This week, in addition to the ongoing discussions about the budget bill and matters before Congress, people in Washington were following several developments across the country and around the world, including the following, many of which are still developing:

Sending U.S. Military into American cities.  On Saturday, President Trump federalized the California National Guard and announced that he would send National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles.  This is not normal.  And, according to local and state officials, not needed.  Neither the Mayor nor the Governor asked for troops to deal with protests in a small area of downtown Los Angeles.  A federal court ruled Thursday that Trump violated federal law and the U.S. Constitution, exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.  The court explained that the order threatens serious injury to the constitutional balance of power between the federal and state governments and “sets a dangerous precedent for future domestic military activity.”  Trump appealed the decision, and an appeals court temporarily blocked the judge’s order, allowing the National Guard to remain under federal control while the appeals court considers the case.  A hearing on the appeal is scheduled for next Tuesday.

In Washington, these events were also viewed in the context of the military parade that the President has requested, taking place on his birthday tomorrow, which is the 250th birthday of the U.S Army—a day to celebrate and honor the extraordinary men and women who have served our country to secure, protect, and preserve our country and our freedom for 250 years.  Across Washington and across the country, many (including me) are concerned about the optics of tanks on the streets of the nation’s capital—something we are more used to seeing in places like North Korea or Russia—and the message it sends about the state of democracy in America.  The parade is expected to cost taxpayers between $25 million and $45 million at the same time that the administration is cutting benefits and services for active-duty military families and for veterans.  The President’s speech this week in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, criticizing the free press and political opponents, disregarding long-standing norms, and undermining the Army’s non-partisan service gives rise to further concerns about the state of our democracy.  These words and actions are those of autocrats and authoritarians, the very opposite of the first President of the United States, George Washington, the first commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and the kind of leader Washington warned us against.

Undermining Congressional oversight and engagement.  This week, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey (and President Trump’s former personal lawyer) Alina Habba announced an indictment of Congresswoman LaMonica McIver from New Jersey following events outside a New Jersey immigration detention center where three members of Congress went to conduct oversight earlier this year.  The law authorizes members of Congress to show up at any federal facility unannounced to conduct inspections on behalf of the American people.  Yesterday, Senator Alex Padilla of California was forcibly removed and handcuffed at a press conference held by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem inside a federal building in Los Angeles after he identified himself and tried to ask her a question.  This unprecedented treatment of members of Congress attempting to perform their oversight duties on behalf of their constituents is not normal, not democratic, and not acceptable. 

Removing CDC Vaccine advisory panel.  Also this week, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. unilaterally removed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).  For decades, the ACIP—a committee composed of medical and public health experts—has reviewed information about immunizations, deliberated publicly, and made independent, evidence-based recommendations about which vaccines the CDC should recommend.  These recommendations determine insurance coverage, school vaccination requirements, the Vaccines for Children Program that provides vaccines to children whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford them, and more.  Secretary Kennedy’s firing of these experts continues HHS’ attack on science, undermines ACIP’s critical role, and endangers public health.  It further erodes public trust in science and our government.  I joined my colleagues in a letter to the Secretary this week, as discussed below.

Israel Striking Iran.  Last night, Israel struck targets across Iran, and today Iran responded with strikes in Israel.  We are still learning about the strikes and ongoing campaign, but we know that the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018 has led to a breakdown in diplomacy and an increase in the risk of Iran becoming a new nuclear power.  Israel has a right to defend itself, especially against the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran.  We are in a deeply concerning moment in an already volatile time in the Middle East region and the world.  Our concerns now are for those in harm’s way and escalation that could endanger American servicemembers and civilians, and pull the United States and our allies into a broader conflict.

This week, the full House took several significant votes.  Unusually, House Republicans incorporated changes to the budget reconciliation bill that the House passed a few weeks ago, H.R. 1, into what is usually a simple procedural vote.  The House had not actually sent the bill to the Senate for consideration, and made changes to address procedural errors in the bill that would have prevented the Senate from considering it. 

You may have seen that some House Republicans expressed regrets for their vote for the bill once they learned what was in it.  This vote gave many members with regrets about voting for H.R. 1 the opportunity to vote against it, including its provisions to:

1. Prevent regulation of artificial intelligence systems by any state for 10 years;
2. Prevent courts from holding the Executive Branch in contempt for violating lawful orders;
3. Increase the national debt by at least three trillion dollars;
4. Make cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits for millions of Americans; and
5. Trigger $500 billion in cuts to Medicare.

I voted no on this rule, which passed by a vote of 213-207.  No Republican members of the House changed their votes.

After that, the House considered President Trump’s request to rescind funding that Congress allotted last year for NPR and PBS and for international development and humanitarian programs.  Last week, President Trump asked Congress to rescind $9.4 billion in current government funding; that request became the Rescissions Act of 2025, H.R. 4.  The bill:

• cuts $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, including PBS and NPR, which will affect local NPR affiliates across the country, including Houston Public Media. 
• cuts $8.3 billion from international development and humanitarian programs, like funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), global family planning programs, U.S. contributions to UN peacekeeping efforts, global health programs, and migration and refugee assistance. 

This rescission bill’s $9.4 billion in cuts reflects only a fraction of the funding Congress allocated that the so-called DOGE team claimed to cut earlier this year.  As a result, we expect more requests in the future.  The bill passed the House by a vote of 214-212.  All Democrats voted no, including me.

The House also considered the HALT Fentanyl Act, S.331, which classifies all fentanyl-related substances (substances that have chemical structures similar to fentanyl but are not identical) as Schedule I Controlled Substances.  This is the Senate version of a bill the House passed earlier this year.  I voted no earlier this year, and I voted no again this week.  Of course I agree with concerns about the need to combat the supply of illicit fentanyl across the country.  This bill, however, does not actually make the changes we need to make to address the fentanyl crisis in this country, and it provides no resources to detect and intercept illicit drugs entering the country or programs for the prevention and treatment of addiction.  In fact, since the House voted for this legislation in February, the Trump administration has dismantled the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), fired hundreds of people who worked there (including key senior officials), and rescinded more than $1 billion from state and local behavioral health programs.  For all of these reasons, I once again voted no on this bill.  The bill passed the House by a vote of 321-104.

The House also considered several bills relating to the District of Columbia (D.C.) and its right to govern itself.  The series included a bill to restore collective bargaining rights and a statute of limitations for D.C. police officers involved in disciplinary cases (H.R. 2096); a bill to repeal the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2025, which overrules the district’s expansion of voting in local D.C. elections to resident non-citizens (H.R. 884); and a bill to require the D.C. government to comply with requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security to share information and detain undocumented immigrants (H.R. 2056).  These bills undermine the D.C. government and, more fundamentally, the right of nearly 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C. to make decisions through local government.  I voted against these bills, which passed the House 235-178, 266-148, and 224-194, respectively.

The House also considered, and I voted for, a resolution (H.Res.481) condemning the rise in ideologically motivated attacks on Jewish people in the United States, including the recent violent assault in Boulder, Colorado, and reaffirming the commitment to combating antisemitism and politically motivated violence.

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 cosponsored several pieces of legislation on issues important to our community, including:

• a resolution, H.Res. 473, calling on the Trump administration to use all diplomatic tools at its disposal to bring about the immediate and secure delivery and disbursement of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the release of the hostages, and a durable end to the conflict;
• the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2025, H.R. 18, to require that every sale of a firearm includes a background check;
• the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2025,  H.R. 3868, to close a loophole that allows gun purchases to move forward by default after three business days even if a background check has not been completed. This bill provides the FBI with additional time to complete a background check;
• the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act of 2025, H.R. 2799, to include bump stocks in the list of firearms subject to regulations under the National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act of 1968;
• the Raise the Age Act, H.R. 2368, to raise the age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21;
• the Fit to Serve Act, H.R. 3569, to prohibit discrimination in the U.S Armed Forces on the basis of gender identity and to affirm the rights of transgender people to serve;
• the No Place for LGBTQ+ Hate Act, H.R. 3708, to repeal certain executive orders targeting LGBTQ+ individuals;
• the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2025, H.R. 3243, to prevent conversion therapy by establishing under the law that practices which falsely claim to change sexual orientation or gender identity are fraudulent;
• the Protect Our Constitution and Communities Act (POCCA) , H.R. 3454, to create a right of action for individuals, states, and local jurisdictions who have been harmed by the Trump administration’s unlawful blocking of congressionally appropriated funds;
• the Born in the USA Act, H.R. 3368, to prohibit the use of federal funds from being used to carry out President Trump’s executive order that seeks to end birthright citizenship;
• the Puppy Protection Act, H.R. 2253, to create stronger standards for veterinary care, housing, and breeding for dogs by ensuring that dogs within breeders' care have suitable and safe enclosures, access to outdoor areas, and regularly interact with other dogs and humans;
• the Armenian Genocide Education Act, H.R. 2585, to require the Library of Congress to maintain a public website and support educational initiatives to promote understanding about the Armenian Genocide;
• the Give Kids a Chance Act, H.R. 1262, to authorize the Food and Drug Administration to direct companies to study a combination of cancer drugs and therapies in pediatric trials;
• the Defending American Diplomacy Act, H.R. 2602, to prevent the Trump Administration from reorganizing the State Department without Congressional approval; and
• a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that President Trump must comply with the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the Constitution by submitting to Congress immediately all plans for his jumbo jet gift from Qatar, H.Res. 410.

This week, I also joined my colleagues in sending more letters about issues that have come to my attention, including:

• a letter Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. condemning his decision to retire all 17 active members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and asking him to reinstate all fired members;
• a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Robert Hinchman, Senior Counsel Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice (DOJ), expressing concern about a recent DOJ rule that changes the process to restore firearm rights that will make it easier for domestic abusers to have their gun rights restored;
• a letter to President Trump, urging him to restore the National Endowment of Arts (NEA) grants and provide full funding for the NEA; and
• a letter to Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, who is in charge of my committee, requesting that the committee hold a hearing with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director on significant staff reductions at the agency, the documented delayed or cancelled research activities at NIH, and policy changes that have taken place in the first months of the Trump administration.

On Wednesday, the Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on our health care supply chain.  While I appreciate the importance of making our health care supply chains more resilient, I voiced my objections to the committee’s agenda, which is out of step with what is happening right now, as the Trump administration takes steps to gut our federal agencies that are directly responsible for making sure these supply chains function properly and result in safe and effective medical products for Americans.  You can watch my comments below.

The House will be back in session in Washington the following week, and I’ll be back there, too.  I’ll send my next update at the end of that week.  But if you need anything before then, or want to share your thoughts, please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email here at any time.  I am proud to represent you.  I am here to help you.  And I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,