We all know about Monday’s storm.  I was already on my way to Washington, but I was in touch with local leaders from the road and I came home as soon as I could, arriving late Tuesday evening.  On Wednesday, I traveled throughout our district to assess the damage and efforts to provide relief.  I walked through neighborhoods, met with residents and local leaders, visited cooling centers and distribution events, and met with people working to help respond to this emergency.  I visited the Bayland Community Center cooling center and distribution site with Harris County Commissioner Leslie Briones and State Representative Gene Wu, visited the Sugar Land Operations Center where I received a briefing from Sugar Land officials and met with Sugar Land Mayor Zimmerman, visited with residents and assessed damage across the district, and visited a cooling center at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center (West Gray) with Houston Council Member Abbie Kamin.  Today, I was back at West Gray to meet with Mayor Whitmire and Council Member Kamin, as well as representatives from SYSCO, who were delivering food and water to the center.

I am so grateful to the brave first responders, frontline workers, community volunteers, and local leaders who—once again—have been on the ground doing everything they can to assist district residents and respond to Beryl.  Of course, my thoughts have been with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in this hurricane, and with everyone impacted by the storm and the ongoing power outages. 

On Wednesday, President Biden signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Harris and Fort Bend Counties.  This Major Disaster Declaration means the federal government can assist with the costs of debris removal, the permanent restoration of damaged facilities, and emergency measures to eliminate or lessen immediate threats to lives, public health, or safety.  It also means we will have the federal resources to work on long-term repair projects of roads and bridges, reservoirs and floodwalls, buildings, water and sewage facilities, and more.  Today, President Biden signed an amendment to the declaration to provide for individual assistance to individuals, a request the State of Texas sent yesterday.

Once again, the White House responded with speed that will be critical over the days, weeks, and months ahead as we work to recover.  I heard from the White House first thing Monday morning.  My colleagues and I in our Congressional Delegation have supported these requests, and I appreciate the attention we have gotten from the White House and federal agencies.  FEMA has been on the ground since the May derecho and will remain on the ground in the weeks to come to help us recover from Hurricane Beryl.  Other agencies have deployed personnel to help us, as well, including the Federal Communications Commission (more on that below).

With all this in mind, our team has compiled information that may be useful to you or to someone you know that has been impacted by the storm.  We will continue to update this information on my website, some highlights of which are copied below.  I hope you will forward this information to anyone you know who may need it. 

Helpful Links

• Houston Resources
• West University Place Resources
• Bellaire Resources
• Southside Place Resources
• Sugar Land Resources
• Ready.gov
  • Pets and Animals
  • Emergency Alerts
  • Coping with Disasters
  • FEMA Mobile App
  • Get Involved

I know that the power outages continue to be the greatest concern of many in our community.  I have been in contact with CenterPoint directly several times since the storm, and have relayed concerns and issues in our district, including concerns about communications and information for those still without power.  There is no question that CenterPoint’s number one priority right now must be restoring power to every person in our service area.  In the days ahead, there will be time to address the issues of preparation and communication that must improve, but the priority now is restoring power for everyone and getting relief from the heat.  I do want to note, however, that as frustrating as it is, it is important that we not take out that frustration on the linemen working to get the power back on.  I have heard disturbing news of residents acting aggressively toward line crews.  That will make it harder for them to get the power back on.

On a positive note, the storm has demonstrated that our ongoing efforts to prepare for and mitigate damage from disasters have worked and that we have to keep making those investments.

This week, we saw the effectiveness of Project Brays, the largest partnership project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD), which proved vital in keeping water out of homes during this hurricane.  And I was glad to hear from HCFCD that the Meyergrove Stormwater Detention Basin—although not yet completed—also performed its function and kept floodwaters away from homes.  As you may remember, in 2021, I requested and secured nearly $10 million in federal funding to design and construct the Meyergrove Stormwater Detention Basin, a 7.5-acre basin for the conveyance of more than 50 million gallons of stormwater away from homes and businesses on North Braeswood, just inside the Loop.  In February of this year, we broke ground on the project, which should be completed this year.   

We also know that more projects are needed to manage the volumes of water than another storm could bring.  I’ll keep working to help make those things happen, and get our community the federal support we need for these projects.

