran Education Excellence Award.

In 1987, Iowa’s top state income tax rate was 9.98%, and that rate kicked in at an income of $45,000. In California that same year, the top tax rate was 11%, but California Gov. George Deukmejian and the legislature dropped the top rate to 9.3% in 1988. That rate kicked in at $47,000. I don’t know which part of the previous sentence is more surprising: that California’s government dropped the tax rate, or that California once had a Republican governor.

"This  Jobs & Education Grant will help equip Southwest Texas students with the skills and experience they need to thrive in high-demand careers. I thank the Texas Workforce Commission, Southwest Texas Junior College, and our educational partners for their ongoing dedication to bolster Texas' workforce to create more economic opportunities for hardworking Texans," said Gov. Greg Abbott.  

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced today he will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts $1.1 billion in local sales tax allocations for October, 4.5 percent more than in October 2022.

“Innocent children were gunned down at a music festival. Seniors were slaughtered and kidnapped. Americans are among the lives lost in the deadly attack that's killed more Jews than any attack since the Holocaust," said Gov. Greg Abbott Monday night at the Dell Jewish Community Campus in Austin, asserting Texas’ enduring support of Israel and the Jewish people during a solidarity gathering for Israel.

The Legislature set a target of 1,000 orphaned wells to be plugged in fiscal year 2023, and the RRC plugged a total 1,750 wells – including 730 orphaned wells using federal grants. The Texas RRC’s Oil & Gas Division worked tirelessly to exceed the target in its award winning Well Plugging Program for the 7th year in a row.

The letter, which follows up on multiple letters led by Sen. Cruz on this topic, highlights the project’s ballooning costs over the last decade from $13 billion (2012 estimate) to $37 billion (2022 estimate). In addition, Senators are seeking answers on the redirection of money from federal grant programs intended to help smaller communities to the Gateway Program, which has received the largest federal transportation grant in history.

“On Saturday the world witnessed the largest mass murder of Jews on any day since the Holocaust. Iran-controlled Hamas terrorists used Nazi tactics: house-to-house murders of entire families, the murdering of babies in front of their parents, marching victims through the streets. The United States must be unambiguous about our commitment."

In a complete reversal from Joe Biden's campaign promise that "there will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration," the Secretary of Homeland Security announced last week that the Biden White House would construct some 20 more miles of the border wall in South Texas. I was just in Eagle Pass, and the border is in absolute chaos.

Approximately 9 million illegal immigrants – including  gotaways & apprehensions – have unlawfully entered the United States under Joe Biden. The majority of those have been released into the interior of our country – and reportedly, many have settled in my Texas Congressional District in a community called “Colony Ridge” that's located within Liberty County just northeast of Houston.

Senator Ted Cruz, along with Sens. Mike Braun (R-IN), Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and 17 other Senators sent a bi-partisan letter to the U.S. Archives & Records Administration seeking answers to the backlog of Veterans’ Service Record requests – often required to access critical government benefits and services – to ensure requests are expeditiously processed so veterans receive their hard-earned benefits.

“Today’s grant presentation is the Texas Veterans Commission’s final stop on the 'Big Check Tour' that's provided over $36 million in state grants to veterans. From pro bono legal services, to clinical counseling, these grants will help ensure Texas' veterans and their families have the resources and support they deserve,” said Gov. Greg Abbott earlier today, announcing a total of 19 grants across 35 counties.

In his opening statement at today’s full Senate Commerce Committee hearing titled “CHIPS and Science Implementation and Oversight,” Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) discussed the importance of a strong U.S. chip manufacturing industry and highlighted how Texas’s business-friendly climate has helped make the Lone Star State the center of semiconductor manufacturing.

“This appears to be another symptom of our nation’s failure to secure our borders. My Texas colleagues and I are incredibly concerned with the reports we’re seeing about Colony Ridge, and believe the state should thoroughly investigate this issue to address illegal immigration and prevent future situations like Colony Ridge,” said Texas Cong. Brian Babin, Co-Chair of the House Border Security Caucus.

According to the National Weather Service, a slow-moving cold front is expected to bring severe storms to Texas through the end of the week. Threats include heavy rainfall, flash flooding, large hail, strong winds and tornadoes. “Texas is readying emergency response resources to assist local officials ahead of the severe weather that's expected to impact their communities," said Gov. Greg Abbott.