Dear Neighbor,

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers and father figures in TX-07 across our community! 

It was another busy week in Washington, and it was great to return to Houston for the weekend to see many of our neighbors at my town hall yesterday. 

On Tuesday, the House voted for the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA), H.R. 2773, to help promote and enhance conservation efforts and ensure the long-term health of fish and wildlife throughout the country.  Along the Texas Gulf Coast, we know the importance of protecting our ecosystems and enhancing wildlife habitat.  Healthy and diverse wildlife populations provide many environmental benefits, including shoreline protection, and I was glad to vote for this legislation to provide states with federal funding to manage wildlife species of greatest conservation need.  RAWA will:

• Fund conservation efforts for more than 12,000 species of wildlife and plants in need of assistance by providing $1.3 billion in dedicated annual funding for proactive, on-the-ground efforts in every state;
• Accelerate the recovery of 1,600 U.S. species already listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act; and
• Include improvements to ensure funds are appropriately targeted to the areas of greatest need and facilitate additional investments in protecting at-risk plant species.

On Thursday the House also voted to pass the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, a package of bipartisan bills to lower prices for in the grocery aisle and at the gas pump by giving farmers and ranchers the support they need.  The bill helps lower fertilizer costs in the field to lower food prices in the grocery store, and meat and poultry costs by increasing meatpacking competition and capacity.

At home in Houston on Saturday, I was glad to see so many familiar and new faces yesterday at our mid-year town hall.  I was glad to provide an update on our work in Congress—including how we’re working in Congress to address increased prices at the gas pump and the grocery store, to keep our communities safe, and rebuild our infrastructure, the work we’ve done at home in the district.  And I was glad to hear your questions and continue the conversation about your priorities and answer your questions.

As Co-Chair of the Congressional Friends of Belgium Caucus, I hosted Ambassador Jean-Arthur Régibeau and Members of the Belgian Parliament in the Capitol this week as we discussed ways to bolster bilateral relations. 

And of course, it’s always great to meet with Houstonians in DC! 

On Tuesday, I met with William White from the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations to discuss civil rights issues. 

On Wednesday, I was glad to welcome Houston City Council Member At-Large Sallie Alcorn and the American Flooding Coalition to discuss ways to address flooding issues.

Also on Wednesday, I met with Houston representatives from the National Association of Home Builders.

And, this week, some of the staff members from our Houston office came up to DC!  It was great to show them around and to have our Houston and DC teams together. 

This week, I heard from our neighbors about people waiting in long lines outside of social security offices in record heat.  Our team got in touch with the Social Security Administration (SSA) right away to improve access to in-person appointments.  We will continue to advocate and work to improve the situation.

In the meantime, there are other, safer ways to get in touch with the SSA: through online and telephone appointments. You can set up an appointment by visiting ssa.gov, calling 1-800-772-1213, or you can find more details here. 

It is important to stay cool in this heat, so please consider online options or visiting a different SSA office, and avoid visiting without already having set up an appointment.  I will be communicating with the SSA about how we can efficiently and effectively serve the people of TX-07.

Happy Juneteenth!  Today, across Texas and across the country, we celebrate Juneteenth and all it represents for the people of this country: freedom, progress, and hope.  Tomorrow, we observe this day as a national holiday.  I was honored to attend the signing ceremony for this historic bill at the White House and to celebrate all it represents.

This week, I will be back in Washington.  I am excited to say that the House will vote on my bill, the Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner (COCM) Act, H.R. 5218, to invest in an evidence-based model that integrates behavioral health into the primary care setting to ensure Americans can access the mental health care they need when they need it. 

The House will also take up several other bills, including the bipartisan STRONG Veterans Act, H.R. 6411, to combat veteran suicide and address mental health and help meet our commitment to those who risked their lives and safety for our country; the ARPA-H Act, H.R. 5585, to establish the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an independent agency tasked with accelerating biomedical innovation and making transformative breakthroughs in the fight against the most challenging diseases; and as we celebrate Pride Month, the House will consider the LGBTQ Data Inclusion Act, H.R. 4176, which requires federal agencies to use voluntary surveys of self-disclosed information on sexual orientation and gender identity.

A busy week ahead!  As always, I am honored to represent you and I am here to help you.  Please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email me at fletcher.house.gov/contact at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts.  My team and I look forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes,