Today, I voted NO on the Democrat stopgap funding bill, also called a continuing resolution. The bill before us was another failed opportunity to address a number of crises facing our country—including skyrocketing inflation, our wide-open southern border, and illicit drugs endangering our communities.
We need real solutions. That is exactly what Republicans have introduced the Commitment to America, a plan to get our country back on track. Learn more by clicking here.
Service Academy Night
Tuesday evening, I hosted a Service Academy Night for students interested in starting their journey of military service at one of our prestigious military academies. We had so many wonderful students, parents, and teachers come out to the Midland Army Airfield Museum to learn more about the application and nomination process.
Our district is home to many driven and patriotic students who have promising careers ahead of them as they answer the call to serve our nation. I look forward to watching their success and cheering them on.
In case you were unable to attend, you can learn more on my website here. The deadline to apply for a nomination through my office is October 28th.
Southern Border Crisis
This week, my office was made aware of reports that buses of illegal migrants were traveling through Odessa. I immediately coordinated with Representative Brooks Landgraf, and Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis to investigate the reports. As of now, it is unclear where the buses originated and whether or not the migrants were dropped off or continued on.
I will continue to work with all federal agencies to investigate this matter.
The President’s policies have encouraged more than 4.2 million illegal migrants, including known terrorists and convicted drug criminals to cross the southern border. The Permian Basin should not be forced to pay the price for President Biden’s border crisis. I will continue working closely with our state and local representatives to make sure our community is safe and informed.
The Biden Administration must answer to the American people on why they refuse to work with Republicans to secure our border and prevent terrorists and criminals from entering our country.
As the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Intelligence and Counterterrorism Subcommittee, I recently sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas regarding the recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intelligence report indicating that the Maduro regime is releasing violent prisoners from Venezuela to be sent in migrant caravans to the Southwest border.
The number of Venezuelan migrants encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has increased nearly 3,000 percent from fiscal year 2020 to fiscal year 2022. Given the reports of the deliberate, nefarious actions of the illegitimate Maduro regime, it is more important than ever that our border patrol agents have the tools and capabilities in place to identify foreign violent criminals and terrorists.
Camille and I are praying for safety, comfort, and peace for our neighbors in Florida and all who were in the path of Hurricane Ian. The devastation is nothing less than heartbreaking.
I was inspired by a story shared by News West 9 about the incredible first responders and emergency personnel from our district and across Texas who put their lives on hold to assist Florida.
A Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) team from Texas, including an Incident Management Team and six mobile feeding units, departed Texas on Wednesday morning and headed for Florida. They will provide additional support for the anticipated response effort. The Red Cross has also sent volunteers from around the Permian Basin to provide assistance.
Whether they are donating or volunteering, they are putting their prayers into action and taking the West Texas spirit to help. Thank you to everyone caring for their neighbor – near and far.
Attacks on reliable, U.S. energy sources lead to dependence on adversaries
In case you missed it, I wrote a column in the Washington Times about how the Democrats’ radical anti-energy agenda is leading to a dependence on our adversaries for energy.
Democrats are recklessly pursuing their unrealistic energy transition and punishing reliable baseload power to appease Green New Deal interests. The so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” allocated nearly $400 billion towards fledging clean energy projects while including a punitive “natural gas” tax on producers in the Permian Basin.
The crowning achievement of President Biden’s energy policy will not be the transition he desires; it will be an increased dependence on foreign adversaries and high costs for global consumers. We will become dependent on the Middle East for oil and gas and on China for critical minerals which are essential inputs for modern technology. Domestic manufacturing and jobs will likely move abroad, and economic prosperity witnessed prior to 2020 will not return.
We are not in an energy transition, but an ENERGY EXPANSION. World demand for energy is projected to increase 47 percent by 2050 over 2020 demand, with natural gas and oil supplying 50 percent of the world’s energy needs. The United States—not Russia, Iran, or China—must position itself to fulfill future demands.
I am excited to invite middle and high school students in the 11th District to enter the nationwide Congressional App Challenge. Students will have access to industry resources to help them create an app of their choosing. In an increasingly digital age, it is crucial for students to develop their skills in computer science and STEM while propelling America forward as an economic and innovative powerhouse.
The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school (grades 6-12) students in the 11th Congressional District of Texas. Students can work alone or with a team of up to four to create and code their own app. Students entering the competition must submit their app to CongressionalAppChallenge.us during the Competition Submission Period through November 1st, 2022.
The winner from the 11th Congressional District, chosen by a panel of expert judges, will be featured on the House of Representatives website, House.gov, as well as on CongressionalAppChallenge.us. The winning app will also be displayed in the U.S. Capitol among other winners from across the country. Additional sponsor prizes are to be announced.
Students interested in applying can easily sign up at the App Challenge website or find more information about the challenge on my website here.
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