This week, the House voted on several pieces of legislation.  Once again, we moved forward some piece of legislation under “suspension of the rules,” including the Wounded Warrior Access Act, H.R. 1226, a bill to streamline the process for veterans to access their benefit claims information from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by requiring the VA to establish and maintain a secure, internet-based portal to enable a claimant or their representative to make records requests.

The House also debated and voted on several bills and resolutions, including H.R. 140, a bill titled Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act, which would prohibit federal employees from taking action that may influence a social media platform’s content moderation decisions.  While our Energy and Commerce Committee has done thoughtful work around privacy, algorithms and social media issues, this legislation from the House Oversight Committee does not reflect that work and would instead interfere with the sharing of important, sometimes urgent, information to protect public safety and national security.  For these reasons I voted no.  I also voted no on H.J.Res. 27, a resolution expressing congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Department of the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States.’”  And I voted against H.Con.Res. 21 a resolution directing the President to remove the United States Armed Forces from Syria immediately, which failed to pass the House by a vote of 321-103.

I voted in favor of S. 619, a bill to require the Director of National Intelligence to declassify information relating to the origin of COVID-19, which passed the House unanimously, and also passed the Senate unanimously earlier this week.

This week, I reintroduced the American Gas for Allies Act.  The United States and our NATO allies have responded to President Putin’s aggression with strength, and we must remain committed to our allies with sustained action.  Helping reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian natural gas—now and in the future—is an important part of that effort.  I am proud to reintroduce the American Gas for Allies Act to boost our federal response by working with our NATO allies to expedite the export of American Liquefied Natural Gas to help secure Europe’s energy supply and defense.

Currently, under the Natural Gas Act, countries that have free trade agreements with the U.S. automatically receive expedited approval from the Department of Energy to import or export LNG.  Because no free trade agreements currently exist between the U.S. and European NATO countries, however, European NATO countries must initiate a lengthy application process to import or export LNG with the United States.  If enacted, the American Gas for Allies Act would designate applications at the Department of Energy to export natural gas from the U.S. to NATO countries be granted without modification or delay for a three-year period.  In addition to NATO members, any other foreign nation can qualify when the Secretary of State—in consultation with the Secretaries of the Department of Defense and Department of Energy—determines it is in the national strategic defense interests of the United States to do so.

This week, I also co-sponsored several pieces of legislation on issues important to our community, including: 

• The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, H.R. 82, to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, both of which reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other types of benefits;
• The Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act, H.R. 1247; to direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to issue an order requiring installation of a secondary cockpit barrier on commercial passenger aircrafts;
• The Equal Pay Day Resolution, H.Con.Res. 22, to recognize the significance of equal pay and the disparity between wages paid to men and women; and
• A bill Directing the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library to obtain a statue of Shirley Chisolm for placement in the U.S. Capitol, H.R. 1247,  to erect a statue of Shirley Chisholm–the first African American woman in Congress–in the U.S. Capitol.

I joined my colleagues in signing several letters about things important to our community, as well, including: 

• A letter to the Office of Management and Budget requesting support for strong funding levels for domestic and international family planning and reproductive health programs in the President’s Fiscal year 2024 budget request; 
• A letter to Department of Energy Secretary Granholm requesting labor protection provisions be included in the H2Hub program; and 
• A letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra urging support of placing one of the three ARPA-H facilities in Texas.

I also joined my colleagues in the New Democrat Coalition as we announced several policy task forces this week.

I am glad to Chair the Trade Task Force this Congress, after serving as the co-chair in the last two Congresses, to build on the work we have done in that time—including building a broad coalition of support for the USMCA, for tariff relief during the pandemic, and tariff elimination with the EU and UK—and work we have done over the years. New Dems have long been at the center of driving pro-growth, pro-innovation policy that recognizes the importance of trade in our economy and the opportunities it presents.  

It was a busy week in the Energy and Commerce Committee!  On Wednesday, our Communications and Technology Subcommittee marked up 13 bills.  On Thursday, the full Energy and Commerce Committee marked up another 21 bills.  And Friday our Communications and Technology Subcommittee held a hearing entitled, “Defending America’s Wireless Leadership.”  You can see more here.

I always love welcoming Houstonians on their trips to D.C.  I loved getting to visit with the eighth grade students and teachers from The Emery/Weiner School on the steps of the Capitol.

While I spent a lot of time in the E&C Committee room this week, I was glad to have a chance to meet with several members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists who were in town for their Advocacy Day. 

And a coalition of Houstonians, including the Greater Houston Port Bureau, to talk about port and other infrastructure. 

I also met with members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association from Houston to discuss their work and legislative ideas to address areas of need. 

On Wednesday, I joined members of Congress in a bipartisan briefing from the Congressional Budget Office to discuss its recent report on baseline projections of what the federal budget and economy would look like between 2023 and 2033.  It was a helpful, productive discussion of our national debt, deficit, spending, growth, historic trends, and projections. 

I also met with important educational leaders this week, including the President of The College of William & Mary Katherine Rowe, as well as Dr. Derek Aday from the college’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to discuss issues in higher education, college affordability, and work at VIMS relating to flood mapping and my RISEE Act.

I also had a chance to meet with Close Up Foundation's Chief External Affairs Officer Mia Charity about TX-07 students participating in the program this year and how we can expand opportunities to more TX-07 students.

On Thursday, President Biden submitted a Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal that would lower costs for Americans, build our economy, strengthen Medicare, and combat inflation while also reducing our deficit by three trillion dollars.  Congress, of course, has the power of the purse, and we are beginning our work to determine federal spending through the appropriations process.

Also this week, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the February Jobs Report, announcing that more than 300,000 jobs were created during the month of February, and that’s on top of a half a million jobs added in January.

As we prepare for this year’s appropriations process, Team-TX-07 has been busy meeting with representatives from organizations about spending priorities and other issues, including the University of Texas Medical Branch Health; J Street; American Vets (AmVets); INCOMPAS; Texas Gulf Coast Region; the American Red Cross; Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center; Texas Trucking Association; the American Dental Association; the Alliance for Infrastructure Reuse and Redevelopment; the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America who were in DC for Ukrainian Advocacy Day. 

Back home in Houston, Spencer and Bricen served as judges for the Academy of Accelerated Learning's talent show!

Our first quarterly District Town Hall of 2023 will take place on March 21 in Sugar Land.  I hope that you will join to hear an update on Congress so far this year, ask questions, and share your thoughts.  RSVP by clicking here or on the graphic below!

I’ll be back home in Houston next week, and I am looking forward to visiting with neighbors throughout TX-07! 

As always, I am proud to represent you and I am here to help you. 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.  I look forward to hearing from you.  

Best wishes,