On the Record

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Sen. Cruz Advances Key National Security Priorities for Texas & America in 2025 National Defense Act

"I am proud of the accomplishments within this bill, and I will continue to advocate for accountability, readiness, and the strength of our armed forces,” said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz following his securing passage of eight provisions in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), securing critical wins for Texas military communities, service members, and national security. "This legislation also provides a long overdue salary increase for our servicemen and women," said Cruz.

12.19.2024
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Texas RR Commission Adopts Updated Oil & Gas Waste Management Rules

Designed to help the Texas RRC continue to safeguard groundwater and surface water – while adapting to modern waste management practices such as recycling produced water, and recent advancements in production methods – the rules update requirements on the design, construction, operation, monitoring, and closure of waste management units, and will improve the RRC’s ability to track and collect data on oilfield waste transported throughout Texas, including geothermal, carbon sequestration, and brine mining wells.

12.19.2024
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Land Comm. Buckingham Urges Court, Halt Biden’s Sale of Border Wall Materials

"I made a promise to use every tool at my disposal to secure our border and protect Texans. That's why I've offered state leaders and President-Elect Trump the opportunity to store any wall panels his incoming administration may acquire on state land," said Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, announcing earlier today that the Texas General Land Office, the State of Texas, and the State of Missouri have asked a U.S. Dist. Court judge to investigate the Biden Admin’s decision to sell Border Wall Material as it prepares to leave the White House.

12.19.2024
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MOORE: Thanks to the 'Trump Effect,' Small Business's Confidence Soars

First it was the immediate post-election surge in the Stock Market. Then is was record Thanksgiving Weekend shopping and a nationwide boom in Consumer Confidence. Now, Small Business optimism is shooting through the roof, soaring in the wake of the election and posting the largest one-month gain in the NFIB's 39-year history of Small Business Optimism Surveys. Why the spurt? Pent up demand shows Main Street's broken through a 34-month streak of record high uncertainty during four years of Joe Biden's presidency.

12.18.2024
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Cong. Pfluger: Sounding the Alarm on Unidentified Drones Over the U.S.

Over the past month, videos have surfaced of unidentified & unauthorized drones flying over the Eastern United States. It's unacceptable that the Biden Administration's Dept. of Defense is not protecting the sovereignty of American airspace. So as Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee on Counterterrorism, I led a hearing to examine the threats posed by drones to the U.S. homeland. In the wrong hands, drone technology could impact American national security – and disrupt our nation's critical infrastructure.

12.17.2024
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CONG. McCAUL: Supporting Our Nation's Servicemembers, Voting to Restore U.S. Defense's Lethality

The world is on fire, our adversaries are on the move, and the United States cannot afford to fall behind. Last week, 1,000s gathered to commemorate the valor and sacrifices of the U.S. Soldiers who fought in the bitter cold during one of the greatest American battles of World War II, the Battle of the Bulge. House Republicans are committed to restoring the focus of our military back to lethality, giving our warfighters the tools they need to combat our adversaries, and counter the increased aggressions against the United States.

12.17.2024
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Sen. Cruz, Deepfake Victim Elliston Berry Urge House to Pass Legislation to Criminalize Explicit AI-Generated Images

In case you missed it, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz and Elliston Berry, a 15-year-old high school student from Aledo, Texas – and a victim of deepfake pornography – last week urged the U.S. House to pass the bipartisan, bicameral "TAKE IT DOWN Act" which Sen. Cruz introduced with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN.) During a press conference, Ms. Berry and others spoke about the importance of ensuring that other women and girls don’t face the same horrific trauma.

12.17.2024
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Oil & Natural Gas Preparations, Record Production and Pipeline Capacity Keep Texas Winter Ready

The Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) today highlighted the many steps the industry is taking to prepare for winter weather events to ensure reliable oil and natural gas production and transportation no matter the weather, noting several positive policy developments designed to encourage investment in dispatchable electricity generation and expand electricity transmission infrastructure in the Permian Basin, both critical to meeting electricity needs in Texas.

12.17.2024
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Texas Arrests Mexican Mafia Gang Members, Human Smugglers

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry. Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by over 87% due to our historic border security mission.

12.16.2024
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Holding Secretary Blinken Accountable for His Role in the Catastrophic Afghanistan Withdrawal

Finally, after three years, numerous subpoenas, and facing contempt of Congress, Secretary Blinken appeared before my committee this week. Secretary Blinken repeatedly stated that this was a false and partisan report, but during my hearing, he admitted he never read my report. What’s partisan is claiming something is false without having read it simply because it does not advance your political agenda.

