"In the two years that President Biden has been in office, there've been over 5 million encounters at the Southern Border, and at least 1.4 million gotaways. That totals nearly 6.5 million people. To put it in perspective… that’s bigger than the population sizes of thirty-three U.S. states. Republicans will not ignore this crisis. We will restore the security of our border," says West Texas Cong. August Pfluger.

“There is a full-on invasion unfolding... the worst illegal immigration in history – 6.5 million people crossing illegally," said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, as he and Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Ted Budd (R-NC) and John Hoeven (R-ND) toured the U.S.-Mexico Border in Brownsville, Texas as Title 42 ended. They toured Camp Monument, where they met with members of both the U.S. Customs & Border Patrol, and Texas National Guard.

It’s past time to stand up for America. ​​​​​​​The alarms are going off, Mr. Biden's asleep, and 5+ million Southern Border illegal crossings are devastating local communities and state resources. House Republicans passed legislation to fix Biden’s broken border policies, restart construction of the border wall, increase hiring of Border Patrol Agents, and end "Catch & Release." America and Texans are tired of shouldering the burden.

This latest version does little to provide meaningful school choice, and legislators deserve to know that it would be vetoed if it reached my desk. Instead, the original House version of the Senate bill provides a more meaningful starting point to begin House-Senate negotiations.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas): Israel has taken necessary action against terrorist leaders in the Gaza Strip to protect its citizens and maintain national security. Such Iran-controlled terrorists pose a direct threat not only to Israel but also to the safety and security of the American people.

"Representing more than 40% of our nation's Southern Border, I know firsthand the struggles that Border Communities, Border Patrol Agents & Law Enforcement Officers face each and every day. The "Secure the Border Act" is a step in the right direction and cracks down on false asylum claims while preserving people's rights who're legitimately fleeing persecution to have their day in court.," said Texas border-area Cong. Gonzales following H.R. 2's passage.

The State of Texas is ready to provide all available resources and support for Texans in Hidalgo County as they rebuild and recover from severe storm damage last month,” said Governor Abbott. “This disaster declaration will help those impacted to move forward, recover from property damage, and continue to rebuild from severe storm damage.

Lax – or no border enforcement – means an uptick in drug trafficking & smuggling, and the entry of dangerous individuals with criminal backgrounds. The tragedy in Cleveland, Texas, where a Mexican national with a criminal record and multiple illegal re-entries shot five neighbors "execution style," underscores both the risks of Joe Biden's lack of leadership – and the need to stand for the interests of Texas and its people.

“Our border remains under assault. The resources of U.S. Customs & Border Protection remain under tremendous strain. The 13,000 encounters that're now being experienced every day would be the equivalent of throwing gasoline on an already raging fire,” said the letter that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz signed on to urging President Biden to reverse his decision to end Title 42 on Thursday at 11:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.

H.R. 2, the "Secure the Border Act of 2023," will be considered and debated on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives under a "Closed Rule" which waives all points of order against consideration of the bill, provides that the bill shall be considered as read, and that for consideration of H.R. 1163, the "Protecting Taxpayers & Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act," all points of order against consideration are waived. 

With President Joe Biden ending Title 42 this Thursday, Governor Greg Abbott is enhancing Texas’ unprecedented border security efforts with the tactical deployment of 100s of Texas National Guard soldiers to join the 1,000s already deployed there as part of "Operation Lone Star," serving on the new Border Force for targeted responses as the nation braces for an expected spike in illegal immigration.

Republicans have a plan — the Secure the Border Act of 2023 — to resume border wall construction, upgrade technology, and provide the funding necessary to hire and retain quality Border Patrol Agents. President Biden & Set. Mayorkas' policies have created a national security and humanitarian crisis at our Southern Border. And with Title 42 expiring in just six days, the chaos is only going to get worse.

As the COVID-19 emergency declarations come to a rightful end, Title 42, a public health order that allowed for immigrants to be sent back to their country of origin, is now set to expire next week. Instead of reimplementing policies that work, Biden is pouring United States resources into "regional processing hubs.”

Last week, U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member and Chairwoman of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee, respectively, introduced two bi-partisan national weather bills aimed at modernizing the nation’s weather communication and radio service to help Texans and all Americans stay safe during weather disasters.

In a case with wide-ranging consequences for the State of Texas, Attorney General Paxton successfully stopped the Biden Administration’s judge-shopping efforts and secured the stay of an Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) action that would have imperiled the State’s ability to properly manage its environment. 

“I'm proud that 1,000s of Texans with disabilities have opened a 'Texas ABLE Account' over the past five years — expanding their opportunity to live a more independent life and save toward a better financial future. Being able to save for qualified disability expenses, while maintaining eligibility for critical means-tested state & federal benefits is a game changer for a better quality of life and greater financial security,” said Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar.

The Texas House was active this week as it kicked off the final month of the 88th Legislative Session. House Republicans worked diligently on the floor and in committees throughout the week, and the efforts will go a long way toward keeping Texas the greatest state in the nation. Of the many bills making their way through the House, we’ve recapped the priorities that were up for consideration this week. 

Currently, cities in the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and counties in unincorporated areas are abusing their authority to approve plats by not following current restrictions in the Local Government Code. Senator Bettencourt’s office was made aware of many instances of cities and counties using roundabout methods to impose minimum lot sizes as a way to decide who and what they want in their backyard.

“A State Trooper was assaulted in the Texas Capitol earlier this week by a participant in the demonstrations by transgender activists who were attempting to disrupt the proceedings of the Texas House of Representatives. The individual was arrested, and charged with assault on a Peace Officer, resisting arrest, and was booked into the Travis County Jail. Within hours, Travis County DA Jose Garza dropped the charges," said Paxton.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is reminding Medicaid recipients who received renewal packets in April to return their information to the agency to avoid potential gaps in coverage if they are still eligible.