The House was back in session this week considering several pieces of legislation.  On Tuesday, the House voted on the Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act (H.R. 7700) and the Refrigerator Freedom Act (H.R. 7637) which would hinder the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) ability to issue energy efficiency standards for dishwashers, refrigerators, and freezers.  These bills came out of my Energy & Commerce Committee, and, as I have said before, are neither serious nor a good use of the limited legislative days we have left in this Congress.  Under the current law, DOE energy efficiency standards must already be cost-effective, technologically feasible, and economically justified and result in significant savings to consumers.  Proposed updates to efficiency standards will save Americans $1 trillion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 2.5 billion metric tons over the next 20 years.  The appliance industry supports these standards which were part of consensus recommendation made by appliance manufactures and efficiency advocates in September 2023.  For these reasons, I voted no on both bills.  H.R. 7700 passed by a vote of 214-192 and H.R. 7637 passed by a vote of 212-192.  

The House also considered the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (H.R. 8281) to amend the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 to require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in elections for federal office.  This change would bar Americans from registering to vote with their driver’s license alone.  The only acceptable standalone form of identification for many Americans for voter registration would be a passport—burdening countless Americans, including military voters, naturalized citizens, and those who have changed their names.  And as you may know, it is already illegal for noncitizens to register to vote in federal elections.  This partisan legislation only serves to burden voters, intimidate election officials, and limit states’ abilities to register new voters.  I was at home in Houston when this vote occurred, but for these reasons, I would have voted against the bill, which passed the House on a vote of 221-198.

The House also considered amendments to and final passage of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2025 (H.R. 8772).  Again this week, this year’s appropriations bill was a revised version of the bill I voted against last year, filled with provision to discourage diversity and inclusion in the legislative branch and opening the door for discrimination against LGBTQI+ members and staff.  For these reasons, I voted against the bill, which failed to pass the House by a vote of 205-213.

On Thursday, the House also considered and voted on a privileged resolution (H.Res. 1344) to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in “inherent contempt” of the House of Representatives for not producing audio of President Biden's interview in his case regarding the handling of classified documents for which a transcript has already been provided and for which the President has asserted Executive Privilege.  I wrote to you about this last month, when House Republicans voted to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt.  This new resolution is different because an inherent contempt resolution gives Congress direct enforcement authority, and this one included fining the Attorney General $10,000 per day.  I voted against this baseless and unwarranted resolution, and it failed in the House by a vote of 204-210.

The House also considered a resolution (H.J.Res. 165) to nullify the Department of Education’s final Title IX rule, which was published on April 29, 2024, under the Congressional Review Act (CRA).  As you may know, Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any educational program or activity that receives federal funding.  Enacted more than 50 years ago, Title IX has opened doors for generations of women and girls and increased access to educational opportunities for millions of students.  The Biden administration’s final Title IX rule clarifies sex discrimination covered under Title IX includes "discrimination on the basis of sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy, or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity."  The rule would prohibit schools that receive federal funding from discriminating on the basis of sex, including transgender individuals, and require higher education institutions to address off-campus sex discrimination if contributing to a hostile environment on campus.  The rule also promotes accountability by requiring schools to respond with prompt and effective action to end sex discrimination and make clear their nondiscrimination policies so students and families understand their rights.  The passage of H.J.Res. 165 would repeal the Biden administration’s Title IX rule and leave in place the harmful Trump-era Title IX rule, which allows schools to turn a blind eye to most incidents of sex discrimination and harassment.  For these reasons, I voted against this resolution, which passed the House on a vote of 209-205.

The House also voted sought to override a veto from the President on H.J.Res. 109, providing for congressional disapproval of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 121.  This veto override would undo accounting guidance concerning crypto assets from the Securities and SEC, known as SAB 121.  SAB 121 only applies to companies holding crypto assets on behalf of their clients, and achieves two things: first, it advises companies on how they should disclose crypto assets that they hold, providing transparency for investors and the public; and second, it advises companies on how to record these crypto assets on their balance sheets, which ensures companies have sufficient capital to secure these assets for the user against loss, theft, or financial misuse.  H.J.Res. 109 would not only overturn SAB 121, but also prohibit the SEC from issuing similar guidance in the future.  Since the SEC is one of the main agencies cracking down on noncompliance in the crypto industry, the resolution would also undermine the SEC’s work to oppose bad actors as well.  I voted no on this motion which failed to secure the two-thirds necessary for a veto override with a vote total of 227 for and 184 against.  

The House also passed the following bills under suspension of the Rules on a bipartisan basis: Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R. 5441), which reauthorizes the Long Island Sound Office and the funding programs of the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006 through Fiscal Year 2028 at current authorization levels, and Alabama Underwater Forest National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act (H.R. 897), which designates an underwater forest off the coast of Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a National Marine Sanctuary.

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

It was a busy week between Houston and Washington, but I was glad to have a few minutes to meet with constituents and representatives of the Cedar Port Navigation & Improvement District about a navigation project in our region. 

I also had the opportunity to meet with fellow Texan and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Region VI Regional Administrator Candace Valenzuela to discuss affordable housing in Houston and the efficient delivery of disaster relief funds to our region.  We had a great visit about the work HUD is doing, programs that will benefit our community, and how we can work together on disaster mitigation projects here at home.

In Houston, everyone on our team lost power in the hurricane, as did our office for a few days.  Despite the challenges, our TeamTX-07 continued to work to support our constituents in need of assistance, with help from our team in Washington.  Our team in Washington also participated in more than three dozen meetings over the last two weeks with constituents and people representing their interests, including with representatives from RespectAbility, Direct Digital Holdings, Venture Global LNG, and Gen Z Food & Hunger Summit. 

Last week, I was proud to announce that our team has now successfully resolved more than 14,000 matters for residents of TX07.  Every day, our team of constituent advocates works to serve our constituents on matters of all kinds before federal agencies, including obtaining benefits from Social Security, Medicare, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as addressing matters before the Small Business Administration, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the IRS, and others.  I am grateful to the residents of #TX07 who have put their trust in me and my team to help resolve some of their most pressing problems.  I am proud of our team, and I look forward to continuing to serve our neighbors and helping our community in every way we can.

Recently, my team helped TX-07 resident Karen C. with an issue before the Social Security Administration:

“On February 2, 2022, I applied for Social Security retirement benefits at age 70.  After over a year and a half, I was told the application was still pending.  I made contact with several SSA staff on the phone and in person, and left messages for other SSA staff on over a dozen occasions.  I was unable to get my SSA retirement benefits and reached a dead end on my own. 

“I contacted Rep. Lizzie Fletcher’s Office, and her [Senior Constituent Advocate] Fatimah was able to guide my problem from the dead end I reached to other sources at Social Security.  After several weeks, I received a call from a Social Security supervisor and the application was pulled out of archival and moved to completion.  I am very grateful for the assistance of Rep. Fletcher and her staff in cutting through normal bureaucracy and resolving my social security quandary.  Thank you.”

- Karen C.

If you or someone you know need assistance with a matter before a federal agency, my team may be able to help.  Click here for more information. 

This week, Washington was abuzz as the United States hosted the 2024 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Washington, D.C., marking the historic 75th anniversary of the Alliance.  The summit convened 32 allied nations to demonstrate the continued strength of the Transatlantic Alliance, with much attention focused on NATO’s relations with Ukraine following one of Russia’s largest missile attacks in the war to date.  President Biden opened the NATO summit by announcing plans for the United States to supply new air defenses to Ukraine, including F-16 fighter jets, to help protect Ukrainian cities, civilians, and soldiers.  Throughout the summit, NATO leaders continued to bolster the Alliance’s relationship with Ukraine, announcing new steps to advance military, political, and financial support to Ukraine—including a proposed path to NATO membership—to strengthen its ability to defend against Russian aggression, now and in the future.  The summit also involved critical discussions around modernizing defense and deterrence, strengthening Indo-Pacific partnerships, increasing cyber defense, combating global terrorism and nuclear proliferation, advancing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, and constraining Russia’s aggression and nuclear arms dependence.  NATO also made a joint declaration calling out the People’s Republic of China for its large-scale support for Russia’s defense industrial base.  The success of the Washington summit reaffirms the United States’ global leadership, a strong future for the NATO Alliance, and continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, as the Alliance carries on its 75-year legacy of transatlantic strength and unity.  I know these issues are of great concern to people across our district who have contacted me about support for Ukraine, for democracy abroad, and for continuing United States leadership.

The House will be in recess next week, and I am looking forward to spending some time at home next week and helping our community recover from Hurricane Beryl. 

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,