Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) joined Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and members of the House Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC) at a press conference with FWD.US and Families Belong Together, following their visit to the Dilley Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center. The oversight visit follows reports of inhumane treatment of children and families at the facili... Read More »
Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) joined Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat, House Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) for an oversight forum on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) use of force and abuse of power, following the tragic killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE in Houston on ... Read More »
Today, Alim Garipov, a Bellaire High School student, was released from ICE detention following a community-wide advocacy effort. Immigration lawyer Olsa Alikaj-Cano of Cano Immigration PLLC, Congresswoman Fletcher (TX-07), and Alim’s family released the following joint statement: “We are relieved and grateful that Alim has finally been released from detention and reunited with his family. “This ou... Read More »
Today, the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) and Congressman Morgan Luttrell (TX-08) led the effort to include a provision directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to expedite a Chief’s Report evaluating a single large underground water conveyance tunnel to reduce flood risk ... Read More »
Monday, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) joined Commissioner Rodney Ellis, State Representative Ann Johnson, Mayor Andy Chan, Mayor Susan Sample, and Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) Executive Director Marcus Y. Stuckett, P.E., CFM, to break ground on the Poor Farm Ditch project. The project will repair one of the county’s oldest stormwater drainage ditches, increasing the channel... Read More »
Harris County has officially started tearing into one of its oldest problem spots, breaking ground on the Poor Farm Ditch modernization project on July 13, 2026, in Southside Place. The roughly $32.7 million effort is designed to cut flood risk inside the Loop and protect about 500 homes in West University Place and Southside Place, wrapping up years of planning and funding wrangling that finally ... Read More »
Harris County is taking a major step forward in the fight against flooding. Commissioner Rodney Ellis joined federal, state and local leaders Monday morning to break ground on the Poor Farm Ditch Project — a $32.7 million investment aimed at protecting roughly 500 homes in West University Place and Southside Place. The groundbreaking ceremony took place at 9 a.m. July 13 at the Southside Place Pol... Read More »
More than 200 people gathered Saturday morning to honor Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, the man shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents (ICE) this week. Holding lit candles and "ICE OUT" signs, the group said prayers and mourned Salgado Araujo's death as well as others like Renee Good and Alex Pretti — who had lost their lives during ICE encounters in Minnesota earlier this year. "It... Read More »
Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D‑TX‑7) is urging researchers, universities, and nonprofit organizations to speak out against a sweeping federal proposal she says would politicize the nation’s grant‑making system and destabilize long‑term scientific research. The Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) plan, released May 29, would overhaul how more than 41 federal agencies award and manage grants, shifting ... Read More »
Four years after the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, reproductive freedom champions in Congress are fighting back and advancing legislation to protect access to reproductive health care. Across Capitol Hill, lawmakers and advocates are drawing attention to how abortion bans have expanded threats to patients, providers, and the broader reproductive health care system—including attacks o... Read More »
Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06), Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), and Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02) reintroduced the Reproductive Healthcare Training Act. The Reproductive Healthcare Training Act creates a grant program for health professional schools, academic health centers, or other nonprofit health care safety net providers to establish... Read More »
Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Congresswoman Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA-08), and Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-06) introduced the Safeguarding Access to Full-spectrum Education and (SAFE) Training for OBGYNs Act. The SAFE Training for OBGYNs Act establishes a grant program to provide funding for OB/GYN residency programs that train residents residing in s... Read More »
The House of Representatives will reconvene this week for a sprint to advance pending legislation before the next recess. Among the bills awaiting action is one that would legally guarantee the right to contraception. The Right to Contraception Act would establish federal protections for access to contraceptive services and products. The bill has not received a vote in the House because Speaker an... Read More »
The 2026 Texas Democratic Convention was held in Corpus Christi last Thursday through Saturday. Delegates considered nearly 20 resolutions targeting Israel amid its ongoing war against Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that in 2007 took control of the almost entirely Muslim Gaza Strip. This was the second Texas Democratic convention in a row in which resolutions against Israel, which is predom... Read More »
Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) led the Texas Democratic Delegation in demanding answers from United States Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) Brooke Rollins and requesting a briefing on how the USDA plans to address the resurgence of New World screwworm in Texas and across the United States. “For the past several decades, our country has remained relatively pest-free thanks to the dedic... Read More »
