I made a quick trip back to Houston over the weekend, and I enjoyed the chance to visit with neighbors at the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston’s annual gala on Saturday night.

The House convened on Monday, beginning the week by voting for three bills under suspension of the rules.  We passed the Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act, S.111, which would require federal agencies to include a link to a 100-word plain language summary for any proposed rule published in the Federal Register.  The Senate passed S.111 last month, so the bill now heads to the President’s desk for signature.  The House passed by voice vote the Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2023, H.R. 1418, which reauthorizes the Food and Drug Administration’s user fee programs for animal drugs and animal generic drugs through Fiscal Year 2028 to ensure that the drugs we give the pets we love or the livestock we rely on are safe and effective.  Finally, the House passed the Global Investment in American Jobs Act, H.R. 813, which directs the Department of Commerce and the Government Accountability Office to conduct an interagency review of the global competitiveness of the United States in attracting foreign direct investment from private-sector entities based in trusted countries and addressing foreign trade barriers that firms in advanced technology sectors face.  The purpose is to strengthen American competitiveness and advance our technological and economic leadership.

On Tuesday, the House voted for a resolution rejecting antisemitism and xenophobia and expressing support for the State of Israel.  I joined my colleagues in voting for this resolution recognizing the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel.  (More on this below.)  It passed with strong bipartisan support.

Later on Tuesday, the House voted down several resolutions to terminate five national emergencies declared over the last twenty years and continued through multiple administrations addressing situations in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  As you may know, the President can declare a national emergency when our country is threatened and call for an immediate response.  Ending these national emergencies would unfreeze the assets of malicious arms dealers, corrupt officials, and accused war criminals while draining compensation funds to assist U.S. victims of terrorism.  For these reasons, I joined the overwhelming majority of my colleagues, including the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mike McCaul (R-TX) and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-NY), in voting against these resolutions.

(A note here, it is a little unusual for bills brought to the floor to fail to pass, and even more unusual to be so resoundingly defeated on a bipartisan basis.  That is because the party that controls the floor (the party in the majority) usually does not bring bills to the floor if there are not enough votes to pass them.)

On Wednesday, the House voted on the Schools Not Shelters Act, H.R. 3941.  I voted against this bill to strip funding from public schools and institutions of higher education that provide shelter to undocumented migrants.  I support comprehensive immigration reform and a safe and secure border.  We need legislation that addresses the very real concerns in our community, treats migrants humanely and fairly, and honors our country’s principles and obligations to allow those fleeing persecution and human rights violations in another country to seek asylum.  This bill fails to do these things and fails to address real issues facing our public education system, including making our schools safer and supporting our educators.  Instead, it threatens to limit federal funds that strengthen equal access to education, improve educational opportunities for those with disabilities, and provide access to college for students from low-income families.

Also on Wednesday, the House began debating and voting on amendments to the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, H.R. 3935, a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and to improve several aviation safety and infrastructure programs.  We voted until late in the evening on Wednesday, and completed consideration of the bill on Thursday morning.  I voted in favor of the bill, which passed with bipartisan support. 

It is critical that Congress support aviation in the United States and, as new technologies emerge at record speeds, that we prepare our country for the next generation of air service technologies.  This legislation will help improve passenger experience across the United States and maintain our country’s gold standard in safety.  

Earlier this year, I submitted written testimony urging the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to include a number of provisions the bill, and was glad to see them included:

• Increased funding levels for the Aviation Workforce Development Grant program to help recruit, retain, and train the next generation of aviation professionals;
• Requirements for the FAA to hire the maximum number of air traffic controllers to address current workforce shortages and ensure flight safety and on time departure; and
• A path to certify Advanced Air Mobility pilots, a rapidly emerging new sector of the aerospace industry.  

Other important provisions in the bill include:

• Directing the Department of Transportation to require airlines to develop policies addressing reimbursement for passengers for hotel and meal costs when a flight is canceled or significantly delayed;
• Increased funding levels and expanded eligibility for the Airport Improvement Program to allow airports to invest in their infrastructure while addressing aviation noise and increasing resiliency; and
• Assisting the aviation industry in catching up to increased demand for air travel since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current authorization, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, expires on September 30, 2023.  Failure to reauthorize this legislation by the deadline will result in disruption to air travel, furloughing employees, loss of revenue, and the suspension or discontinuation of ongoing projects.

