Our Work Has Just Begun

In the 114th Congress, House Republicans have the largest majority that we’ve seen in the last 65 years, and Harry Reid’s rule in the Senate has come to an end.

I remain committed to my constituents’ priorities: defunding the President’s unconstitutional executive amnesty, repealing ObamaCare, reining in the EPA, and moving forward with construction of the Keystone pipeline. Now is the time for conservatives to stand united in our fight against this overreaching presidency. Our work has just begun.

I will continue to lead the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee as one of six Texas Republican Committee chairs in the 114th Congress. As part of the first day’s agenda, I voted in favor of the “Hire More Heroes Act of 2015,” a jobs bill that would encourage small businesses to hire veterans by exempting them from the employee limit under ObamaCare.

A rules package passed today also included language that would give specific deposition authority to the House Science Committee – something that has been granted to a select few committees in previous Congresses. The authority was granted in order to allow the Committee to continue to pursue its aggressive agenda reining in executive branch overreach at agencies such as the EPA. Under the Obama Administration, the EPA has rammed through multiple controversial rules that will cost consumers and taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. Chairman Smith has repeatedly criticized the agency’s “abusive regulatory agenda” and introduced Science Committee legislation that would increase transparency and accountability at the EPA and prohibit the agency from using non-public, “secret science” to justify the costly rules. That legislation passed the House in November 2014.

The House and Senate are also expected to vote later this week on a proposal that would move forward with the Keystone XL pipeline.