Fletcher, Lizzie RSS Articles

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher on President Trump’s Post Stating That “A Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight”

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) released the following statement as the United States conducts military strikes on Iran and President Trump issues grave new threats:.

"Over the past several days, the President of the United States has posted statements that are unhinged and untethered to reality. Over the past few years, we have gotten used to seeing rambling, incoherent posts on his personal, for-profit social media platform, and have worried about their content and about the conduct of United States policy—domestic and foreign—through this medium.

“Today one thing is clear: We cannot ignore them. The President’s statements are not only unhinged, they are dangerous: an escalation not only in rhetoric but in the real-world consequences. The President appears to be threatening to take actions that would not only violate international law and long-standing rules of war, he is threatening to take actions that would make the United States unrecognizable to its own citizens.

“I call on Speaker Mike Johnson to call the House of Representatives back to Washington to conduct oversight of this war and address the Constitutional issues that the President’s unhinged statements make clear. I call on all members of the Congress to remember and uphold their sworn oath to the Constitution of the United States of America. And I call on the President’s Cabinet to do the same.”

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Announces More Than $18 Million in Congressional Funding For Projects Benefiting Texas’ Seventh Congressional District

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) announced that she helped secure more than $18,000,000 in congressional funding for Texas’ Seventh Congressional District through the Community Funded Project process.

“I am glad to have positive news to report from Washington: I requested and secured more than $18 million in congressional funding for projects in Texas’ Seventh Congressional District,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “Once again, I am grateful to the many partners from our community who helped me and our TX-07 team identify projects for consideration and submit compelling proposals to the House Appropriations Committee. These funds will help facilitate important projects that benefit our district and our entire community.”

Congresswoman Fletcher helped secure funds for the following 15 Community Funded Projects:

For the City of Houston Department of Parks and Recreation, $3,150,000 for the renovation of the Metropolitan Multiservice Center on West Gray to increase access to amenities and further support the continued accessibility of organized sports, recreation activities, and wellness opportunities for people of all ages with disabilities.
For the Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority, $2,000,000 to create a community resilience hub by updating the Southwest Civic Core Campus to aid in emergency preparedness and response during all-hazard events, addressing the urban heat island effect and promoting economic development and community livability.
For Fort Bend County Precinct 4, $2,000,000 to construct the Mission Bend Senior Center, a facility that will provide seniors with a safe and vibrant community space, serve as a warming and cooling center, and offer programming, as well as fitness and recreation spaces.
For the City of Bellaire, $1,145,144 to increase the conveyance capacity of Cypress Ditch Channel as part of the city’s Cypress Ditch Flood Mitigation Project, which will reduce flooding and flood impacts in Bellaire, the Gulfton area, and along the 610 Loop.
For the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, $1,031,000 to purchase three Mobile Command Posts to serve Harris County and 13 surrounding counties in responding to critical daily operations and during incidents that demand coordinated public safety efforts, like natural disasters.
For the Alief Independent School District, in collaboration with Rice University, $1,031,000 to develop a space and planetary science engagement-focused program to strengthen the community’s pipeline of students exploring planetary sciences and related careers at Alief ISD schools.
For the Houston Forensic Science Center, $1,031,000 to address wrongful convictions from faulty field drug test kits—prioritizing and stratifying old cases, with 5,000 slated for retesting to reduce the risk of wrongful results and, in turn, wrongful convictions.
For the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, $1,031,000 to expand transparency and support fair, equitable justice by implementing a cloud-based evidence-sharing platform to streamline access to case materials across investigators, victim advocates, prosecutors, and defense counsel.
For the City of Houston Police Department, $1,031,000 to expand its Mobile Crisis Outreach Team and Crisis Intervention Response Team, filling critical gaps in the city’s mental health response infrastructure.
For the City Park Redevelopment Authority, $1,000,000 for the 12th Street Drainage Project to enhance flood resilience and stormwater management while reconstructing the roadway to improve mobility, safety, and access to parks, schools, and trails in Timbergrove.
For the City of Southside Place, $909,909 to replace 4,700 linear feet of failing, 43-year-old sanitary sewer truss pipes as part of the Edloe/Auden Sanitary Sewer Replacement Project to improve the public health, safety, and welfare of Southside Place residents.
For the City of Sugar Land, $850,000 to repair and reconstruct the Sugar Land Regional Airport runway, restoring the runway’s structural integrity, expanding its lifespan, and reducing long-term maintenance costs ensuring the airport can remain operational.
For the City of West University Place, $850,000 to reconstruct 100,000 square feet of roadway across six blocks—including Marquette, Villanova, Oberlin, and Byron Streets and two blocks on Case Street—improving mobility, stormwater drainage, and flood resilience.
For the Montrose Redevelopment Authority, $850,000 to enhance multimodal safety, accessibility, and connectivity by closing critical gaps in the sidewalk network across the northeast quadrant of the Montrose.
For the Harris County Public Library, $850,000 to install self-service library kiosks across the community as part of the Tiny Branches Project, removing barriers to library resources and expanding access to educational and public services.

To view community project requests from all years, click here.

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher On President Trump’s Executive Order To Restrict Mail-In Voting

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) released the following statement after President Trump signed an executive order to restrict access to mail-in voting, asserting control over elections.

“President Trump’s executive order attempting to seize control of elections and restrict Americans’ ability to vote is the latest in a long series of brazen abuses of power that have come to define his presidency. The illegality of this action is matched only by its hypocrisy: the President himself voted safely and securely by mail just weeks ago.”

“The Constitution is clear: states—not the President—regulate and administer elections. I will continue to reject the lawless and un-American agenda of this administration every day, and will do everything I can to place a check on this administration.”

Congresswoman Fletcher is an original co-sponsor of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, H.R. 14, which restores the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and restores federal oversight for states with a recent history of voter discrimination.

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Votes Against Republican DHS Funding Bill That Fails To Address Lawlessness of ICE, CBP

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) voted against H.Res.1142 – Rule deeming the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 7147. This legislation funds the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) until May 22, 2026 without making reforms to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after federal agents have arrested and killed U.S. citizens, entered homes without judicial warrants, and used excessive force against people across the country.

“The Homeland Security funding bill presented to the House falls far short of addressing Americans’ legitimate concerns about the Trump administration’s increasing lawlessness and brutality,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “Democrats have demanded that the Trump administration follow the Constitution, have proposed a number of common-sense reforms, and have offered legislation to fund other DHS agencies including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Coast Guard while negotiations on immigration enforcement activities continue. Republicans have rejected all of these measures, including complying with the Constitution. This year, Americans have witnessed immigration enforcement agents kill American citizens with impunity, and they are demanding better. House Republicans have so far refused to do better, and continue to bring the same bills to the floor that they know have no viable path forward.

“Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House,” Congresswoman Fletcher continued. “To earn my vote, they must present a funding bill that meets the moment, curbs this administration’s abuses, and demonstrates that no agent or agency of the United States government is above the law.”

Earlier this month, Congresswoman Fletcher signed a discharge petition to force a vote on H.R. 7481, legislation to immediately fund all of DHS except for ICE and CBP.

In February, Congresswoman Fletcher introduced the Freeze ICE Act, H.R. 7392, to stop the rapid recruitment of unvetted individuals at ICE. And earlier this month, Congresswoman Fletcher introduced an amendment to a previous DHS funding proposal to institute a hiring freeze at ICE.

The bill passed the House by a vote of 213-203 and now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher’s Legislation To Expand Texans’ Access to Emergency Alerts Passes Committee, Moves Forward in House

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, the House Energy & Commerce Committee unanimously passed the Mystic Alerts Act, H.R. 7022, which Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) introduced with Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11), Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33), and Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01) to improve Americans’ access to wireless emergency alerts. This bipartisan legislation requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to encourage mobile service providers to adopt satellite alerting capabilities—technology that allows more people to receive life-saving alerts even if they lack cellular service. The bipartisan effort follows the devastating floods in Central Texas last summer and seeks to address communication gaps to prepare communities.

