Although it was hotter than any of us might have liked, it was a great and very full October to catch up with neighbors and participate in our democracy!  I was glad to spend time out and about across the district at celebratory events.  From National Night Out gatherings to Southside Place’s 100th Anniversary Celebration, from celebrating the triumph of light over darkness at Diwali festivities to celebrating the light of learning at Harris County Public Libraries, the month was full of special opportunities to be part of our great community in action.  In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I visited the Institute of Hispanic Culture of Houston, located in our district.  And I loved stopping by the Bellaire City Library and the West University Library to donate books from the Library of Congress.  Serving as the parade marshall at Shri Sita Ram Foundation's Dussehra and Diwali Festival was a special honor and a first for me!

It was also good to spend time back in our district office with our team, and am pleased to share that our grants manager Dottie has become our district director and is already bringing great ideas and programs to our district.  I’ll share more of them in future emails.  I also met with several groups of constituents at the office while I was home, including some fabulous local artists representing the Recording Academy, constituents advocating for awareness and action on diseases both rare and all too frequent, advocates for flood mitigation and bayou greenways and bike paths, and some district Girl Scouts working on their democracy badges. 

We also hosted our annual military service academy resource fair for high school students and their families while I was home with representatives from the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.  Nominating outstanding young Houstonians to the United States military service academies each year is a privilege and a pleasure.  I am inspired by the many bright young students who wish to serve our country in our armed forces, and am honored and proud to represent them and their families.  Thank you to the City of Bellaire for hosting us!

While I was at home in Houston, our team in Washington held dozens of meetings with constituents and groups advocating on their behalf, a few of which are pictured below.

Back home in the district, our team was out and about across the district as usual, helping constituents and attending community events.  I’ve included a few highlights below from the Fort Bend County Fair AG'tivity Barn, Harris County Precinct 4’s Second Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Festival and Resource Fair, and the HOPE Clinic’s 22nd Anniversary celebration.

A few important notes and deadlines to highlight. 

FEMA and SBA have extended the October 10 deadline for Texans affected by Hurricane Beryl to apply for FEMA assistance or a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loan by 60 days.  The new deadline is December 9.  

• To apply with FEMA: complete a late application online at DisasterAssistance.gov or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.
• To Apply with the SBA: visit the MySBA portal at lending.sba.gov.

Note: SBA has temporarily paused funding for its disaster loan program, but the SBA is still accepting applications for low-interest, long-term disaster loans to assist homeowners, renters, businesses, and nonprofits affected by disasters.  Once Congress appropriates additional funding, which I have urged our leaders to do as soon as possible, disaster loan applications will be processed promptly.

Medicare Open Enrollment is now underway!  Medicare Open Enrollment started October 15 and runs through December 7, 2024.  Last Congress, I voted to pass historic legislation, including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).  In addition to reducing inflation and fighting climate change, the IRA also lowers health care costs for seniors. 

I encourage every senior in our community to take advantage of these new, lower-cost Medicare benefits.  It is more important than ever to look at your drug coverage for 2025 during Medicare Open Enrollment and make sure you are enrolled in the Medicare Part D plan that is best for you.

You can learn more about these benefits and review your options at Medicare.gov. 

We are now taking applications for spring semester internships!  I encourage students interested in learning about public service and public policy in Washington and Houston to apply by November 17.  The application is available on my website here.

On Monday, we will observe Veterans Day to recognize the bravery of the men and women who have fought for our country in our armed forces.  We owe them a debt of gratitude, and must honor them not only on this day but every day by keeping the promises we have made to them and prioritizing their needs.  I thank all of our veterans in TX-07 and beyond for your service to our country.

And with that in mind, as November is National Veterans and Military Families Month, I want to hear from TX-07 residents about the veterans’ issues that are your priorities.  I hope you will fill out my survey at this link and let me know your thoughts.  

I will be back in Washington next week as Congress returns to complete our work in the final few weeks of the 118th Congress and organize for the 119th Congress. 

We have a lot of work to complete.  As you may remember, Congress passed a short-term funding extension in September to continue funding the government until December 20 of this year.  We need to pass legislation to fund the government for the next fiscal year.  The House must also take up this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes funding for our military, and a bill to allocate supplemental funding for disaster relief following recent devastating natural disasters, including Hurricane Beryl.

As you know, Tuesday was Election Day, and I am honored and proud to be returning to the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress to represent our district.  I want to remind you that, while voting is at the heart of our democratic system, our democracy (and our office) functions best with more frequent engagement.  That is why I hope you will contact me to share your thoughts or to ask for assistance at any time.  I have been so grateful to hear from so many of you on so many different topics – well more than 1,000 by now.  Your engagement on issues and advocacy for policies and proposals is an essential part of how our team and I determine and advance the priorities of our district—from sponsoring legislation to casting votes.  Please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email here at any time to share your thoughts and ideas.  We will also be adding a monthly survey to these emails like the one above, and I hope you will use those as an opportunity to help shape the work of our district, as well.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,