WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, issued the following news release and a letter: Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32), a former voting rights attorney, led an effort urging House and Senate Appropriations leaders to properly fund Election Security Grants at the Election Security Commission. The effort comes after a House Appropriations bill completely scrapped funding for the Election Security Grant program and decreased funding for the Election Security Commission. The letter was   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2023: Today, Rep. Arrington issued a statement in response to the Biden Administration's proposal to list the Mexican fawnsfoot mussel and the Salina mucket mussel as endangered. This proposal is in response to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's placing of a buoy barrier in the Rio Grande River. "While Biden has failed to use federal powers to secure the border, he has no problem weaponizing the governm  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, issued the following news release on July 31, 2023: Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) and Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) introduced H.R. 4698, the GOLD Card Act of 2023. This legislation will exempt qualifying providers from prior authorization requirements under Medicare Advantage plans. "Having practiced medicine for nearly three decades before entering Congress, I empathize with the frustration of waiting on the government'  more

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, issued the following news release on July 29, 2023, and a letter: Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, and Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) led 13 of their Democratic colleagues in a letter calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to take action to support Peru's democratic resilience and promote accountability for human rights viola  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Aug. 3 -- Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, issued the following news release: Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) is urging all eligible veterans to file claims or submit notice of their intention to file claims under the Honoring Our PACT Act by the August 9, 2023 deadline for retroactive benefit eligibility. The Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act expands health care and benefits for more than five million servicemembers who were exposed to burn pi  more

HARLINGEN, Texas, Aug. 3 -- Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2023: Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) announced $1.6 million in grant funding to the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) for the development and construction of an industrial park. The grant is provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce through the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The development of the industrial park will create approximately 450 jobs,   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, issued the following news release on July 31, 2023: Last week, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) and Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) introduced H.R. 4968, the GOLD CARD Act of 2023. This bipartisan bill will exempt qualifying providers from prior authorization requirements under Medicare Advantage plans. "This commonsense bill will pass at the federal level what many states, including Texas, have already enacted," said Congr  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2023: Last week, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) and Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) introduced H.R. 4968, the GOLD CARD Act of 2023. This bipartisan bill will exempt qualifying providers from prior authorization requirements under Medicare Advantage plans. "This commonsense bill will pass at the federal level what many states, including Texas, have already enacted," said Congre  more

BROWNSVILLE, Texas, Aug. 5 -- Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 4, 2023: Last week, Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) and Mike Carey (OH-14) introduced H.R. 5073, the Promoting Domestic Energy Production Act. This bipartisan bill would increase our country's energy independence and allow energy companies to consider intangible drilling costs when calculating their income for tax purposes, similar deductions many other industries utilize. "Our countr  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, issued the following news release and letter on July 31, 2023: Today Congresswoman Escobar (TX-16) sent a letter to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth expressing her support for decorated World War I hero and former El Paso resident Pvt. Marcelino Serna to be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. "Pvt. Marcelino Serna is the most heavily decorated World War I veteran in Texas' history," Congresswoman Escobar wrote. "He valiantly fou  more

EL PASO, Texas, Aug. 3 -- Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, issued the following news release: * * * Today Congresswoman Escobar (TX-16) released the following statement on Greg Abbott's family separation policy at the southern border. "I am horrified by the news that Greg Abbott is separating children from their fathers at our southern border. In a throwback to the cruel family separation policies of former President Donald Trump, Governor Abbott is once again using inhumanity and cruelty as p  more

EL PASO, Texas, Aug. 4 -- Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, issued the following statement on Aug. 3, 2023: * * * "On August 3, 2019, El Pasoans found themselves at the center of America's domestic violent extremism and our gun violence epidemic. "It's been four years since a white supremacist confessed that he drove over 10 hours to El Paso in order to slaughter Hispanics and immigrants. He published a screed online, using the same xenophobic rhetoric used by former President Donald Trump, rhe  more

