Dear Neighbor,
As you know, early last Saturday, President Trump announced in an 8-minute video post on his Truth Social media channel that the United States had initiated a major military assault against Iran. The U.S. government named the assault “Operation Epic Fury.” For the rest of the weekend, the administration told the people and the Congress little more, but we learned from the news that Iran retaliated with strikes against Israel and on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The President and members of his administration said then and continue throughout this week to say that the United States is at war with Iran.
The Constitution grants the Congress the sole authority and the solemn responsibility to declare war – and for good reason. It is the most serious and consequential decision a people can make. And, in the United States of America, it is the decision of the people, not the President. The Founders of this country—who had just fought for independence from a king in part because of his own actions relating to war and peace, and who existed at a time when distant kings waged wars of choice without the consent of the people—were clear in their intent not to give the power to declare war to a single man.
Yet, President Trump initiated military action in Iran that was not done in response to a strike or to any identified imminent threat without authorization from Congress—the representatives of the people. This action threatens to put the United States into another prolonged war in the Middle East at great cost to the American people.
Our community includes many Iranian Americans and many others who care about peace and stability in the region, and who rightly recognize the dangers of the Iranian regime to the United States and to the world. I share the concerns of many people across our community about potential threats from Iran, including the risks of its nuclear program.
In initiating this action, without congressional authorization or a clear mission with defined objectives, however, President Trump has chosen escalation over diplomacy, putting our service members, U.S. interests, and regional stability at risk.
It is the latest action in a series of reckless abuses of power that has become the defining characteristic of this President and his presidency.
I returned to Washington on Tuesday to attend a classified briefing for members of the House of Representatives from Secretary of State Rubio, Secretary of Defense Hegseth, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine. While I cannot share the content of what we learned, I can relay that the briefing was very short and there is no further briefing scheduled to the full House, nor have there been meaningful opportunities for members of Congress to get additional relevant information from the administration.
We learned this week that six of American servicemembers have been killed in this war. The Pentagon has released the names of five service members who were killed in Kuwait in a wave of retaliatory attacks following the U.S.-Israeli missile strikes: Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa; Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tiejtens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska. My heart goes out to their families and loved ones, as well as to those who were seriously wounded.
I am holding their families and communities close to my heart, and am grateful to them for their patriotism and their sacrifice. I am praying for all of our brave servicemembers who are on the frontlines and their families, as well as for Americans throughout the region. They deserve better from our country’s leaders than unilateral, unconstitutional, undisclosed actions. Unfortunately, this Congress ratified these actions this week, as discussed below. |
On Thursday, the House voted on a bipartisan resolution (H.Con.Res.38) to direct President Trump to terminate the use of the United States Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress explicitly makes a declaration of war or authorizes use of military force against Iran.
The resolution required the President to come to the Congress—to the representatives of the people—and to the people of the United States to make the case for war, as the Constitution requires. I voted for it. It failed. Instead, House Republicans voted it down, bending to the will of the President rather than doing the job they were sent to Washington to do.
The United States Constitution provides that Congress has the sole authority and solemn responsibility to declare war. President Trump, however, has consistently disregarded the Constitution, as has this Republican Congress.
Following the largest U.S. military buildup in recent memory, the President acted unilaterally to engage in hostilities without any evidence of an imminent threat to the United States. The President and members of his administration are calling this a war. And yet, the majority of representatives of the American people voted against requiring the administration to seek permission from the people to continue this war of choice.
At this point, this Republican Congress is not merely a do-nothing Congress; it is a do-harm Congress—doing harm to the Constitution, to the separation of powers, and to the principle that the government is one of, by, and for the people rather than a king.
On a related matter, the House also considered a resolution (H.Res. 1099) declaring “the policy of the United States that Iran continues to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism” under suspension of the rules—that means, with only a few minutes of debate. Brought to the House floor the day it was introduced, and with so little debate, some members were concerned that the resolution was a veiled effort to give the administration legal justification for the Iran war and could be used to continue it. I agree that Iran is a state sponsor of terror and a dangerous actor. Consistent with my practice of voting against bills brought under suspension of the rules at this time, and aware of these concerns about how such a resolution might be used, I voted against this resolution, which passed 372-53.
Also this week, the House voted on the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 7744), to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which is currently unfunded. The Homeland Security funding bill presented to the House falls far short of addressing Americans’ legitimate concerns about the Trump administration’s increasing lawlessness and brutality. Democrats have demanded that the Trump administration follow the Constitution, have proposed a number of common-sense reforms, including my amendment to freeze hiring at ICE, and have offered legislation to fund other DHS agencies including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Coast Guard while negotiations on immigration enforcement activities continue. House Republicans have rejected all of these measures, including a demand that the federal government comply with the Constitution, including but not limited to its Fourth Amendment. This year, Americans have witnessed immigration enforcement agents kill American citizens with impunity, and they are demanding better. House Republicans have so far refused to do better, and instead presented the same bill I have voted against before.
Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. To earn my vote, they must present a funding bill that meets the moment, curbs this administration’s abuses, and demonstrates that no agent or agency of the United States government is above the law. I voted no, but the bill passed the House by a vote of 221-209 and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
As a reminder, you can always find a list of all of the votes I have taken for the district on my website. |
On Wednesday, the Energy & Commerce Committee’s Energy Subcommittee held a hearing with the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). People in Houston understand the importance of pipeline safety, which is why I raised concerns about challenges to PHMSA—the principal regulator of pipelines—in the second Trump administration. |
On Thursday, the Energy & Commerce Committee had an all-day markup of nine bills, including four significant pieces of legislation related to protecting kids from online harm. I have heard from many of you about the need for legislation to protect our kids, and we have been working on it ever since I became a part of the committee. We had a good bipartisan bill last Congress. This markup presented an opportunity for Congress to pass bipartisan, comprehensive legislation that actually protected children online, but I am sorry to report that these bills do not deliver. Instead, Committee Republicans brought to the committee, and voted to advance, partisan versions of prior bills that fail to address the very real concerns and harms facing children in the online world. These bills put the safety of children online on the terms of Big Tech, allow data brokers to continue to profit off kids’ data, and overrule states that have made laws to protect kids online, leaving them with less online protection than they have today. During the markup, I spoke in opposition to these bills that threaten to jeopardize the limited progress that has been made for children’s online protections, and to acknowledge the parents who lost their children because of online harms who travelled to the hearing to oppose them. You can watch my remarks below. |
This week I joined my colleagues in co-sponsoring several bills of importance to our community, including: - the Saving the Civil Service Act, H.R. 492, to generally prohibit changes to the classification of positions in the competitive service and excepted service unless certain conditions are met;
- the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, H.R. 7599, to allow concerned families, household members, and law enforcement to have an individual’s firearms temporarily removed from them through court order if they have shown they are a threat to themselves or others;
- the African American History Act, H.R. 7740, to invest $20 million over 5 years in the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) to support African American history education programs that are voluntarily available for students, parents, and educators;
- the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, H.R. 4731, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the distribution of additional residency positions; and
- the DISCLOSE Act, H.R. 7802, to strengthen the ban on foreign money in campaigns by closing the loophole created by Citizens United by requiring organizations that spend money in elections to promptly disclose all donors who gave them $10,000 or more in an election cycle.
In addition to these bills, I joined my colleagues in sending letters relating to the Iran war this week: - a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the State Department to use all available resources to help Americans stranded in the Middle East return home safely; and
- a letter to the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Defense (DOD), The Honorable Platte B. Moring III, expressing concern about reports that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF)—a non-profit watchdog organization that advocates on issues of religious freedom in the military—has received complaints from servicemembers claiming their superiors are telling them that the current war in Iran is justified by biblical end-times prophecies and requesting a full investigation into any alleged incidents to reassure the American people that their military officers are serving as professionals accountable to the Constitution.
I also joined my colleagues in filing an amicus brief in support of Trump v. Barbara, before the U.S. Supreme Court, to stand up for the essential constitutional principle of birthright citizenship and oppose President Trump’s unlawful executive order denying birthright citizenship for children born in the United States. |
As Operation Epic Fury continues in Iran and across the region, the security situation across the Middle East is rapidly evolving. The State Department has ordered the mandatory departure of nonemergency personnel and family members in 15 countries in the Middle East. The State Department has issued a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) Travel Advisory for the following countries, requiring all nonemergency personnel and families to depart: Gaza, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.
While the Department has directed American citizens to depart via commercial transportation, most commercial flights have been canceled and airports have closed, rendering this option largely infeasible. As a result, Americans are stranded abroad. The State Department is facilitating departures from some countries in the region, but this assistance does not extend to all Level 4 countries. As we have seen time and again with this administration, there is no clear plan in place to protect American citizens in crisis, and that is an utter failure by this administration.
Bahrain, Gaza, Israel, Jordan, Karachi and Lahore (Pakistan), Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and The West Bank have been designated Level 3 (Reconsider Travel); departure from these locations is voluntary, and commercial travel options may be more accessible.
The State Department is currently facilitating assisted departures from the following countries: Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. If you are in one of these countries and need consular assistance, the State Department is directing American citizens to complete this form and pack light in preparation for departure when called.
Americans in Middle Eastern countries where assisted departures are not currently available should contact the Consular Affairs 24/7 call center. - From abroad: +1-202-501-4444
- From the United States and Canada: +1-888-407-4747
For a more detailed look at travel advisories by country and region, click here. |
The House of Representatives will not be in session next week, so I look forward to being back home in the district. Of course, my team and I will continue to monitor developing events and will be here to help you as much as we can. Please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email here at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts on these or any other matters. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes, |
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