Senate Democrats have blocked Sen. Ted Cruz's Amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which would have provided remedies to servicemembers who were separated from the military based solely on their COVID-19 vaccine status. It would have allowed these individuals to return to military service and adjust their discharge status from “general” to “honorable” to restore lost GI Bill & VA Benefits.

Since day one, my platform has been to stand with Israel. I am proud to announce that House Republicans passed my cosponsored legislation H. Con. Res. 57 by a vote of 412-9. This bill rejects all forms of antisemitism and ensures that the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel, one of our closest friends and allies. In Case You Missed It, watch here!

On Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) introduced legislation to increase the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour and eliminate the tip credit. The Employment Policies Institute is warning lawmakers and the public that the proposal would cost 337,088 Texas jobs, and 1.7 million jobs nationwide, according to a new EPI report.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is reminding shoppers they can save money on clothes and school supplies during the state’s sales tax holiday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 11-13. State law exempts sales tax on qualified items — such as clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks — priced below $100, saving shoppers about $8 on every $100 they spend.

Texas' Operation Lone Star has led to 394,200+ Illegal Immigrant Apprehensions, 31,300+ Criminal Arrests, with 29,100+ Felony Charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, Texas Law Enforcement has seized over 422 million lethal doses during the mission. "We will see you in court, Mr. President," said Gov. Greg Abbott, after the Biden White House sued Texas over its deployment of Floating Marine Barriers in the Rio Grande River.

Senator Chuck Grassley has now shared the FBI's unclassified 1023 document with the public — it reveals the Biden Family was paid $10 million dollars by a Ukrainian oil company when now-President Joe Biden served as Vice President. Thanks to the leadership of Sen. Grassley – and House Oversight & Accountability Committee Chair James Comer – the American people can now read the report for themselves... and here it is.

Texas broke three more records again with the number of total jobs, the number of people employed, and the size of the state’s civilian labor force. Since June 2022, Lone Star State employment grew by 542,500 positions — the largest annual increase in the nation. Texas’ employment growth rate continued to outperform with a 4.0% annual June to June 2023 rate — outpacing every other state, as well as the nation’s more modest 2.5%.  

As Governor Greg Abbott today defended Texas’ right to secure the Texas Border through the deployment of floating marine barriers in the Rio Grande River as part of the state's unprecedented response to the ongoing border crisis, he's now been forced to send a letter to Biden after threats that the president's Dept. of Justice will sue.

In advance of Israeli President Isaac Herzog's address to Congress, I introduced a resolution supporting the State of Israel that passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The resolution clearly states that: The State of Israel is not a racist or apartheid state; Congress rejects all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia; and the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel.

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) have introduced a bill to name a United States Postal Service (USPS) office in McAllen, Texas, in honor of Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez, Jr., who died in the line of duty last year.

The project involved removing surface casings on four wells that had been plugged in the Neches River by operators in the 1970’s and early 80’s. The tall surface casings were starting to get exposed over the decades as river depths changed, posing a risk in recent years to boaters passing through the national preserve.

The last thing our kids need is for their place of learning to be turned into a shelter for illegal immigrants – they're struggling to recover from devastating pandemic-era learning loss. Last week House Republicans passed the "Schools Not Shelters Act," sending a message to Sanctuary Cities that schools should not be used to house illegal aliens. Students shouldn't have to pay the price for Joe Biden's failed border policies.

Last Friday, Governor Greg Abbot joined First Lady Cecilia Abbott & Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson for the final stop of an Economic Development Mission to Germany, the United Kingdom & France – meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sign Economic Development Statements of Intent with French Minister Olivier Becht.  

Secretary of State Mayorkas' dereliction of duty is clear – implementing reckless policies & failing to enforce the laws passed by Congress. And because of his reckless open border policies, cartels are running a criminal enterprise here in the United States. He's created our historic crisis, and this was proved further last week by the testimonies of expert witnesses who've worked at our Southern Border.

Despite a falling Texas rig count, newly-released data from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) shows that upstream oil and natural gas employment in the state continued to grow in June, with industry adding an additional 2,500 jobs. Last month, oil and natural gas employment rose above 200,000 for the first time in over three years.

“We know China's been amassing the largest stockpile of crude in the world. Nevertheless, last year we sold off part of our reserves to China," Sen. Cruz said. "We should not be selling our emergency oil reserves to our adversaries. I've been working with Senator Manchin to prohibit such reckless moves and prevent the federal government from selling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea.”

"My children've been to five funerals of friends who thought they were taking Xanax or ADD medication, and never woke up. Ending 'Catch & Release' was the very 1st Bill I introduced in Congress 20 years ago... yet it's alive & well today. And Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas is responsible in my judgment. We need to designate fentanyl as a chemical weapon," said Cong. Michael McCaul at a House hearing Wednesday.

"With migrants from over 150 Countries encouraged by Open Border Policies to risk their lives and make the dangerous trek to enter our country illegally, Texas is deploying every tool & strategy to deter and repel illegal crossings between its ports of entry." Until President Biden reverses his Open Border Policies and does his job to Secure the Border, Texas will continue protecting Texans & Americans from the chaos.

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), proud Hispanic Americans and members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today introduced the Respect for Hispanic Americans Act. The legislation would ban the use of the wholly-invented term “Latinx” in any official government communication by a federal agency or employee.

​​​​​​​State agencies need a strong workforce to fulfill their missions. But Texas government, like other states and localities nationwide, faces staffing shortages and high turnover in a few critical areas, including ones that impact the health and safety of Texas’ most vulnerable citizens.