HOUSTON, Texas, Aug. 3 (TNSres) -- Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2023: Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) announced the launch of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge (CAC) for Texas' Seventh Congressional District. The competition, which is open to middle school and high school students, encourages students to learn to code and inspires them to pursue careers in computer science. "As new technologies emerge at record speeds, apps have be  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 -- Rep. Don Beyer, D-Virginia, issued the following news release and letter on Aug. 1, 2023: Today, U.S. Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA),wrote to Governor Glenn Youngkin urging him to end Virginia's participation in Texas Governor Abbott's failed and inhumane Operation Lone Star. On May 31st, Youngkin signed Executive Director Four, deploying 100 Virginia National Guard soldiers and 21 supporting personnel to Texas for 30 days. "We urge   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, issued the following news on Aug. 1, 2023, and a letter: Today, U.S. Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA),wrote to Governor Glenn Youngkin urging him to end Virginia's participation in Texas Governor Abbott's failed and inhumane Operation Lone Star. On May 31st, Youngkin signed Executive Director Four, deploying 100 Virginia National Guard soldiers and 21 supporting personnel to Texas for 30 days.   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, issued the following statement on Aug. 3, 2023: * * * Today, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) released the following statement following the news that two migrants, including a child, were found dead on or near Gov. Greg Abbott's anti-migrant buoys in the Rio Grande along the Texas border. "My heart breaks for the family and friends of these two people, one a young child, found dead near buoys in the Rio Grande. This tragic loss is   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 1, 2023: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) celebrated Senate passage of his I-27 Numbering Act of 2023, co-sponsored by Sens. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), to formally name the Ports-to-Plains Corridor through Texas and New Mexico as Interstate 27. Reps. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), August Pfluger (R-Texas), and Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) introduc  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 3, 2023: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and U.S. Representative James Comer (R-Ky.), Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, today sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland at the Department of Justice requesting an investigation into why radical environmental organizations have been able to accept foreign money without r  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce, issued the following news release: Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) announced a field hearing titled, "Weathering the Storm: Oversight of the Federal Response and Recovery Efforts in Southwestern Florida following Hurricane Ian." Members will assess the effectiveness   more

ROME, Italy, Aug. 3 -- Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2023: Early Wednesday morning, a successful, multi-faceted operation was conducted to safely relocate a group of twelve students and chaperones from Harmony Hill Baptist Church to Rome, Italy. The operation was skillfully coordinated by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Niamey. "I am grateful for the diligent staff and officials from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy in   more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: The House of Representatives met to consider H.R. 4366, the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The measure was approved with a vote of 219 to 211. The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act includes a total of $317.441 billion in funding for the Department   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 -- Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, chairman of the House Budget Committee, issued the following statement on Aug. 1, 2023: * * * House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) today released the following statement after Fitch Ratings downgraded the U.S. government's credit rating from AAA to AA+, only the second time in our nation's history this has occurred: "You can't burn through an unprecedented eleven trillion dollars igniting an inflationary firestorm without  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following news release and letter: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific Chairwoman Young Kim (R-CA), and House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo expressing concerns following reports  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following news release and letter: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL) sent a letter to the State Department's DRL Acting Assistant Secretary Erin Barclay and Ambassado  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, issued the following news release and letter: House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Pat Fallon (R-Texas) are conducting oversight over the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate-Related Financial Risk proposed rul  more

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, chairman of the House Small Business Committee, issued the following news release and letter: Congressman Roger Williams (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, along with Reps. Luetkemeyer (R-MO), Ellzey (R-TX), and Bean (R-FL), penned a letter to Chairman Gary Gensler of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) concerning the newly proposed Exchange Rule and the Private Fund Advisor Rule. This letter builds on the Ho  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) last week joined U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to strike down President Biden's Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule, which purports to take a hard line on illegal migration. The Senators filed S.J.Res.41 because the reality is that the rule is riddled with exceptions and fu  more

BROOKLYN, New York, Aug. 4 (Rep.) -- House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, issued the following statement on Aug. 3, 2023: * * * Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement marking four years since the deadly shooting in El Paso, Texas. Four years ago, a gunman motivated by white nationalist conspiracy theories terrorized El Paso's Latino community and stole 23 innocent lives while leaving 22 more injured. Today, we continue to pray for the familie  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2023: Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein (both D-Calif.) introduced a resolution calling for the immediate release of Eyvin Hernandez, a Los Angeles County public defender and UCLA School of Law alumnus, who was wrongfully detained in Venezuela on March 31, 2022. A companion resolution has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Ca  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2023: Last week, Rep. Arrington (R-TX) introduced the USDA Communication Regarding Oversight of Pesticides (CROP) Act of 2023, legislation to give the USDA Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP) a meaningful voice in the regulation of pesticide products. Currently, the OPMP provides feedback to the EPA on the safe use of pesticides, but EPA is not required to respond or consider OPMP's guidance, g  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, issued the following news release and letter on Aug. 2, 2023: On Wednesday, Representative Chip Roy (R-TX-21) led 18 of his colleagues in calling on Speaker McCarthy to take up serious reforms to the public health system to protect the American people from federal overreach during the next pandemic through the reauthorization of so-called "must pass" Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). "The federal government's response to the COVID-  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, issued the following statement on Aug. 2, 2023: * * * Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) released the following statement following the news of the federal indictment of former president Donald Trump for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the run-up to the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol. "Today, the most-indicted president in American history has just added new criminal charges to his rap sheet.  more

