“I’m proud to sign the largest S-IGSA between a state and the U.S. military. Texas will always support the brave men and women who serve in our military, and together we will continue to help these heroes serve and protect the greatest nation in the history of the world. We're ensuring infrastructure projects at our bases are built faster, and more efficiently,” said Gov. Abbott while signing the historic 10-year agreement. 

“School choice is the Civil-Rights issue of the 21st Century, and every single child deserves access to an excellent education – regardless of race, ethnicity, wealth or zip code. That's why I’m once again introducing legislation to dramatically expand education freedom by creating $100 billion in Federal Tax Credits and scholarships. If passed, it would be the most consequential federal education legislation since the G.I. Bill," said Cruz.

For over two years now, President Biden has waged war on American Energy... from canceling critical pipelines, to regulating endless permitting delays, taxpayers have seen energy prices skyrocket due to these anti-energy policies. And now – in order to bail out his radical "Green New Deal" agenda – he's depleted our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This week, House Republicans fought back.

"Our debt currently sits above $31 trillion — a figure that's incomprehensible to most people. To put it in perspective, the debt is equivalent to almost $100,000 per person – and will nearly double over the next generation. To avoid a crisis, Congress will not only need uncommon fiscal courage, but commonsense economic policies that encourage work and grows our GDP," says the new chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Last week I introduced legislation to Authorize the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against the Mexican Cartels facilitating our Southern Border Crisis. I also signed onto Articles of Impeachment for Homeland Security Sect. Mayorkas. The cartels are at war with us – poisoning 80,000+ Americans with fentanyl each year, creating a crisis at our border, and turning Mexico into a failed narco-state. It’s time we directly target them.

“While direct travel spending in Texas is recovering faster than national averages, we continue supporting Texas businesses as they grow and expand. All eligible tourism-related businesses in Texas are strongly encouraged to apply for this grant program," said Gov. Abbott of the Texas Travel Industry Recovery Grant Program that will provide one-time grants of up to $20,000 for recovery of Texas businesses impacted by the pandemic.

As Republicans on the House's Homeland Security Committee worked to expose the atrocities of President Biden’s border crisis last year, I served as Ranking Member on the Counter-Terrorism Subcommittee and led the effort to expose the shocking number of known and suspected terrorists entering our country under his watch. And, I plan to keep holding this White House accountable for the crisis.

"This is the strongest, best equipped group of senators in Texas history. They are proven leaders with the expertise and experience needed to keep Texas moving in the right direction. That includes the most outstanding freshman class we have ever had," said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, following today's announcement of his Texas Senate Committee appointments for the already-underway 2023 Legislative Session.

"In one of my first acts as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I sent a letter to (Joe Biden's) Secretary of State Antony Blinken, demanding more information on President Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan — an unmitigated disaster of epic proportions. American citizens and our Afghan allies deserve answers, and I'm going to ensure they get them," said McCaul.

"We acknowledge the Commissioners’ comments to maintain competition and innovation in the solutions, but concerns remain regarding shifting risk away from generators and toward consumers as the Performance Credit Mechanism (PCM) model is crafted and continues to evolve," said Todd Staples, President of the TXOGA Texas Oil & Gas Association,

“We live in a state of infinite possibilities, and in the Legislative Session ahead we will continue working together to keep Texas the land of opportunity," said Gov. Greg Abbott, as the Texas Workforce Commission announced figures for December again surpassed the all-time record for total jobs for the 14th consecutive month. Employers added 29,500 nonfarm jobs in December, and total jobs in Texas hit a record 13,705,500 at year end.

In December 2022, Texas added 29,500 positions, reaching a total of 13,705,500 nonfarm jobs in Texas and marking a 14th consecutive record employment high in Texas. "Texas remains the best place to do business thanks to the success and resilience of Texas' employers. From lowering taxes to supporting programs that meet the needs of businesses, TWC is here to help," said Texas Workforce Commissioner Aaron Demerson.

Data released by the Texas Workforce Commission indicates that upstream oil and gas employment in Texas continues to grow, with the sector adding 1,300 jobs in December. In 2022, upstream oil and gas saw significant increases in hiring with the job count growing by 36,100 jobs for the year.

“As HHS Chief of Staff in 2020, I helped coordinate Title 42 to protect Americans at the border. If Biden's going to force America to exist under a COVID Public Health Emergency that he can no longer justify – along with vaccine mandates – and at the same time open the entire southern border to human traffickers, cartels, and millions of unscreened illegal aliens, then Texas should use every tool available to fight back," said State Rep. Brian Harrison.

With President Biden in office and Democrats in control of Congress, federal spending increased an astounding $10 trillion – resulting in disasters like rampant inflation and increased cost of goods or services, to a decrease in real wages and interest rate hikes that're projected to increase through the rest of 2023. ​​​​​​​Republicans in the new House majority are ready to curb the wasteful spending and turn things around.

"This is an appalling public safety issue that we have to get under control – criminals are willing to kill over these converters. Houston Police Chief Finner and his officers are on the front lines trying to stomp out these crime rings," said State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, responding to the 5,300% jump in Catalytic Converter thefts in Texas since 2019. The precious metals inside them are more valuable than gold.

“Texans everywhere are feeling the impact of inflation, and because SNAP eligibility is linked to vehicle value, hungry Texans are losing benefits at a time they need them most. These vehicle limits were set over 20 years ago — they're outdated and out of touch with reality,” said State Rep. Ryan Guillen as he and State Sen. César Blanco filed bills in the Senate & House to better reflect today’s car market values.

“Legal action is necessary to curtail this Administration’s continued intrusion into the rights of Texans – and our ability to control our own natural resources,” said Attorney General Paxton, filing a lawsuit against the Biden White House for ignoring Congress’s direction and guidelines set down under the previous administration to protect isolated wetlands, small private streams, and off-channel reservoirs from federal government intrusions.

In the Texas Senate Chamber, Senators took turns drawing lots: in this case, 31 sequentially-numbered sheets of paper drawn out of a bowl. Drawing an odd number won a Senator a 4-year term, and drawing an even number a 2-year term – and the prospect of standing for re-election in 2024. ​​​​It's a fairly high-stakes proposition that members, nevertheless, greet with genial good humor. The following Senators drew 2-year terms.

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) announced the average unemployment insurance (UI) tax rate for all employers will be 1.16% for calendar year (CY) 2023. Last year, the average tax rate was 1.35%.