Once Speaker Johnson was sworn in, he addressed the House and laid out his vision and priorities for getting the House back to work. To watch his remarks, click here. 

We are getting back to work, and I remain committed to finding common ground with responsible lawmakers to address our priorities and needs, and I hope that, moving forward, Speaker Johnson and House Republicans will work with House Democrats to deliver for our communities and for our country.  We have major challenges before us, and an ambitious schedule to address critical programs, the government funding deadline, and annual and special spending requests.

We will all learn more about the new Speaker in the days, weeks, and months ahead.  As his first order of business, Speaker Johnson brought to the floor a bipartisan resolution, H.Res. 771, which was introduced on October 11, condemning Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, calling upon Hamas to release all hostages immediately, mourning the lives lost, and affirming the United States' support for Israel and against terrorist groups.  The resolution, co-sponsored by almost every member of Congress, passed in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner, 410-12 with 6 members voting present.  

This week, the House next considered the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2024, H.R. 4394.  I voted against this appropriations bill, which, if enacted, would increase energy costs, jeopardize our energy security, and hurt the United States’ competitiveness in new energy technology markets.  It cuts domestic energy funding by 25 percent and repeals many of the important programs passed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, including home energy rebates that will save households up to $1 billion on energy bills each year.  It also seeks to repurpose $84 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for the Army Corps of Engineers, which currently has a nearly $100 billion backlog for important construction projects.  Like all of the appropriations bills we have considered so far this year, it includes harmful riders that target members of our community, including allowing for discrimination based on same-sex marriage and prohibiting funding for underserved communities.  For these reasons, I voted against this legislation. 

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

As always, I enjoyed meeting with several Houstonians who were in Washington this week.  A few highlights are pictured below from my meetings with Rice University President Reggie DesRoches, Phillips 66, and the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council. 

Our team is always working to identify legislation and opportunities to advocate about issues important to our community.  This week, I co-sponsored several bills on issues important to our community, including: 

• A resolution condemning Azerbaijan's blockade of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and ongoing human rights violations, H.Res. 108;
• A resolution expressing concern about the spreading problem of book banning and the proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States, H.Res. 733;
• A resolution calling on Hamas to immediately release hostages taken during the October 2023 attack on Israel, H.Res. 793;
• A resolution calling commemorating the 5th anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, honoring the memory of the victims and condemning antisemitism, H.Res.819;
• The Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act, H.R. 396, to add bump stocks to the list of firearms subject to regulation under the National Firearms Act (e.g., registration and licensing requirements) and the Gun Control Act of 1968 (e.g., background check requirements);
• The Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act, H.R. 2584, to create legal penalties for individuals who intentionally assault or intimidate hospital employees; 
• The Financing Our Energy Future Act, H.R. 3690, to extend the publicly traded partnership ownership structure to energy power generation projects and transportation fuels;
• The Supporting Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression Act, H.R. 5683, to address Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, provide humanitarian assistance to Armenians, and strengthen cooperation between the U.S. and Armenia;
• The Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2023, H.R. 3713, to provide $300 million in funding for public schools across the country to partner with local mental health professionals to establish on-site mental health services for students; 
• The Pride in Mental Health Act, H.R. 3850, to develop mental health resources, school bullying prevention guidelines, and training for caregivers tailored to LGBTQ youth;
• The LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act, H.R. 3970, to require federal agencies that collect demographic survey data to collect voluntary data on sexual orientation, gender identity, and variations in sex characteristics (sometimes referred to as intersex traits);
• The Promoting Respect for Individuals' Dignity and Equality (PRIDE) Act, H.R. 4326, to update the federal tax code so that same sex marriages are given full equality under the law, in both language and benefits; 
• The Global Respect Act, H.R. 4422, to impose sanctions on foreign individuals responsible for human rights violations against the LGBTQ+ community around the world;
• The Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, H.R. 5685, to require colleges and universities receiving federal student aid funding to enact anti-harassment policies; and
• The Safe Schools Improvement Act, H.R. 6031, to require school districts in states that receive ESEA funds to adopt codes of conduct specifically prohibiting bullying and harassment, including on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion.

I also joined my colleagues in sending letters this week, including a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell requesting an update on the FEMA implementation of an installment payment system to allow all National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders to have the option to pay premiums in monthly installments instead of on an annual basis. 

And, I joined 119 of my House and Senate colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees urging them to preserve the Building Chips in America Act and streamline federal permitting requirements to accelerate new, large-scale semiconductor manufacturing projects in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.

In the midst of everything else, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security held a markup on 17 bills.  Twelve of the bills were bipartisan bills largely aimed at making it easier for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to process an anticipated wave of forthcoming applications for new advanced reactor designs over the next decade. We also considered four bills on efficiency and grid reliability and one on hydropower.  In the markup, we discussed some concerns about the bills and hope to amend them as they move forward. 

Our committee already has 27 bipartisan bills that are ready to be brought to the House floor, and I am hopeful we will see some of these bills move, while we continue to work on other major issues, including permitting.

In Washington, Team TX-07 met with groups advocating for people in our community and across the country, including the Texas Credit Union Association, the Organization of Iranian American Communities, the American Land Title Association, and the Residential Eating Disorders Consortium (REDC).

As I hope you know by now, our team of constituent advocates assists TX-07 residents every day with matters before federal agencies, like obtaining benefits from Social Security, Medicare, and the VA, resolving matters with the IRS and USCIS.  Recently, Constituent Advocate Sara helped TX-07 neighbor Maureen M., who shared this with us about her experience:

“I contacted Congresswoman Fletcher’s office to request assistance to expedite a certification (apostille) of my FBI background check.  I was told that the Secretary of State had a backlog of 8-12 weeks and I needed the document urgently to request a one-year visa to Spain to help with my nephew's treatment/recovery who was diagnosed with muscular atrophy.  My document was apostilled four days later after I sent my request to Congresswoman Fletcher’s office.  I’m very grateful for Congresswoman Fletcher’s office help, without their assistance, it would have taken weeks to get my documentation certified.”

I’m glad to hear this story and many more–and hope you know how hard our team in Houston is working on these matters for our neighbors in the district.  While we cannot guarantee a favorable outcome, we can promise you we will do our best to help you receive a fair and timely response.  To request assistance, click here. 

Next Friday, November 3, is the deadline for students interested in attending a military service academy to apply for a nomination.  Details about how to submit applications are on my website here.  Please call our Houston office at (713) 353-8680 if you have any questions about the process at all.

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,