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

This week, I co-sponsored several bills on issues important to our community, including: 

• The Freedom to Vote Act, H.R. 11, to improve access to the ballot for Americans, and advance commonsense federal election standards and campaign finance reforms; 
• The Gun Violence Prevention Research Act, H.R. 2390, to authorize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention; 
• The Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act, H.R. 52, to direct the Department of Justice to establish voluntary best practices for safe firearm storage for public education; 
• The Latonya Reeves Freedom Act, H.R. 2708, to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities who need long-term support and services; 
• The Housing Fairness Act, H.R. 68, to authorize funds to prevent housing discrimination through the use of nationwide testing and to increase funds for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program;
• A bill to conform federal tax law with the Texas Constitution to allow for the continued benefit to the fullest extent possible from the financial leverage of the Permanent University Fund to the State of Texas, H.R. 4610;
• A resolution recognizing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education, H.Res.608;
• A resolution to express opposition to using State power against people in the United States seeking essential health care, including criminalization of the full range of sexual and reproductive health care, such as abortion, gender-affirming care, and contraceptive care, and disapproving of State punishment of people for their pregnancy outcomes, H.Res.561; and
• The Reproductive Health Patient Navigator Act, H.R. 4796, to establish a grant program to fund patient navigators, such as community-based organizations, to help women access reproductive health care services. 

I also sent the following letter on matters in our community, including:

• A letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg supporting Port Houston's Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities grant application; and
• A letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Connor supporting Harris County Flood Control District's request for Addicks and Barker reservoirs storage solutions in the Water Resources Development Act. 

And I joined my Texas Democratic colleagues in a letter to the Biden administration concerning recent reports that Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and National Guard members were ordered to push migrant children, including nursing babies and a four-year-old girl, into the Rio Grande and denied water to those suffering from extreme heat.  The Houston Chronicle covered this deeply troubling story extensively this week, and I heard from several of you about it this week.  In our letter, we asked the administration to intervene and address these policies that harm migrants, interfere with the federal enforcement of immigration laws, and violate treaty commitments with Mexico.

On Tuesday, I participated in our Energy & Commerce Energy Subcommittee hearing regarding American nuclear energy where I had a chance to ask witnesses about what the Nuclear Regulation Commission is doing to ensure that its licensing frameworks make sense for new types of nuclear reactors. 

On Wednesday, the full Energy & Commerce Committee marked up 15 health care bills.  We voted on a bipartisan reauthorization of the Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, H.R. 4531, to continue addressing the opioid epidemic by increasing access to prevention, treatment, and recovery for patients with substance use disorder.  We also marked up the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) Support Reauthorization Act, H.R. 3887, a bill that must be reauthorized every five years.  For nearly 25 years, the CHGME Program has trained half of the general pediatricians and a majority of pediatric specialists in our country and it has consistently passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.  This year, however, it was introduced with provisions in this bill that would damage the CHGME Program by banning funding for hospitals that provide care for transgender children.  It was a difficult and painful debate in our committee, and I shared my thoughts with my colleagues near the end of debate.  To see them, click the video below. 

It was a busy week in Washington, especially at the White House, where President Biden welcomed many local leaders from Houston and Harris County, hosted the annual Congressional picnic, and welcomed President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog to Washington for a state visit. 

During his visit, President Herzog addressed a joint session of Congress, which I attended on Wednesday.  I was delighted to be able to welcome our TX-07 neighbor Bobby Lapin, who is the Chair of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Board of Governors, to the Capitol for the address that celebrated the 75th anniversary of Israel’s statehood and reaffirmed the special relationship between our two countries.

While committee work kept me out of the office most of the week, I was glad to have a chance to meet with Sugar Land native and current President President of NARAL Pro-Choice America Mini Timmaraju to discuss women’s reproductive health care, access, and related legislative matters.  I also enjoyed meeting with representatives from Harris County to discuss ways to partner and access resources for our community.  And I was thrilled to welcome students from TX-07 and across the state who were in Washington for the Close Up Foundation’s Bank of America Student Leaders Summit.  As a Close Up alum, I’m always glad to meet with current student and answer their thoughtful and well-researched questions!

As always, I wasn’t the only one taking meetings this week!  In Washington, our team met with representatives of Omni Green Solutions, representatives of National Alliance to End Homelessness, and several TX-07 constituents. 

And in Houston, our team attended a Central Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting. 

As you know, the last Congress passed–and President Biden signed into law–the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.  Among its provisions is the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).  The ACP allows qualifying households to save up to $30 a month on their internet bills.  18,000 TX-07 households have enrolled in the program, saving an estimated $6.5 million annually.  An estimated 80,000 additional households in Texas' 7th Congressional District are eligible for the ACP, but have not yet subscribed.  To see if you qualify, visit GetInternet.gov.  And please spread the word.

Our deadline for fall internships is in one week!  Our office offers internship opportunities in Houston and in Washington.  Students must submit their completed applications by the end of the day on Friday, July 28.  Learn more and fill out the form here.

Service academy nomination applications are now open!  Each year, I have the privilege of nominating a limited number of people to four of our nation’s five service academies. The honor of attending a service academy comes with an obligation and commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation.  Learn more here.  

I’ll be back in Washington next week, where the House will be in session and we expect to take up appropriations legislation. 

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,