WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, issued the following news release: Today Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32) delivered his farewell speech(link is external) after six years of service representing the 32nd District of Texas. Allred thanked North Texans for entrusting him to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also thanked his staff and colleagues and highlighted his bipartisan accomplishments including securing the Garland VA Medical Center and working to pas  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection issued the following news release: PRESIDIO, TEXAS U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Presidio port of entry seized 68 pounds of methamphetamine December 7. The drugs were hidden in a vehicle being driven by a 47-year-old female citizen of Mexico. Drug bundle inside fuel tank. "CBP officers will employ a variety of tools and techniques to identify and stop drug smugglers," s  more

RANDOLPH AFB, Texas, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: Nestled in the corner of a bustling street, away from the bright lights and movement, stood a serene venue. As you stepped inside, the soothing sound of jazz filled the air, accompanied by the gentle scent of florals and vanilla. Your gaze would wander across the mellow assembly of people, where kind eyes and warm embraces greeted you, welcoming you to the Winter Gala for the Honored  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement on the House passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which includes language he secured to authorize a full aquatic ecosystem restoration of Martinez Creek on San Antonio's Westside. "Decades ago, San Antonio paved over miles of creeks in an effort to prevent deadly floods on the Westside. Today, modern urban planning   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, issued the following news release: HARLINGEN, TEXAS -Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34)announced $1,128,000 in additional federal funding from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the ongoing replacement of the ADA-compliant air traffic control tower at Valley International Airport (VIA). This follows two additional federal funding awards for VIA that Congressman Gonzalez announced earlier this year, totaling over $7 mil  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The Direct Selling Education Foundation issued a 14-page report in July 2024 entitled "Economic Impact of Direct Selling Activity in the United States in 2022." The report was prepared by Robert A. Peterson of the University of Texas at Austin. Here are excerpts: * * * Contents INTRODUCTION ... 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ... 4 OVERVIEW & METHODOLOGY ... 5 DATA ... 5 ECONOMIC IMPACT ... 7 FISCAL IMPACT ... 9 THE 2004 ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY ... 9 APPENDIX ... 10 BIBLIOGR  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Department of Education has released the following public communication dated Dec. 2, 2024, from 23 attorneys general: * * * To: The Honorable Miguel A. Cardona, Ph.D. Secretary of Education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave. SW Washington, DC 20202 CC: Linda McMahon, Nominee for Secretary of Education Re: Comment by States of Missouri, Kansas, and 21 other States on Student Debt Relief for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (Direc  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Department of Education has released the following public communication dated Dec. 2, 2024, from the New Civil Liberties Alliance: * * * To: Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave., SW Washington, DC 20202 Re: Comments on Proposed Rule, Student Debt Relief Based on Hardship for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (Direct Loans), the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, the Federal Perkins Lo  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the following public communication on Dec. 2, 2024, from Providence Photonics LLC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: * * * EPA Request for Information (RFI) Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2024-0350 Use of Advanced and Emerging Technologies for Quantification of Annual Facility Methane Emissions under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. Federal Register, Vol. 89, No. 168, pp. 70177-70181, August 29, 2024. Commenter: Providence Ph  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the following public communication dated Nov. 27, 2024, from Waste Management, Houston, Texas. Here are excerpts: * * * To: Vasco Roma Office of Atmospheric Protection, Climate Change Division Office of Air and Radiation U.S. Environmental Protection Agency roma.vasco@epa.gov Re: Use of Advanced and Emerging Technologies for Quantification of Annual Facility Methane Emissions under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting P  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau issued the following public notice (WC Docket No. 24-695) on Dec. 10, 2024: * * * Re: Copper Retirement Network Change Certification Received Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, LLC d/b/a AT&T Texas (AT&T), an incumbent local exchange carrier (LEC), has filed certification that public notice of network change(s) involving the retirement of copper has been provided through its publicly accessible Intern  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration issued the following warning letter to Mid America Pet Food LLC: * * * To: Jeff Caswell, Chief Executive Officer, Mid America Pet Food LLC, 2024 N. Frontage Road, Mount Pleasant, TX 75455-6474, United States Dear Mr. Caswell: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected your pet food manufacturing facility located at 2024 N. Frontage Road, Mount Pleasant, Texas from November 2, 2023,  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration has released the following public communication on Dec. 3, 2024, from San Antonians for Rail Transit, Texas: * * * USDOT and FHWA should revoke Texas' NEPA Assignment and return certification of NEPA reviews and auditing authority to USDOT. If revocation is not possible, the MOU must be reformed to ensure regulatory compliance on TxDOT projects so as to uphold NEPA law and protect the rights of Texans.  