ZAPATA, Texas, Aug. 5 -- Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 4, 2023: Today, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced a $1,000,000 federal earmark for the renovation of the Zapata County 4-H rodeo arena. The funds will be used to construct an all-weather roping arena roof, bleachers, and restroom facilities. Currently, the lack of shaded cover and limited resources significantly restrict the arena's usage. The renovations will allow the arena to be us  more

LAREDO, Texas, Aug. 4 -- Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 3, 2023: Today, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced $1,399,532 in federal funding for Texas A&M International University (TAMIU). $1,199,532 will be used for TAMIU's Preparing STEM Majors as Outstanding Certified Secondary Mathematics Teachers for South Texas program, and $200,000 will be used for TAMIU's Track 1 Project. Both awards were provided by the National Science Foundation. The  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 4, 2023: Today, U.S. Representatives Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) introduced the Vaccine Injury Compensation Modernization Act to provide much-needed updates and improvements to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) and shift pending COVID-19 vaccine claims from the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) to the VICP. This legislation would override the Administratio  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 4, 2023: Today, Representative Ronny Jackson (R-TX-13) introduced the Government Off TikTok Act to prohibit Federal Government officials from maintaining official accounts on TikTok. The bill also emphasizes that TikTok is a proven national security threat to the United States and that no U.S. Official should be posting about official business through a media outlet controlled by the Chinese Communist P  more

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 2 -- Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, issued the following news release: U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) introduced a bill to designate the United States Postal Service located at 1106 Main Street in Bastrop, Texas, as the ''Sergeant Major Billy D. Waugh Post Office" to honor one of his district's great patriots and war heroes. Rep. McCaul said, "Sergeant Major Waugh epitomized the American values of courage, patriotism, and self-sacrifice. Through his unparallele  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, issued the following statement on July 31, 2023: * * * Representative Chip Roy (R-TX-21) issued the following statement after voting for H.R. 4366: "I voted yes on H.R. 4366, which provides FY24 appropriations to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and military construction projects. While not perfect, the bill makes massive strides in restoring the VA's focus toward its core mission -- providing care to the men and women that risked their li  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, issued the following statement: * * * U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released the following statement after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released their Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for model years 2027-2032. Sen. Cruz said: "Today, the Biden administration escalated their war on affordab  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation, the Supply Chain Disruptions Relief Act, to support auto dealers who suffered due to supply chain disruptions following the Covid-19 pandemic. Auto dealers faced unique inventory shortages during and immediately following the pandemic. The Supply Chain Disruptions Relief Act will grant tax relief to auto dealers by providing dealerships up to thr  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, issued the following news release and letter: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on The Constitution, sent a letter to the Department of Justice demanding details about Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf, and about Wolf's relationship with Biden loyalist Alexander Mackler. The letter, directed to U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware David Weiss, is based on testimony from two IRS whis  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 3, 2023: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today introduced the ACCORD Act, or the Accountability for the CDC, improving Congressional Oversight, and Ratification of its Director Act. This legislation would require any Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who was appointed prior to January 20, 2025 to obtain full Senate confirmation to remain in the post beyond January 2025. About the  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, issued the following news release: After significant engagement and conversations with major universities, conferences, and other key stakeholders, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today unveiled a discussion draft of legislation aimed at addressing major issues in college athletics that have wrought a patchwork of pending litigation, inconsi  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Aug. 2, 2023: After significant engagement and conversations with major universities, conferences, and other key stakeholders, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today unveiled a discussion draft of legislation aimed at addressing major issues in college athletics that have wrought a patchwork of pending litigation, inconsistent state laws, and labor complaints. Cruz's committee has   more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Arizona, issued the following news release: The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the Grant Transparency Act - bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema, and introduced by Republican Senator John Cornyn (Texas), making the grantmaking process more transparent for Arizona communities - including towns, counties, council of governments, health care systems, law enforcement, and m  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Delaware, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the bipartisan Fentanyl Safe Testing and Overdose Prevention Act, which would help prevent deaths from fentanyl poisoning by increasing access to fentanyl test strips. This legislation would amend the Controlled Substances Act, which bans the use, sale, import, and export of drug paraphernalia, and make clear that testing strips for  more