I was glad to be at home in Houston on Monday, where I had the chance to stop by the West Gray Multiservice Center for a visit with the Houston Area Parkinson Society for a demonstration of its programs and a conversation about advocacy.  I was glad to share that I have co-sponsored the bipartisan National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, H.R. 2365, which aims to unite the federal government in a mission to cure and prevent Parkinson’s, as well as to alleviate financial and health burdens on American families.  Parkinson’s disease is the second most common – and fastest-growing – neurological disease globally with nearly 90,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

The House convened on Tuesday, but like many travelers across the country this summer, my flight was delayed, so I did not arrive in time for Tuesday’s votes.  The House took up several bills under suspension of the rules that addressed telecommunications, workforce development, international crime, and foreign affairs.  I worked on some of these bills when they were considered in our Energy & Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee, and would have voted for them had I landed in time:

• The NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act, H.R. 1345, establishes a new office at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to develop and implement cybersecurity and privacy policies in the internet and technology sectors. 
• The Launch Communications Act, H.R. 682, requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to permit access to specified broadband spectrum frequencies for commercial space launches and reentries. 
• The Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act, H.R. 2544, allows the Health Resources and Services Administration to make the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network more efficient and effective, ensuring viable organs do not go to waste and promoting high quality health care for individuals on the organ transplant list. 
• The Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act of 2023, H.R. 752, requires the Department of Commerce to coordinate with state-level economic development organizations to increase foreign direct investment in semiconductor-related manufacturing and production. 

All of these bills passed the House by voice vote.  One of the bills that the Energy & Commerce Committee sent to the House floor ultimately failed to pass: the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act, H.R. 1338, a bipartisan effort to update how the FCC licenses satellites.  The satellite industry is developing quickly and holds promise in closing the digital divide, promoting precision agriculture, and providing faster emergency services, but because of disagreements on the House floor about the expanded jurisdiction this bill gives the FCC, the bill ultimately failed. 

The House also passed several bills on global affairs by voice vote.  The Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2023, H.R. 3203, amends the Fentanyl Sanctions Act by updating the definition of foreign opioid trafficker to include certain Chinese entities and government officials that fail to take steps to prevent opioid trafficking.  The Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2023, H.R. 1684, requires an annual report to Congress on the ties between criminal gangs and political and economic elites in Haiti, and imposes sanctions on those involved in criminal activities.  The Taiwan International Solidarity Act, H.R. 1176, to reaffirm that the United States will oppose the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to exclude Taiwan from participating in international organizations.  

The House voted almost unanimously to pass the Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2023, H.R. 4470, to extend the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards authority to ensure regulatory standards are reauthorized.  And this week the House also passed the U.S. Supply Chain Security Review Act of 2023, H.R. 3395, by voice vote.  It requires the Federal Maritime Commission to assess the potential economic security risks of foreign ownership of marine terminals at the 15 largest U.S. container ports, which includes the Port of Houston! 

On Thursday, the House passed by voice vote the Unmanned Aerial Security (UAS) Act, H.R. 1501, which prohibits the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from operating, financing, or procuring UAS systems that are manufactured in certain foreign countries or by certain foreign-owned companies, and the First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act, H.R. 3254, directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to implement a uniform review process for certain anti-terrorism grants to purchase first responder equipment or systems that do not meet or exceed any applicable national voluntary consensus standards.

Unfortunately, the balance of the week reflected concerning developments in the congressional appropriations process that you should know about.

Congressional Appropriations

As I mentioned in my last email, we expected the House to take up two of the twelve annual appropriations bill this week, and consider the rest in September.  On Wednesday, the House began consideration the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, H.R. 4366, and amendments to it.  On Thursday afternoon, House members received notice that we would not take up the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 that we also expected to debate this week.

While I do not serve on the Appropriations Committee, I am involved in the process, supporting the priorities and projects of our district in various ways, and working with my colleagues on the committee to ensure our priorities are reflected in these annual spending bills.  This year’s process and product have become extremely partisan.

As I have shared before, in June, President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (FRA), a bipartisan budget agreement that many of you supported and that I voted for, which was intended to be a compromise to avert an unprecedented default on the United States’ obligations, and to set discretionary spending levels for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025 to facilitate an orderly, bipartisan, and bicameral appropriations process.  Instead of following the agreement and working in a bipartisan fashion to enact appropriation legislation, the Appropriations Committee has undercut the bipartisan agreement, reducing agreed-to spending amounts from the levels enacted into law in June, making cuts to critical domestic investments.  Through these cuts, House Republicans are also trying to repeal landmark legislative accomplishments of the last Congress.  These are real cuts that would have immediate effect to the detriment of critical programs and the constituents that rely on them.  In addition, these bills include divisive and unnecessary provisions banning diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, targeting the LGTBQI+ community, undermining protections for persons with disabilities, and focusing on issues like gender-affirming care, drag shows, abortion access, and other topics unrelated to the substance of the bills.  I share this with you because I have deep concerns about what will happen in this process as we move forward.

The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024 we considered this week reflects the challenges ahead.  The bill cuts critical funding for military construction projects and essential funding for servicemembers, veterans, and their families.  Among its provisions, the bill cuts critical funding for military construction projects by more than $1.5 billion; cuts $200 million in dedicated funding for PFAS remediation and cleanup; cuts funding for military installation climate change and resilience projects; and overturns a Department of Veterans Affairs rule that allows service members, veterans, and their family members to access abortion care in cases of rape, incest, and in cases of danger to the life or health of pregnant women.  Before the bill came to the floor, I co-sponsored two Democratic amendments to strike provisions that would prohibit abortion access, prohibit funding for gender-affirming care, ban pride flags at VA facilities, and allow for religious discrimination, but the majority chose not bring those amendments to the floor for a vote.

This legislation politicizes rather than addresses the real needs of our servicemembers and veterans.  They have fought and sacrificed for our freedom, and as lawmakers, we must protect theirs.  For these reasons, I voted no on this bill.

Final Votes

To conclude the week, the House considered two resolutions to overturn rules put forward by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  The first resolution, S.J. Res. 9, expresses disapproval of a final rule that protects from extinction the lesser prairie-chicken, whose habitat includes southeastern Colorado, western Kansas, eastern New Mexico, western Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle.  The second resolution, S.J. Res. 24, expresses disapproval of a final rule that protects the northern long-eared bat from extinction.  Both of these resolutions undermine the Endangered Species Act, which has been the backbone for wildlife conservation for 50 years.  I voted against both of these resolutions, but they passed the House largely along party lines.

These were the final votes for the month of July, and Congress has now recessed until after Labor Day.

As a reminder, you can always find a list of all of the votes I have taken for the district on my website. 

On Thursday, the full Energy & Commerce Committee spent most of the day marking up six bills, including one to reauthorize the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).  This agency, located within the Department of Commerce, focuses on promoting broadband internet access and adoption, expanding the use of spectrum for all users, and ensuring the internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth.  The NTIA is currently administering the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, a $42.45 billion program to expand high-speed internet buildouts in underserved and unserved communities.  Texas recently received the highest state allocation of these funds and will be awarded $3.3 billion to expand internet access to the 7 million Texans who currently lack access.  The NTIA Reauthorization Act, H.R. 4510, which we passed out of committee with bipartisan support, takes many important steps to strengthen and streamline the agency so it can continue its important work.

Among the many useful meetings this week, I joined my colleagues on the Regional Leadership Council (RLC) for a meeting with Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, where we discussed a number of issues, including the extensive broadband funding coming out of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).  Did you know that Texas has received the highest allocation of funding in the United States?  As I mentioned above, the Commerce Department recently announced $3.3 billion in funding will come to Texas to build out high speed internet.  We also discussed the Department's work to increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities across the country, the program to develop Tech Hubs, funding for coastal communities, and much more.

(Speaking of high-speed internet, I mentioned last week that the IIJA included the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which allows qualifying households to save up to $30 a month on their internet bills.  18,000 TX-07 households have enrolled in the program, but 80,000 additional households in our district are still eligible.  To see if you qualify, visit GetInternet.gov.  And please spread the word.)

Earlier today, RLC members went to the White House to discuss the implementation of the legislation, and how we make sure it touches every corner of the country.  We are seeing the benefits at home in Texas.  I’m working on a summary to share with you soon.   

This week, I met with my fellow co-chairs of the Flood Resilience Caucus—Congressman Randy Weber (TX-14) and Congressman Troy Carter (LA-02)—to talk about the work our caucus can do to protect American families, homes, and communities from flooding and advance these initiatives in Congress. 

This short week, I was glad to have a chance to visit with Richard with The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) Memorial Hermann, which is designated as a National Rehabilitation Innovation Center, to discuss the work TIRR is doing for the disability community in Houston and across the country. 

This week, I also had a chance to sit down with our summer interns in Houston and in Washington to hear about their experiences before their internships end.  Our three interns in Washington are all from the district, and our interns in the district were working “on the Hill” remotely, so I’m including them here!  We’ve been so lucky to have such great interns this summer.  We are sad to see them go, but grateful for their hard work for our district! 

(As a reminder, fall intern applications are due by 11:00 PM CT tonight!)

In Washington, our DC staff attended events at the Capitol complex and met with representatives from the American Physical Therapy Association, the Armenian National Committee, Memorial Hermann, the Iranian American Communities of Texas, and more.

In Houston, staff visited the Asian Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Small Business Administration’s Grow Your Business with Federal Contracting event; an unveiling of “The Meditative Space” honoring former U.S. Representative Barbara Jordan with Dr. Rhea Lawson, Houston Public Library’s Executive Director; and a ribbon cutting with the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce.

On Friday, we were lucky to have officials from the Biden administration visiting Houston and Team TX-07 was there to represent.  While I was at the White House, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Acting Secretary Julie Su was in town to talk about the impact of the American Rescue Plan Act in job growth and apprenticeships and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Secretary Xavier Becerra was visiting our community health centers, including TX-07’s Hope Clinic.

New data is out from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which reflects that Texas is the top state for new manufacturing jobs, with 86,000 new positions added from January 2021 to May 2023.  This manufacturing boom is closely tied to the transformative pieces of legislation we passed in the 117th Congress, including the CHIPS and Science Act. 

The CHIPS and Science Act spurred growth in our domestic semiconductor industry, and we are already seeing the effects of this legislation.  (Semiconductors are computer chips that help power modern technologies, such as cellphones and cars.)  Samsung and Texas Instruments have already announced plans to build new semiconductor factories in Texas, which will bring thousands and thousands of jobs – first in construction and later in manufacturing these essential chips. 

Congress passed and President Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act, which accelerates domestic semiconductor manufacturing, boosts resilience in American supply chains, and secures American scientific leadership.  I was proud to work on and vote for this legislation, and will continue to support legislation to ensure the United States remains a beacon for excellence in science, technology, and engineering.