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- The Harvard University Center for Education Policy Research and the Stanford University Educational Opportunity Project issued a 33-page report in June 2024 entitled "Federal Pandemic Relief and Academic Recovery." The report was written by Dan Dewey and Thomas J. Kane of Harvard University, Erin Fahle and Sean F. Reardon of Stanford University and Douglas O. Staiger of Dartmouth College. Here are excerpts: * * * I. Introduction Since the beginning of the War on Pover  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey issued the following news release: To help state, local and Tribal government officials, farmers, ranchers and land managers mitigate the threats from invasive species, the U.S. Geological Survey creates Flood and Storm Tracker maps that identify where aquatic non-native and invasive species may have been carried due to flooding associated with storms. The maps can help natural resource managers identify potenti  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Administration Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 10, 2024: Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) announced the findings of his subpoena of ActBlue, a major Democratic fundraising platform. Documents turned over revealed that as of September 2024, ActBlue has implemented updated policies to "automatically reject donations that use foreign prepaid/gift cards, domestic gif  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Administration Committee, issued the following news release: Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) and House Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (OH-04) sent a letter to Sift, the company that provides "fraud detection and prevention services" for ActBlue, a major Democratic fundraising platform. The letter demands documents and communications related to Sift's efforts to deter fraudu  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 10, 2024: The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability today held a hearing titled, "Oversight of the U.S. Postal Service." The American people rely on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for critical services and members emphasized that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy deserves credit for implementing a long-term strategy to improve USPS o  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, R-New York, chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology, issued the following news release on Dec. 10, 2024: Today, House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology Chairman Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY) delivered the following opening statement in a hearing to examine how President Biden and "border czar" Vice President Harris' open-borders, anti-enforcement policies have put   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, issued the following news release: House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) delivered remarks today at a hearing on "Oversight of the U.S. Census Bureau." Chairman Comer expressed concerns over the Census Bureau's Post-Enumeration Survey--which measures Census count accuracy--after it revealed that significant errors and flaws occurred in the 2020  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Dec. 10, 2024: Today, Chairman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22) of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials announced that his bill, H.R. 8692, the Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act, passed the United States House of Representatives. This bill would require Amtrak to be subject to the same requirements of the Government i  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document from Economics Daily: * * * Job openings rates decreased in 4 states and increased in 1 state in September 2024. The national job openings rate was 4.5 percent, with the total number of job openings at 7.4 million. Alaska and Arkansas had the highest job openings rates, at 6.9 percent each. California had the most job openings, at 554,000, followed by Texas (525,000). Vermon  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Preventing Unnecessary Resource Expenditures (PURE) Act to remove the outdated distinction between pure and impure methamphetamine in federal criminal law. "The meth on the streets today is far purer and more dangerous than it was 40 years ago because Mexican drug cartels and their Chinese chemical suppliers want t  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service issued a notice in the Federal Register on Dec.5, 2024, entitled "Intended Disposition: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Oneida, TN". Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, Big South Fork National Rive  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, issued the following statement on Dec. 10, 2024: * * * U.S. Congressman Brian Babin (TX-36) released the following statement on his selection as the next House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman for the 119th Congress by the Republican Steering Committee: "It's an incredible honor to be chosen to serve as the next House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman," said Babin. "Between our nation's booming science, space,   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) led eight of her colleagues in sending a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to implement regulatory policy to remove downed pigs from the food supply. This reform would protect the public and farm, slaughterhouse, and meatpacking workers from contact with zoonotic diseases. The lawmakers wrote: "As members of the United States House of Representatives with a v  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, issued the following statement on Dec. 10, 2024: * * * In response to the release of the bipartisan House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump's final report, Rep. Pat Fallon (TX-04) commented: "Today, our bipartisan House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump released its final report (https://fallon.house.gov/UploadedFiles/TF.FinalReport.pdf), providing a comprehensive analysis of the astonishin  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Dec. 10, 2024: Yesterday, Representative Ronny Jackson (TX-13) sent a letter to House and Senate leadership urging the prohibition of funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in any upcoming fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill. This action addresses UNRWA's repeated hostility toward Israel and its appeasement of terrorist organizations such as Hamas. Jackson said: "UNRWA, which had n  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, issued the following news release on Dec. 10, 2024: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024, a bipartisan measure to improve the nation's water infrastructure. This legislation includes critical projects advocated by U.S. Rep. Randy Weber to bolster ports, improve waterways, and drive economic growth in Texas' 14th District. The 2024 WRDA features high-priority authorizations for TX-14 t  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Delaware, issued the following news release: Following last week's announcement of over $560 million in new funding to support the Lobito Corridor project, including commitments expected to generate at least $200 million in additional private-sector capital that will bring total U.S. investment in the corridor to $4 billion, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) issued the following statement: "We have both visited Angola i  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Delaware, issued the following news release: Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) introduced the Securing Trade and Resources for Advanced Technology, Economic Growth, and International Commerce (STRATEGIC) Minerals Act to strengthen America's supply chain for critical minerals and rare earth elements (REEs). Critical minerals and REEs are essential resources for many 21st-cen  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: The Commander regrets to announce the death of Senior Airman Michael Hamilton, assigned to the 833rd Cyber Operations Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, who passed away on Dec. 9, 2024. To settle the estate of the deceased, Maj. Ron Puertollano, assigned to the 833rd Cyber Operations Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, has been appoint  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) participated in NATO's annual Cyber Coalition exercise from Nov. 30 to Dec. 6 as the U.S. representative and cyber Air Component Command; along with more than 1,000 participants from 27 NATO allies, six partner countries (Georgia, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and Ukraine), and the European Union, and   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 10, 2024: Today, House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX) and Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Chairman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) delivered the following opening statements in a hearing to examine the full scope of threats posed to our homeland security b  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 -- Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, issued the following news release: * * * DOE Must Produce Documents Requested by Committee * * * The Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs held a hearing titled, "Exposing the Truth on LNG: How the Administration Played Politics with America's Energy Future." Members discussed how the Biden-Harris Administration's effective ban on LNG exports has  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: During the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages of electronic components slowed down development of satellites headed to the Space Development Agency. But it's not only parts and subcomponents that affect the timeline of satellite delivery, said the agency's director. "Even though it takes a while to get the hardware and the supply chain built up to actuall  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia issued the following news release: Two men from Texas and Louisiana were sentenced today on felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting law enforcement, during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election. Daniel Page Ad  more

RANDOLPH AFB, Texas, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas Developmental Special Experiences provide Air and Space Professionals more than just education and training opportunities, they help the service build the Airmen needed for the future high-end fight. The DSEs, cataloged by Air Education and Training Command's Force Development Credentialing Division's DSE branch, are hands-on experiences outsid  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release: Funding Will Improve Access to a Clean, Reliable Electric Grid and Safe Drinking Water for Millions in Rural and Tribal Communities U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is investing $6.3 billion in rural and Tribal communities across 44 states to expand access to a clean and reliable electric grid, provide safe drinking water and create good-paying jobs.  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) sent a letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), raising stark concerns about his advocacy to eliminate Traditional Medicare and his deep financial ties to the private health in  more

RANDOLPH AFB, Texas, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command issued the following news: Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Base officials announced today that they have reached an agreement with the ride-share service, Uber, to operate on base at Maxwell Air Force Base and at Gunter Annex. Anyone with access to either installation now has the option to use the ride-hailing app to request a ride, and drivers who have already passed rigorous security vetting for base access wi  more