On December 7, 2022, Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez, Jr. died in the line of duty after his ATV crashed while pursuing illegal aliens who were fleeing capture. Agent Gonzalez honorably served our nation for over a decade. The "Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act" would: Permanently prohibit any illegal alien who flees Border Patrol from ever receiving legal U.S. immigration status; Increase sentencing ranges to 5 to 20 years if someone is injured during pursuit; and if death results from the pursuit, the defendant could face up to life in prison.

“Texas is where the chip was born, its where the semiconductor industry is building, and thanks to companies like Dongjin Semichem Texas we will continue to be #1 for semiconductors,” said Gov. Greg Abbott, adding, “DST's $110 million investment in their specialty chemicals & materials facility in Killeen will help secure the U.S. supply chain – produced in Texas for the first time." In 2023 Abbott established the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium, and the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund.

“It's quite simple actually – if we don't have secure elections, we don't have a sovereign nation. So maintaining and always improving the integrity of our elections is vitally important to ensure trust and confidence in the outcome of our elections by making it easier to vote and harder to cheat," said State Rep. Carrie Isaac as she introduced a legislative package aimed at tightening election security and ensuring that all Texans – and only Texans – have the right to vote in Texas’ elections.

​​​​​​​“The growing number of Hispanic & Minority Republicans in Congress proves that Americans reject the failed policies of the left – they have driven inflation to historic levels, sent gas prices soaring, and created the worst border crisis in our country’s history. We are committed to defending the values of our constituents, and advancing real, common-sense solutions for America,” said Congressional Hispanic Conference Founder Mario Díaz-Balart, after Texas Cong. Tony Gonzales was elected to serve as Chairman.

“The historic wildfires that tore through the Texas Panhandle last year left a lasting mark on the Ranchers, Families, & Communities involved – I’m committed to making sure those hit hardest can use the assistance they’ve received to rebuild their farms, ranches, and livelihoods,” said Cong. Ronny Jackson as he and Sen. Ted Cruz reintroduced the "Wildfire Victim Tax Relief & Recovery Act" to provide tax relief for when wildfires burned 1.2 million acres, destroyed homes, and killed 1,000s of cattle.

"These rumors are extremely problematic, and if true, the flagrant disrespect shown to Colonel Davis is unacceptable. I'm calling for the use of all diplomatic means to demand the Chinese government permit United States investigators to explore the validity of these claims immediately," said Land Comm. Dawn Buckingham, calling on President Donald J. Trump, Sect. of State Marco Rubio, and Sect. of Defense Pete Hegseth to return the remains of World War II and Korean War Veteran Lt. Colonel George A. Davis, Jr. 

After Gov. Greg Abbott recently called for a renewed focus on the development of nuclear power in Texas in order to position the Lone Star State as a leader in advanced technology and further enhance the state’s energy grid – including proposing a Texas Nuclear Power Fund to facilitate the development of Nuclear Power Plants – State Senator Tan Parker has filed a bill to begin facilitating the permitting, financing, and integration of clean, dispatchable nuclear power into Texas' grid by 2035.

I wanted to provide you with an update on my work for Texas' 31st district in the United States House. In January, my office assisted 185 Texans who were facing issues with federal agencies and helped return over $4 million to constituents. This amount includes IRS refunds, VA benefits, and Social Security payments owed to constituents that were stuck behind bureaucratic red tape.

"There's an appropriate role for foreign aid when it's advancing American interests and advancing and helping our allies. But indiscriminately shoveling millions of dollars out the door – particularly to our enemies – doesn't make sense. Under President Biden, the USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) was weaponized to advance a left-wing agenda worldwide, strengthening our enemies and undermining our allies. President Trump and Elon Musk are taking action to halt its funding."

Gov. Greg Abbott has announced that he has signed an MOU between Texas and U.S. Customs & Border Protection that grants Texas National Guard members the power to make Illegal Immigration arrests. This MOU will help the Trump White House boost manpower and work tirelessly to end the border crisis and secure the border. Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, over 531,100 illegal immigrants have been apprehended, with more than 50,600 Criminal Arrests and some 43,400 Felony Charges.  

The West Texas-based 11th Congressional District I have the honor of representing, includes the cities of Midland and Odessa, among others, and much of the United States' top oil & gas producing region – West Texas' Permian Basin. I am thrilled that the U.S. House passed my legislation, "The Protecting American Energy Production Act," to protect the Permian Basin from the federal government, and in addition, the House has also passed legislation to protect our communities from deadly fentanyl.

In response to an expedited opinion request from Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, Attorney General Ken Paxton explained that students competing in athletic competitions may not take steroids — including testosterone — unless there is a “valid medical purpose” under the Texas Education Code. Additionally, claims of undergoing a “gender transition” in no way fall under medical exception. “In America, we recognize there are only two unchangeable genders — male and female," said Paxton.

“The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is meant to protect the U.S. – not supply our adversaries. Under President Biden, part of this reserve was sold to benefit China’s strategic interests, and there's strong bipartisan consensus to prevent such a sale from being repeated," said Sen. Ted Cruz, as he and Democrat Senators John Fetterman & Elissa Slotkin introduced the "Banning SPR Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act" to prohibit the sale of oil to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and others.

Europe acts as if it is recovering from World War II, so it can hit up a supposedly limitless rich American patron with asymmetrical tariffs. Consider the various Trump "tariffs" leveled by an exasperated, and now $36 trillion-indebted, America. Almost none of them meet the traditional definitions of an industry-protecting tariff. Instead, they are the last-gasp tools of American leverage used only when decades of bipartisan diplomacy, summits, entreaties, and empty threats have all failed.

SB 2, by Sen. Brandon Creighton, establishes an education savings account (ESA) program that gives parents a broader choice to direct their child’s school funding. The program will be administered by the comptroller and its capacity is 100,000 students. Eligibility is universal, with 80% of funds going to families with special needs children or those earning under $161,000 per year.

In 2023, Governor Abbott signed the Save Women’s Sports Act into law to protect the integrity of fair competition and women’s sports by prohibiting biological men from competing against female athletes at Texas colleges and universities. In 2021, the Governor signed a similar law to protect girls’ sports in Texas public schools.

“For too long, HUD has been run by appointees more focused on advocating for pet political projects than the agency’s primary missions of improving housing affordability and helping communities recover from disasters. Texan Scott Turner, as the 19th Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Affairs, will bring the Lone Star spirit of commonsense, accountability and efficiency," said Land Comm. Dawn Buckingham, whose agency helps distribute federal disaster funds from HUD.

The mandate the American people handed Republicans in November is clear: it’s time to reverse the deeply harmful policies of the last four years and restore the values that have made our nation strong. Last week, I had the privilege of joining President Trump and Vice President Vance in Miami, where I’ve been working closely with my House Republican colleagues to lay out a bold blueprint for getting America back on track.  

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said state sales tax revenue totaled $4.3 billion in January, 6.8 percent more than in January 2024. The majority of January sales tax revenue is based on sales made in December and remitted to the agency in January. For an extensive history of tax policy developments and fees since 1972, visit the agency’s recently updated Sources of Revenue publication.

Last Wednesday, I had the honor of attending President Trump’s signing of the Laken Riley Act — a law that will help keep our communities safe. This bill is named after Laken Riley, a young nursing student who was tragically killed by an illegal immigrant with a criminal record. Her death was heartbreaking, and while we can’t bring her back, this law will help prevent similar tragedies in the future.