12.16.2024
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Babin Selected as the Next House Science, Space, and Technology Chairman

It’s an incredible honor to be chosen to serve as the next House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee Chairman. Between our nation’s booming science, space, and tech sectors and the growing threat posed by adversaries like Communist China, there has never been a more important time for this committee. Falling behind in any of these critical arenas is not an option.

12.16.2024
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Christian: EPA Report on Methane Reduction Proves Biden’s Methane Policies are Another Lie and Unjustified Assault on Oil & Gas

This week’s news of a new EPA report showed that methane emissions from the largest oil and natural gas-producing basins fell 44 percent between 2011-2013; and also dropped in seven oil and natural gas-producing basins by up to 87 percent from 2019-2023. Following the update, Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian criticized the Biden Administration for creating new rules and taxes on oil and gas producers and power plant

12.16.2024
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Sen. Cruz, Victim Advocates to Hold Press Conference Urging House to Quickly Pass TAKE IT DOWN Act

On Wednesday, December 11th, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will host a press conference celebrating unanimous Senate passage of his bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act, which now moves to the House for consideration. Sen. Cruz will be joined by the TAKE IT DOWN Act’s lead House sponsor Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), as well as victims and advocates for legislation to protect against online sexual exploitation.

12.10.2024
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Co-Chair of House DOGE Caucus, Cong. Pete Sessions Meets with Musk & Ramaswamy

As a Member of Congress, I've long been a supporter of cutting government spending, believing that we should give the government every dollar it needs – but not one penny more. I also have long worked to counter waste, fraud, and abuse at the federal level. These experiences have prepared me to serve as Co-Chair of the House DOGE Caucus, and last week I had the pleasure of attending two meetings with Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy.

12.09.2024
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House Passes Weber's Bipartisan Legislation to Reverse Biden's De Facto Ban in U.S. Energy Production

The Biden-Harris Administration has imposed a ban on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports. There have been several reports that the Department of Energy (DOE) used a flawed study to shut down LNG exports. The U.S. House passed my legislation in a bipartisan vote to reverse this de facto ban that would hurt American energy production.

12.09.2024
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ABBOTT: Texas Provides Border Security Blueprint for U.S.

Since the launch of "Operation Lone Star," Texas' multi-agency effort has led to over 527,600 Illegal Immigrant Apprehensions, and more than 49,000 Criminal Arrests – with more than 42,200 Felony Charges. In the fight against the Fentanyl Crisis, Texas Law Enforcement has seized over 573 million lethal doses of fentanyl – enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States and Mexico combined.    

12.09.2024
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A.G. Pax­ton's New 'Landown­er Com­pen­sa­tion Program' Dis­trib­utes Relief to Offset Bor­der Crime Damage

“Farmers and ranchers near the Texas-Mexico Border have had their homes and businesses forced onto the frontline of Joe Biden’s invasion, bearing the brunt of the immediate damage from illegal border crossings. Our 'Landowner Compensation Program' has begun to provide relief to those who need help with the costs imposed by border crime,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

12.09.2024
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Sen. Cruz Leads Bi-cameral Effort Urging Supreme Court to Uphold America's 2nd Amendment from Mexico

"I am leading this effort to uphold American sovereignty – and our 2nd Amendment,," said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, as he and members of the Senate and House of Representatives filed an amicus brief in the Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos case. In their brief, they argue a lawsuit filed by Mexico in U.S. Federal Court against American firearms manufacturers – for crimes committed by Mexican cartels in Mexico – is a violation of American sovereignty and threatens the 2nd Amendment.

12.06.2024
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New Report Highlights Measures to Grow Texas' Hydrogen Industry

The 11-member Council, established by the Legislature and chaired by RRC Chairman Christi Craddick, was tasked with making recommendations to lawmakers on updates necessary for the oversight and regulation of production, pipeline transportation, and storage of hydrogen. The hydrogen industry is already well-established in Texas, primarily serving the petrochemical and refining industries. ​​​​​

12.06.2024
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Gov. Abbott Announces Over $15 Million in Career Training Grants Across Texas

These Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grants awarded through the the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) will help public junior, state, and technical colleges; school districts; and open-enrollment charter schools buy equipment for career and technical education (CTE) programs that help students across the state go into high-demand industries. 

12.06.2024
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04.01.2025

TEXAS INSIDER ON YOUTUBE

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03.31.2025
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03.26.2025
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