“In Houston and across the state of Texas, we are still heartbroken and grieving the loss of 135 people and the destruction of communities along the Guadalupe River last summer, a disaster made worse by communication gaps and failures,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “This bill is a small but important way to provide a meaningful response to the devastating floods and learn from the tragedy so that communities across the country do not have to experience the same pain and loss that Texans did last year. Nothing can bring back those that we lost in the flood, but we owe it to their survivors and to everyone we represent to do everything we can to try to prevent another tragedy like the one that we saw last summer. I am glad to partner with Congressman Pfluger, Congressman Veasey, and Congressman Carter in this effort and the work to get this legislation signed into law.”

Speaker Johnson will now determine whether the House will vote on H.R. 7022.

To view the full text of the bill, click here.

We asked Texas' congressional delegation about TSA wait times. Here's what they said.

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Travelers are waiting hours in massive security lines at some airports, including in Houston, as a partial government shutdown stretches on.

Democrats and Republicans have struggled to reach a deal on funding the Department of Homeland Security, an agency that oversees both airport security and President Donald Trump’s mass deportation push.

Democrats do not want to fund the agency without a series of changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including limiting ICE action around schools and churches, stopping ICE agents from wearing masks and requiring agents to use body cameras.

Some Republicans have suggested carving ICE out of the budget negotiations (unlike TSA, ICE agents are still being paid) and agreeing to a deal to fund the rest of DHS.

Hearst Newspapers reached out to every member of the Texas delegation to ask what they are doing to end the shutdown and whether they support a deal to fund DHS without including ICE. They responded with a lot of finger-pointing. For those who didn't respond, we included any recent public comments.

Read their responses below.

...

“President Trump and Congressional Republicans are choosing not to fund TSA. People in DHS departments are being paid from funds available. TSA should be, too. This is a deliberate choice to inflict pain on TSA workers and the traveling public. Republicans are in charge in the House, the Senate, and the White House, they can solve this problem. But they are choosing not to. I have joined House Democrats in an effort to bring a bill to fund TSA to the floor, and I will continue to work to end this manufactured crisis.”

- Lizzie Fletcher, Democrat, U.S. House Texas District 7, in a statement to Hearst Newspapers

View this article in the Houston Chronicle.

ICE Agents Deployed to Houston Airports to Help TSA

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

George Randall got to George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Monday, three hours before his flight to California was scheduled to take off. He anticipated a long wait in security due to a shortage in TSA agents who haven’t been showing up to work because they haven’t been paid since mid-February.

But knowing ahead of time that the airport experience is going to be a nightmare doesn’t make it any more enjoyable, Randall said.

“What’s troubling for me is that there’s a swarm of federal agents walking around this airport,” he said. “They’re not really doing anything but telling people where the TSA line starts. Makes you wonder if they’re just here to intimidate us.”

Republicans and Democrats in Congress have been at a standoff over funding for the Department of Homeland Security for more than a month. DHS funds TSA, and representatives on both sides of the aisle appear to want to get airports back up to full functionality, but DHS also funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and that’s a problem for the Dems.

President Donald Trump’s answer to the airport crisis, which was exacerbated earlier this month by millions of spring break travelers who weren’t anticipating the three-hour delays just to get through a security checkpoint, was to send ICE officers to American airports.

Fourteen airports in Houston, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans and Phoenix can expect to see ICE agents “conducting tasks to free up TSA agents to handle processing travelers,” according to the New York Times. On Trump’s Truth Social, the President posted that ICE agents would “do security like no one has ever seen before,” including “the immediate arrest of all illegal immigrants who have come into our country.”

At least a dozen unmasked ICE agents were at IAH on Monday, mostly talking to each other and directing passengers to the TSA security line, which started downstairs near the baggage claim. Their presence didn’t exactly look like the cavalry swooping in to save TSA; one agent spent half an hour outside near the shuttle dropoff taking his dog for a potty break.

The federal officers said they were not authorized to speak to the media. It was unclear how long they’d be stationed at the Houston airports. While much of the media attention focused on the presence at IAH, an Uber driver said Monday she’d also seen federal agents at Hobby early Monday morning.

At IAH on Monday, CLEAR — a pre-paid fingerprint scan that allows travelers to skip the traditional check-in line — was not operating and TSA pre-check was available in Terminals A and C only until 10:30 a.m. Terminal D is closed. Travelers with questions about their flights were encouraged to contact the airline.

Richie arrived at IAH two hours early for a 7:35 a.m. flight to Fort Lauderdale. He missed it, saying that an airport employee approached him in the line shortly after 6 a.m. and said, “I’m not even going to take your bags because you’re not going to make it through TSA in time.”

“They told us they didn’t have enough TSA workers to check our bags in time for us to leave,” said Richie, who was traveling with his friend Bob on what was meant to be a quick weekend trip to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Three young women who spent their spring break last week in Houston arrived at IAH at 6 a.m. for an 8:24 a.m. Frontier flight to Orlando, and say they were told something similar. The group of girls had never met Richie and Bob before but commiserated together at the airport’s Subway sandwich shop on Monday morning, trying to figure out how they were going to deal with missed work and paying for a hotel.

The airlines were helpful in rescheduling the missed flights, all parties said, but no one’s going to cover their hotel rooms or lost wages. “It’s been like this for two weeks, right?” a girl named Rose asked. “Is it just because of spring break?”

None of the spring break travelers were aware of the partial government shutdown or that there were ICE agents in the airport. “Oh, the ones in the brown and green [vests]?” they asked. When told that the TSA agents weren’t getting paid, Richie said, “We gotta be extra nice to the ones who are here because they’re showing up for free. If you’ve got bills to pay and you go months without getting paid, you’ve got to figure out a side hustle.”

The shutdown started on February 14 but the airport delays spiked in early March after TSA agents missed their first full paycheck. A man named Umar told the Houston Press his family came to Houston for the World Baseball Classic earlier this month. Their return flight on a Sunday night was canceled and they weren’t able to leave until the following Tuesday.

Reuters reported Friday that FAA data show smaller Texas airports could close permanently if the shutdown doesn’t end soon. Houston’s Hobby Airport is already experiencing long lines and checkpoint closures, but the potentially vulnerable airports — in Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Laredo, Killeen, College Station, Waco and Tyler — either have just one TSA checkpoint or rely heavily on consistent demand and airline service to stay viable.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last week he believed “you’re going to see small airports shut down.”

No one knows when the partial shutdown will end, but it’s apparent that there’s frustration from both political parties. House Democrats on March 18 announced a “discharge petition,” a legislative tool that allows a majority of members to force a bill to the floor for a vote, even if the Speaker of the House opposes it. The measure would fund all of DHS except for ICE and Customs and Border Protection.

“The effort comes as Democrats continue to demand reforms to ICE and CBP as federal agents have arrested and killed U.S. citizens, entered homes without judicial warrants, and used excessive force against people across the country,” U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, said in a press release. “Republicans have refused to consider these reforms, leaving DHS unfunded and forcing federal employees to work without pay while using funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, to continue paying tens of thousands of law enforcement personnel at ICE and CBP to carry out the President’s mass-deportation agenda.”

If Republicans are serious about “supporting civil servants rather than using them as bargaining chips,” they’ll sign the petition and vote to fund departments like TSA, Fletcher added.

Republicans, including Trump, have said they won’t pass any funding bill until Democrats approve a bill that requires people registering to vote to show proof of U.S. citizenship.

The National Republican Congressional Committee launched a paid advertising campaign at IAH and San Antonio International Airport, “targeting Democrats or shutting down the Department of Homeland Security and forcing TSA agents to work without pay while Americans endure hours-long security lines.”

“House Democrats shut down homeland security while TSA agents work for free and Americans sit in hours-long security lines. It’s pure insanity, and voters won’t forget who betrayed them,” said NRCC spokesman Christian Martinez.

A spokesperson for Houston Airports referred questions about ICE to DHS but said that the city-owned airport system is working closely with TSA to monitor checkpoint capacity in real time, adjust passenger flow and provide on-site customer service support. The Houston Food Bank and the nonprofit Wings of Compassion are helping provide meals and other assistance to the TSA agents who are working for free.

View this article in the Houston Press.

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher And Colleagues Urge Republicans To Reopen Government, Resume Critical Services

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) signed a discharge petition to force a vote on H.R. 7481, legislation to fund all of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) except for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The effort comes as Democrats continue to demand reforms to ICE and CBP as federal agents have arrested and killed U.S. citizens, entered homes without judicial warrants, and used excessive force against people across the country. Republicans have refused to consider these reforms, leaving DHS unfunded and forcing federal employees to work without pay while using funds from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” H.R. 1, to continue paying tens of thousands of law enforcement personnel at ICE and CBP to carry out the President’s mass-deportation agenda.

“For more than 30 days, hardworking federal employees and people who depend on them and the services they provide have suffered because congressional Republicans refuse to rein in ICE,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “This legislation funds the agencies Americans depend on in the Department of Homeland Security while withholding additional funding from ICE and CBP until Congress addresses Americans’ legitimate concerns about the administration’s lawless actions. If Republicans are serious about supporting our civil servants rather than using them as bargaining chips, they will join us in signing this discharge petition and voting to fund these departments.”

A discharge petition is a legislative tool in the House of Representatives that allows a majority of members to force a bill to the floor for a vote by the full chamber, even if the Speaker of the House opposes it.

In February, Congresswoman Fletcher introduced the Freeze ICE Act, H.R. 7392, to stop the rapid recruitment of unvetted individuals at ICE. Earlier this month, Congresswoman Fletcher introduced an amendment to a previous DHS funding proposal to institute a hiring freeze at ICE.

As President Trump Spends Billions on Iran War and Republicans Increase Deficit by $3.4 Trillion, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Votes Against Hypocritical Republican Amendment To Balance Federal Budget

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) voted against H.J.Res. 139, a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution to require annual balanced federal budgets.

“If Republicans were serious about fiscal responsibility, they would not have passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer that adds $3.4 trillion to the deficit,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “And they would not have allowed President Trump to spend $11.3 billion in just the first six days of the war with Iran. Voting for a balanced budget amendment while refusing to exercise any oversight over this administration’s spending does not demonstrate fiscal responsibility—it demonstrates how unserious this majority is and how little this majority is willing to do its job to hold this lawless and out-of-control administration accountable.”

The resolution failed by a vote of 211-207, falling short of the two-thirds threshold required for the resolution to pass the House.

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, Congresswoman Val Hoyle, and Congressman Joe Neguse Lead Effort To Support Funding for Federal Natural Disaster Research and Preparedness

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Congresswoman Val Hoyle (OR-04), and Congressman Joe Neguse (CO-02) led 27 of their House colleagues in sending a letter to the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies requesting that Congress fund the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) at a level of at least $605 million in the upcoming appropriations package. This comes after President Trump attempted to cut all funding to OAR in his proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget. This funding would allow OAR to continue its critical mission to prepare communities in Texas and across the country for life-threatening natural disasters and to keep the U.S. at the forefront of atmospheric and oceanic research and science.

“Without OAR, NOAA would be unable to fulfill its core mission: to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts; to share that knowledge and information with others; and to conserve and responsibly manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources,” the members wrote. “NOAA OAR helps American communities prepare to face extreme weather events. As hurricane season quickly approaches, OAR’s advancements in predicting extreme weather events are more important than ever. The research and data resulting from the OAR Hurricane Research Division’s partnership with the U.S. National Hurricane Center have saved countless lives and nearly $5 billion per major U.S. hurricane landfall.”

“Stronger science for forecasting severe weather and communicating impacts will protect communities and save lives,” the members continued. “Robust funding will enable NOAA and its research institution partners to continue their long and proud history of partnering with industries and other government agencies to provide that cutting-edge research.”

To read the full text of the letter, click here.