Dear Neighbor,

Happy Mother’s Day!  On this day of appreciation for those who nurture, guide, challenge, and inspire us, I send my best wishes to all the mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, aunts, and other mothers in our district.  I am so grateful and lucky that one of our neighbors is my own fabulous mom, who grew up right here in our district and raised me here, too.

In addition to celebrating mothers, this past week we honored teachers and nurses for National Teacher’s Day on Tuesday and National Nurses Day on Wednesday.  We recognize the incredible sacrifices and dedication of teachers and nurses every day, but these days gave us an opportunity to recognize and appreciate all they are doing with grace and care in the face the new challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.  I was glad to share my thanks for teachers in a video you can watch here.

It was great to catch up with TX-07 residents in a telephone town hall hosted by AARP this week!  I appreciated the important and thoughtful questions, and I was grateful for the opportunity to address these issues and hear from our neighbors.

This Tuesday, May 12 at 7:10PM, I will host my fifth Telephone Town Hall on COVID-19.  I’m excited that the following community leaders will join us for a conversation about the path forward:

• Dr. Umair Shah, Executive Director of Harris County Public Health;
• Marvin Odum, who is leading the City of Houston’s COVID-19 recovery and relief efforts; and
• State Representative Armando Walle, who is leading Harris County’s COVID-19 pandemic recovery’s efforts.

I hope you will be able to join us for this important discussion.  You will have the opportunity to ask questions and hear directly to leaders in our community who are guiding the recovery process.  You can RSVP here or by clicking the link below.

In Congress, we continued our work to address the impacts of COVID-19, and other matters important for our district.

On Friday, I introduced the Protecting the Paycheck Protection Program Act of 2020 to reverse guidance from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that prevents business owners who have their PPP loans forgiven from claiming tax deductions on otherwise deductible expenses.  This places additional burdens on businesses in our district and across the country, and it goes against the Congressional intent of the CARES Act.  My bill, which I introduced with Congressman Andy Kim and Congresswoman Angie Craig, supersedes this guidance to make sure small business have the relief as Congress intended.

In addition, I joined nearly 100 of my colleagues in calling on the Small Business Administration (SBA) to accept new Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applicants and to provide current applicants with an update on their loan status.  I know that too many small businesses in my district have been waiting to hear from the SBA about their EIDL application, and I continue these critical efforts to get you the help you need. 

This week, I met virtually with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Galveston District Commander Colonel Timothy Vail to discuss progress on the Addicks and Barker Dams, the Buffalo Bayou Tributaries & Resiliency Study, and the 2021 Corps Budget for projects in our region, including the project to widen and deepen the Port of Houston.  These are critical matters I continue to work on as a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  

The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a virtual briefing roundtable to discuss how the existing research and analysis capabilities of federal agencies can be deployed to better identify, understand, track, treat, and contain COVID-19.  And our Subcommittee on the Environment also met virtually with the National Weather Service to discuss its impacts and the agency’s response—especially important for us as we approach Hurricane Season.

I was also glad to convene my colleagues in the New Democrat Coalition for a briefing call on the state of the energy markets with BP’s Chief U.S. Economist, Michael Cohen.  I was glad to share the insights of industry leaders here with my colleagues across the country.   

I also joined my colleagues in several other letters urging Congressional or agency action, including efforts to include robust emergency funding for state and local public health departments to support testing, contact tracing, and other critical public health measures to reopen the economy safely in the next COVID-19 package, and to include strong financial assistance to support the United States Postal Service (USPS) while also enacting reforms necessary for its long-term viability.

Team TX-07 and I are here to serve you.  We receive regular updates from our community partners, many of whom have extensive resources available for people in our district who own small businesses, or who are having trouble paying rent, or who are just trying to figure out how they can help others.  We have worked to put together this information into one place on our website to help you navigate it all more easily.  On the website, you will also find our Small Business Resource Guide and our COVID-19 Community Resource Guide.  I hope you will take a look and let me know if you have suggested additions.

Please know that we are happy to help you during this challenging time, and at all times.  Hearing from you helps shape my work and helps me be a better advocate for our community in Congress.  If you have questions, need assistance, or just want to share your thoughts with me and my team, you can call my office at (713) 353-8680 or email me here.

I am proud to represent you, and I am here for you.

Best wishes,