This week, the House debated critical matters and took several important votes.  The House voted to keep the federal government open, provide disaster assistance, and support Afghan evacuees through Operation Allies Welcome by voting to pass and sending the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5305, the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act, to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.  The bill appropriates funding at the levels provided in fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills until December 3, 2021, with certain exceptions to address emergency issues.  It also provides $28.6 billion to respond to natural disasters and allocates $6.3 billion in the resettlement of Afghan evacuees fleeing danger.

The House voted to protect the American economy by passing legislation to suspend the debt limit.  It is important to know that addressing the debt limit is not about future spending—it is about meeting obligations that the government has already incurred.  It is essentially a vote to pay the bills that have already come due.  I have heard from many constituents this week about future spending—and address that more below—but this vote was not about that.  This vote was meet current obligations and to honor the commitments and full faith and credit of the United States.  Since 2011, the debt limit has been addressed seven times, and each time Congress worked on a bipartisan basis to address it, including three times during the Trump administration.  I am sorry to report that this week’s vote was not bipartisan.  But it was the responsible vote for our country, and I voted in favor of the legislation.

As work continues to enact President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, the House passed legislation extending for 30 days surface transportation programs that expired September 30 in the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021.  This bill allows federal highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, and transportation financing programs to continue operations through October 31, 2021.  This legislation is needed to avert a prolonged shutdown of federal surface transportation programs that put thousands of U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) employees temporarily out of work due to a lapse in surface program authorizations.

This week, the House debated the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as I mentioned in my email to you last week, and as you may have seen in the news.  Members of Congress debated the bill, as well as the additional infrastructure needs and priorities of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.  We did not vote on the bill this week, as many of us anticipated, but I look forward to voting for the bill when it does come to the floor. 

This week, the Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce of the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a legislative hearing on Thursday entitled, "A Level Playing Field: College Athletes' Rights to Their Name, Image, and Likeness." Several bills have been introduced in recent years that grant collegiate athletes additional rights and protections, including the right to earn compensation for their names, images, and likenesses.

On Thursday, I joined the House Oversight & Reform Committee for a hearing on the impact of Texas’ S.B. 8 law on Texas women and how laws like it in other states will affect people nationwide.  We heard powerful testimony from my colleagues and experts the importance of access to abortion care and the effects of the Texas law.

Between votes and hearings, I was glad to visit with several Houstonians on the Hill about issues of importance to our district and what is happening in Texas right now, including energy and reproductive health care.

On Thursday, I stood with Texans outside the Capitol and called for Senate action on the Women’s Health Protection Act to defend the health, privacy, dignity, and freedom for women in Texas and across the country.

This week, I also submitted comments to the Texas General Land Office (GLO) on the State of Texas Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) Action Plan Amendment 1 for distribution of Hurricane Harvey disaster mitigation funding, urging the GLO to revise its proposal to increase Harris County’s allocation to $1 billion and allocate $1 billion to the City of Houston, ensuring that both Houston and Harris County receive separate and substantial funds to reflect the ongoing need for mitigation in our region. 

I explained that, because Harris County and Houston were not awarded any funds in GLO’s $2.3 billion funding competition, this allocation will be the sole direct funding source for our local governments to complete mitigation projects in Houston and Harris County.  We need our fair share – and this letter is one of the many ways I am fighting for it.  You can read my public comment letter here.

Good news: COVID-19 hospitalization, positivity, and transmission rates continue to go down, even with the Delta variant.  But because we do not have vaccine rates at high enough rates, local public health officials aren’t ready to celebrate.  Although things are trending well, our case load remains too high to bring our threat level down—we are still at Threat Level Red.  Now is the time to get vaccinated if you’re eligible.

Those who have been vaccinated may be eager to get their third shot now that it has been approved.  Good news: Harris County Public Health is now offering Pfizer booster shots to eligible residents who had their second shot more than six months ago.  Find more information at vacstrac.hctx.net or call (832) 927-8787.

On November 1, submissions for the Congressional App Challenge will close.  Those students who have a great idea for an app and have a passion for coding are encouraged to apply soon!  Learn more at CongressionalAppChallenge.us/students

I have the privilege each year to nominate outstanding young members of #TX07 to the nation’s service academies. Students who seek a nomination to one of our service academies can learn more about the process and fill out the application here.