Our district team and I had a great time visiting with our neighbors at National Night Out on Tuesday!  From Westchase to the east side and Gulfton to the Galleria, we were glad to see neighbors, law enforcement officers, and first responders for this annual event.

It was also great to see many community members at the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s annual luncheon on Friday.

With a little more time at home, I was able to head a little further afield to visit the South Texas Project (STP), a nuclear power plant near Bay City that is one of the largest nuclear power facilities in the country.  STP’s two units provide energy to two million Texas homes.  I was glad to visit the facility for an extensive tour and discussion with plant operators and labor representatives, which was helpful for my work on the Energy & Commerce Committee.

Back in Houston, I visited the Health Museum to view artist Joni Zavitsanos’ memorial to Houstonians who died of COVID-19, “Living Icons.”  It was a beautiful and moving memorial, and a place for remembrance, healing, and connection for those grieving the loss of loved ones during the pandemic. 

As a reminder, the CDC is recommending that people ages 12 years and older receive an age-appropriate COVID-19 bivalent booster and that those ages six months and older receive a flu shot.  Visit vaccines.gov to find a COVID-19 or flu vaccine near you. 

Even though we are not in session in Washington, I am continuing to work on issues important to our community.  This week, I joined my colleagues in sending several letters to officials, including two that I led: 

• A letter to the new director of the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), Renee Wegrzyn, expressing support for the agency to be placed in Texas; and
• A letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressing support for the Port of Houston Authority's grant application for the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program (RCEP).

And several others written by other members that I added my name to in support, including: 

• A letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland urging the Biden Administration to ensure the maximum lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico are included in the Final National Outer Continental Shelf Program (2023-2028);
• A letter to President Biden outlining why an export ban on petroleum products is not policy the administration should support; and
• A letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressing support for Prairie View A&M's application for a National University Transportation Center.

As you know, our district team is here to assist with our constituents with matters before federal agencies, including obtaining benefits from Social Security, Veterans Affairs, and Medicare, as well as addressing matters before the Small Business Administration, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and more.  I am thrilled to announce that my office has now successfully closed more than 9,000 cases for residents of Texas’ Seventh Congressional District!

Every day our team works diligently to help our TX-07 neighbors in need.  I am grateful to the residents of TX-07 who have put their trust in my office and my team to resolve their issues and provide meaningful solutions.  My team and I will continue to serve our neighbors and help our community in every way we can. 

Teresa H., one of our neighbors, shared the following message, which I’m glad to share.

“I had a long-running issue with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that never would have been resolved without the intervention of Congresswoman Fletcher's office.  In December 2020, I applied for disability benefits for my mentally handicapped sister.  SSA rejected the application, so I filed an appeal in March 2021.  After we fulfilled the requirements for the appeal, her case was closed in June 2021.  But there was no response from SSA – neither acceptance or rejection.  I began calling my local SSA office for assistance.  The office was closed because of the pandemic and it was difficult to get through to a human by phone.  The few times I succeeded, the SSA employees said they could not give me any information, even though I had filed all the required documents to serve as my sister's representative. I called the SSA national hotline several times, but they could not help either.  As a last resort, I hand-delivered a letter to the local SSA office in November 2021 explaining the issue and begging for a response. None came.

“In January 2022, I was ready to hire an attorney, when someone suggested asking my Member of Congress for help.  I had no idea that was a possibility.  I contacted Congresswoman Fletcher’s office and was connected with a constituent services representative in the Congresswoman’s Houston office.  Fatimah, a constituent services representative with Congresswoman Fletcher, took over my case, and after additional requests and communication with SSA, an SSA supervisor contacted me.  

“Turns out, SSA had accepted my sister's appeal in June 2021, but never notified us. Not only will she receive disability benefits going forward, but SSA also will pay her all the money she should have received starting in June 2021. This is the ideal outcome that I could not have achieved on my own or without spending thousands of dollars for an attorney.  I owe it all to Fatimah and the Congresswoman’s team–backed by the power of their boss–and my sister and I are eternally grateful.” 

Two important dates for you this week:

Tuesday is the last day to register to vote in Texas.  No matter who you are voting for, it is important that you make your voice heard in our democracy.  Voting is one important way to participate and have your say, and I hope you will check your voter registration and make sure you are registered.  Learn more at votetexas.gov. 

Saturday, October 15, I will host a resource fair for students interested in attending U.S. military service academies where they can learn more about the application and nomination process and talk to representatives from the academies at Lamar High School from 10:30a.m. to 12:30p.m.  Learn more, download the application, and get the flyer here.

As always, I am honored to represent you and I am here to help you.  Please call my office at (713) 353-8680 or (202) 225-2571 or email me at fletcher.house.gov/contact at any time to ask for assistance or share your thoughts.  My team and I look forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes,